Razer, Qualcomm and Verizon want to make a splash in the portable gaming space with the Razer Edge 5G.
This portable Android device looks set to compete with Valve’s Steam Deck and will allow players to download games locally or stream them through cloud-based services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Much more is not known about the Razer Edge 5G at this stage. But Verizon he confirmed (opens in a new tab) The handheld will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3X Gen 1 gaming platform. The same chipset was teased by Qualcomm last year and seems to support resolutions up to 4K at 60fps. But at the time, it was used as a developer-only platform and wasn’t commercially available.
Promising specs, but it remains to be seen if that will work out for the Razer Edge 5G. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long for more details. Verizon’s George Koroneos has confirmed that more details will be revealed at RazerCon on Saturday, October 15.
BREAKING: @Verizon, @Razer and @Qualcomm join forces in the world’s first handheld 5G gaming handheld, the Razer Edge 5G! It will let you play your favorite games whether you are playing in the cloud, in the app, or streaming from your console. pic.twitter.com/F9Vg3CfABlSeptember 28, 2022
A handheld device worth keeping an eye on?
I’m a cautious optimist about the Razer Edge 5G. But it will have to make an impression as it is entering a space dominated by both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. In addition, we are starting to see more and more handheld gaming devices like Logitech G Cloud.
In fact, the Logitech device looks similar to the Razer Edge 5G targets. It also supports the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem, but lacks 5G and local storage features.
One thing a Razer device may have compared to the competition is that it may contain adaptive triggers. The handheld’s trigger buttons are briefly underlined in the trailer, activating fancy graphics when pressed. It might just be a nice animation, but to me it suggests that the Razer Edge 5G triggers may have similar functionality to those of the DualSense wireless controller on the PS5.
We’ll find out more about the Razer Edge 5G in just a few weeks during the full RazerCon presentation. Hopefully the device lands in a reasonable price range. Steam Deck certainly rules manual conversation right now. Therefore, it would be wise if Razer and Verizon would offer their device at a slightly more affordable price.