Razer collaborates with Qualcomn, announces Edge, an Android powered handheld gaming console

Razer has announced an Android-powered handheld gaming console that supports 5G, Xbox Cloud and Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming service.

First teased in December 2021, the device is collaboration between the popular peripheral and hardware maker and Qualcomm, which provides the G3x Gen 1 SoC that the console runs on.

On paper, the chip looks impressive with support for up to 144 fps, 4K HDR and HDMI output. It's a native Android device, which means it will be restricted to games on Google's Play Store.

But with both Xbox Cloud and Nvidia GeForce Now services being available on Android, you can play games outside the Google ecosystem but will be restricted to streaming them.

The portable features a 6.8-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. Razer says it has a powerful two-way speaker system with two digital mics.

The other specifications include 128GB of internal storage, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and Qualcomm's Adreno GPU, paired with an 8-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU clocked at 3.0 GHz. The Android 12 console will start at $399 (about Rs 32,000).

The Edge will be in direct competition with Logitech's G Cloud, another Android 11-based handheld, which is priced at $349 (about Rs 28,000) and will be available from October 18. Razer has not announced the availability of the Edge yet.

Both of consoles will have to battle it out with the Steam Deck, another portable with a starting price of $399 but with native support for PC games released on Steam. The Deck is a miniaturised PC that allows you to run higher quality games natively.

Then there is the Nintendo Switch, which is a hybrid handled/docked gaming console with a huge library of popular games and is priced at $299 (roughly Rs 24,000).

It will be interesting to see how Razer and Logitech match up to the stiff competition.