What is going on with the Razer Edge?

Seriously, it has been a long time since release (with a graphics card now almost 2 years old), and Razer has been very tight lipped about an update. With the announcement for the new Blade models, but no word on the edge, do you guys think Razer is just going to let the edge concept simply slide into obscurity and die?

I think it really had a lot of potential, and the hardware being released this year could have really been a boon to it. an intel Maxwell CPU, in combination with an Nvidia 860 would have given it a ton more power, and improved battery life. With improved specs, and a more refined design internally and externally, it seems like they could easily bump the screen up to full 1080p.

 

The longer RAZER stays silent about an Edge refresh the more it looks like it's going to be a one time thing, seems unfortunate they don't at least try a 2nd gen model. First gen seemed like it was a hit for those that bought one but maybe they didn't sell enough.
Who knows maybe RAZER is going to surprise us in the future but I'm thinking it's looking like it's not gonna happen, it's time to move on.

 

I agree. I don't think it sold enough for them to spend the time/money/resources to develop a 2nd gen. I still think we will see a 2nd gen but it will be a while. For now, I still have plenty of uses for mine and even though it's a year old, it's still in a league of it's own when it comes to a gaming tablet.

 

I guess. However the GPU is getting left behind pretty hard. The Micrsoft surface pro 2 only has integrated graphics, and its actually able to play BF4 on low settings at decent FPS. The next revision will leave the edge in the dust in terms of graphical preformance if Razer doesn't step up their game.

 

I was waiting to buy the razer edge pro even though the pro has dropped in price significantly. it was 899 recently on amazon but now I can't justify buying something that is already 2 years outdated. If they upgrade the internals on the next issue, I am in. One thing I want them to change also is peripherals- like the hand held controller- please lower the price and improve the quality of the buttons. Also increase the battery size. otherwise, I like the weight and size of the tablet.

 

I gave in and bought one. I believe that this is a one time product.

 

I, too, hope for an updated Edge. It is far and away my preferred mobile gaming platform (even over the Blades).

 

For the people who bought it, how do you feel about the peripherals? I think given the price has been steady and staying at 1000 dollars, I would rather pay the extra and get a solid keyboard and trackpad with the razer blade. not to mention, the better graphics card and resolution.

 

You hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned. The Edge was awesome, but the Razer peripherals and their lack of supply killed it for me along with what I would consider other "required" peripherals. For me it came down to carrying a mouse and keyboard, and USB hub for a basic bag with essentials for playing a few games on my lunch break. With the razer blade 14 I can carry just the laptop (approx same weight) plus I get a better CPU/GPU, HDMI, more USB and better battery life, while still being smaller than a bag with the above peripherals I had to carry with the Edge. It just didn't make and sense for me. The blade cost more, but you also get more so that was a moot point for me.

 

For those of us used to controller, the Edge's form factor was perfect. It could be used while standing in a line or on a plane without needing extra doo-dads. Sure, it took a bit of searching to find a good bag for it - the Timbuk2 Showdown fits it in the gamepad controller like a glove - but once you had one it was far and away better than a Blade for gaming on the go. It also worked without issue with airplane power as the power supply maxed out at 65w. I have yet to get a Blade - 14 or 17 - to work with airplane power.

I hope they bring out a thinner, lighter Edge. ~4 lbs while standing is kinda rough. 3 or 2.5lbs would be nice, though even if it's 4 I would buy a second gen Edge in a heartbeat.

 

As a current owner of the Razer edge, are there any other things you would recommend they change for the second generation, other than the weight? I don't own it yet but I think a big problem is battery life. If it's meant to be portable, I want at least 3-4 hours of gaming.I would also change the controller- I don't naturally like the way the top buttons are lined up. I tried it the other day and I found it would be hard to hit the top left or right buttons with my thumbs or index fingers with a sorta heavy tablet. The only way I found it to work is if I had it propped up with my elbows tucked in and me sitting down.

 

Full size gaming laptops don't get 3-4 hours gaming so I doubt the Edge 2 could achieve that. I'm actually used to the gamepad now so I really don't have any complaints about it. If I could change anything in the version 2, it would be to make it at least 8 ounces lighter.

 

With the extra battery pack in the controller, I can get 3.5 hrs of Fallout New Vegas time when running on the IGP. For games that use the GT 640, I was getting 2.5 to 3 hrs or so. I carry an extra battery with me so that's about four to five hours while out and about. For gaming while waiting in lines or on a bus it's enough.

 

Seems like waiting for Intel to release their broadwell processors late this year/early next year would probably be a good idea. Their supposed to be only a little bit more powerful, but have radically improved power efficiency. That combined with an effiecient, but decent future power efficient chip from Nvidia (850/950m) would probably knock it out of the park.

I know razer is using their hardware line to push boundaries now, so maybe they would also use a special type of high end battery to improve the life of it too.

 

Surface FTW! I love my original Surface RT, While its cool a tablet can play Battlefield, I just don't have a use and therefore I just kept my original Surface. No intention of upgrading till my Surface breaks which isn't likely due to how well it was built.

 

I'm not an owner, but the reason I didn't buy the edge was because it lacks a gyro/accelerometer sensor package. I'm a game developer and developing mobile games on a tablet capable of running unity, etc. Would have been amazing but since most mobile devices rely on the sensors for input that potential was lost by this simple omission.

 

Why would an accelerometer be required for PC gaming?

The Razer Edge provides access to one's controller-enabled Steam library. That was its intent - controller gaming on the go. If you're a developer, just make sure your games are controller-enabled.

 

not sure what everyone is going on about. I have the i7 256gb version and it plays all new games hi-res and smooth.

 

What graphics level? Ultra? Which games? On the native res of the edge? 1080? 1440?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

obviously on the native res (720p) - COD Ghosts, nfs rivals, nba 2k14, fifa 14, etc etc etc. some on top level, some had to be dropped a notch or 2 (eg COD)

 

Right.. What games? What res? That 640LE isn't playing squat at hi-res unless it's older and less intense.

 

read my previous reply.

even though 720 is not the best, i still consider it high-res...Sky TV only broadcasts their HD channels at 720 so it is considered Hi-Res.

 

Ah, there we go. That's your error. Just because you consider something "high-res", "smooth", etc. doesn't necessarily mean others share the same opinion. Personally for me, I consider 1080p average resolution, 720p low resolution, and 1440+ high resolution. Really just depends on your frame of reference. I'd also consider large field of view games for graphic fidelity. For example Skyrim, BF3, BF4, Alan Wake, Metro 2033, etc. all score pretty low FPS on ultra with the 640m LE. Some even on just high.

In the end there is nothing wrong with gamers wanting more gaming power from a gaming system.

 

i can see where you're coming from. gaming enthusiasts play using hi-def monitors to get max res so i appreciate them wanting more.

My main rig at home is connected to my 50in tv so i am used to 1080p being the max. i play with an xbox controler...i consider 1080p to be the best for me as i want to play games on big screens like consoles.

what we have in the edge is a highly portable system which you can take anywhere and play - and for that i am truly thankful LOL

eg i can go on holiday, pop it in my hand luggage, and still plug it into any tv using my dock and am able to play the best games wherever i am.

 

Which is awesome, I definitely know a lot of people who really enjoy their Edge as well. I think others (myself included) were just hoping that it would be successful enough to warrant a yearly refresh cycle, or at least continued peripheral production. At the moment it definitely looks like it's floundering, and with the new slew of ultra-portable gaming laptops about to hit the market, I'm not sure it will ever return. I think we're more likely to see streaming to tablets/phones/etc. in the future (ala Nvidia Shield) then we are to see GPU equipped tablets/phones.

 

i guess the main issue is just battery consumed by the cpu and gpu...?

i have a Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 - is use Splashtop to stream games to the tablet and my Galaxy S5 from my main pc. this works surprisingly well and means i dont have to purchase the shield. All Splashtrop requires is you have an nvidia card in the rig you're streaming from...plus its free if you are on same wifi.

if you are on different wifi you can trick it by vpn in to your own network and assign same gateway - this makes splashtop think you are on the same network so you dont have to buy the full version

 

I mean even just throwing in Haswell would result in significant battery increase with average use. Supposedly the new Maxwell architecture has great power draw reduction as well. The Edge was a great intro device, to show that tablets with dedicated GPUs are possible. It would have just been great if it could have been followed up with the latest components and greatly improved battery life, to show that it's not only plausible but practical.

Having used Splashtop and Nvidia Shield I can safely tell you that they are worlds apart. Ignoring the much improved interface for accessing PC content from the Shield, the pre/post processing handled by the PC and Shield hardware itself basically nullifies lag. Having tried to play competitive games on both devices, I can easily say that it is doable on the Shield 99% of the time with little to no modification, whereas with Splashtop I had to adjust game settings among other things for each title to produce a lag-less framerate that was manageable in competitive play. I can only imagine the Shield 2 with K1 and 4GB RAM will only do better.

Definitely a good trick to know. I think in the end I just bought the full version .

 

thanks for the info mate. much appreciated!

have you got examples of some upcoming ultra laptops which are good for gaming? Are they laptop/tablets like the razer, sony vaio tap 11 etc?

 

Tablets, definitely not. I think the Edge may be the one and only tablet with dedicated GPU that we ever see. Laptops, a bunch are coming out with 860m/870m this year:

Lenovo Y50
Razer Blade/Razer Blade Pro
MSI GS70/GS60 Stealth/Stealth Pro
Gigabyte p34g v2

There are also a bunch of other ultrabooks which have a better graphics card then the Edge, some with 650s/750s.

 

See, what I cant understand is why they dont just make the laptop with the keyboard detachable and put all the junk behind the screen, this means effectively it is a laptop AND a tablet...have a look at the vaio TAP 11 - all it needs is a dedicated GPU and it will be a gaming tablet..

As it stands, it's perfect as a business tablet, with the GPU it would be a tiny powerhouse...

 

As for streaming - check out the Moonlight project (used to be limelight)...they use nvidia geforce experience platform to provide a better experience than the shield...and the best thing is you dont need a shield device - any android will do and quality is dependent on your device:

http://moonlight-stream.com/