The Razer Edge Is the Best Handheld Gaming Device Right Now
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As a former GameBoy kid, Razer has won me over.
Razer released their new handheld gaming device earlier this February, and it’s already split the community. On the one hand, the Razer Edge—which is really just an Android tablet with a detachable controller—is a surprisingly capable piece of hardware. It has a crazy-powerful chip, an HDR OLED screen that’s nearly double the resolution of the Nintendo Switch, and up to 8gb of RAM, so it can handle anything you can throw at it.
But, like I said, it’s really just a tablet with a USB gamepad. It’s only a little bigger than the phone you likely already have, and with a little bit of eBay savvy, this is the kinda thing you could pretty much put together yourself on the cheap. Unlike Valve’s Steam Deck (a portable gaming PC that gamers adore), you cannot run PC games without an internet connection, unless they are among the very few major titles available for Android. So, with the (base-level) $399 price tag, a lot of reviewers have been asking…“Who is this for?”
Well, I have an answer for those critics, and for you, dear reader. It’s for me. As a former GameBoy kid who dreamt of one day having his entire gaming library on one super powerful and super portable device, the Razer Edge is just for me!
The Steam Deck is too big, the Nintendo Switch too constraining. More esoteric options like the Ayn Odin and Retroid Pocket don't have sharp enough screens, and older handhelds like the PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS are just too antiquated to compete. The Razer Edge, though, it’s just right. Yeah, at $399 for the Wi-Fi model, and even more for the 5G version, it’s pricey as hell. But it’s the best out
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