Razer and Verizon Developing 5G Gaming Handheld

Singapore gaming specialist Razer has joined forces with chipmaker Qualcomm and wireless network operator Verizon to develop the Razer Edge 5G handheld gaming system.

Not a lot is known yet about the system, but the partnership promises to share more details at RazerCon on 15th October. What we do know so far is that it was first spotted at this year's Mobile World Congress Las Vegas, where it was dubbed the world's first 5G mobile gaming handheld. It's supposedly designed to let you play games by downloading them to the system itself, streaming them from another system or accessing them directly from the cloud.

The Edge 5G reportedly features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset and an Adreno GPU that's capable of running Android games at 144FPS with support for 10-bit HDR. The chip's FastConnect 6900 technology allows it to support 5G and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity options, which we expect should make the process of downloading and streaming games faster and smoother.

Qualcomm originally created the system as a developer-only concept called the Snapdragon G3x. Because the concept never made it into the market, Razer at some point probably decided to iterate upon it, updating the specifications and refining design aesthetics to fit its own brand. The developer kit released close to the end of last year sported a 6.65-inch OLED display that supported 120Hz refresh rates, four-way speakers and built-in controls.

Perhaps the best thing about the Edge 5G is that it accommodates three different ways to play. Its direct competitors, in contrast, are limited to one or two ways. Logitech's G Cloud Gaming Handheld, for instance, is a dedicated cloud handheld. That means you'll need to have an internet connection at all times to play. Apart from this, it's priced pretty steeply for its limited capabilities at US$350. The Steam Deck, meanwhile, packs the hardware to run AAA games natively, but doesn't support 5G connectivity.

Razer has joined forces with Qualcomm and Verizon to develop the Razer Edge 5G handheld system.
The device was supposedly designed to let you play games by downloading them to the system itself, streaming them from another system, or accessing them directly from the cloud.
It features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset and an Adreno GPU that's capable of running Android games at 144fps.
More details are expected to be revealed at RazerCon on 15th October.