UPDATED 13:23 EDT / JANUARY 11 2012

NEWS

Grab On to the Razer Fiona at CES 2012: New Hyper-Powered Gaming Tablet PC

San Diego headquartered Razer, best known manufacturer for high-quality but extremely expensive PC gaming peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and headphones, is coming out with their very own souped-up tablet gaming PC prototype the “Project Fiona.” We’ve seen this sort of gimmick before with the unveiling of the Switchblade laptop last year, but this one looks a little bit more in the groove for tablet gamers who want a nod to console.

The “Project Finoa” is an Intel Core i7 device that will run Windows 8 on a 10.1” 1080×800 display and support full-screen multitouch (a must for a good gaming experience.) The device will also support force feedback and implements a small set of gyros and accelerometers—Razer believes that people will make games specifically for Fiona but it seems more likely we’ll just find good games on Windows 8 that run beautifully on the device (although the prototype apparently runs Windows 7). Finally, expect it to contain Bluetooth and a full suite of WiFi enabled for networking.

The realm gimmick of this device is the console-like aspect that gives the tablet a pair of nacelles: four button, one-stick controllers (reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii nunchuck) on either side that look like handlebar growths on the sides of the screen. Not exactly a form-factor that any tablet has nowadays and will certainly set this bad-girl aside from any other device on the market. However, it seems like it would reduce its overall portability a little.

No price has been given for this gaming tablet yet, however Razer is rumored to be stating that it will be available for “less than $1000.”

Technical Specifications: Intel® Core™ i7; 10.1″ 1280×800 display; Full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch; 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer; Force feedback; Dolby® 7.1 surround sound; WiFi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth® 3.0; front- and rear-facing cameras.

According to first-impressions looks from reviewers from The Washington Post and others the device is sleek, powerful, and plays games like Warhammer 40k and Firefall without much of a strain.

This is still just a prototype but for something being shown off at CES 2012 chances are Razer fully intends to make it into an actual product. Analysts do warn that Razer has a tradition of bringing out their newest-and-brightest weird products to CES every year (see: Switchblade) so that in of itself may not be enough of a reason to expect that we’ll be seeing it, but it certainly looks like a done deal.


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