Okay Geek Farm
Razer Switchblade and Onza - Everything we know so far
Jason Tsay
Let’s just say right now this is one of the craziest and greatest gaming concepts we’ve seen so far - and we’ve seen quite a lot. Yesterday at CES, Razer pulled the sheets off a device known as the Switchblade concept and released the Razer Onza for purchase, which we saw previewed last year.
Switchblade
Powered by an Intel Atom processor, this tiny game-book is certainly one of the coolest things we’ve seen at CES this year. Packed with a 7” 1024 x 600 multitouch display and physical keyboard with individual LED displays on each key, and a full LCD below the keyboard, controls on this device truly push the boundaries of PC gaming as we know it. The keyboard display hybrid allows for on the fly automatic switching depending on what game you’re playing. The hardware is in the handbuilt prototype stage at this point but we’re pretty impressed by it and we hear that some former OQO employees put some work into the device. Running Windows 7 with a crazy skin on top, the Switchblade will play all your games just fine and with much better portability than that clunky Alienware M17x you’ve got. In terms of connection, the Switchblade can power your MMORPG’s via 3G or WiFi, so there is a slight possibility we’ll see some sort of data plan hooked on this thing.
There’s no release date, there’s no price, there’s really nothing else to say about it except that Razer just wanted a means to show what exactly their creative minds can come up with.
To us, the Switchblade concept truly represents the future of mobile gaming. Aside from playing Infinity Blade on our iPhones, this new category will represent gaming (we’re talking WoW gaming) on the go. The Alienware M11x took a step in the right direction but the Switchblade simply takes a leap. Laptops like the M17x will eventually be replaced by the combination of full desktop gaming rigs and one of these devices. Interested in the idea? Check out this video above and teaser site for all the details - straight from Min-Liang Tan, Razer’s CEO and product designer.
Onza Tournament Edition 360 Controller
As for the Razer Onza, it’s basically the custom Xbox 360 controller we saw previously at CES only now it’s been priced at $40 and $50. Why two prices? Well, there’s a Tournament Edition (seen above) that packs an adjustable resistance on the joystick, an upgraded D-pad, backlit buttons, and a pair of customizable keys.
