CES: Razer's Fiona gaming tablet is amazing, not a tablet

[Ohri-Jin]

CES: Razer's Fiona gaming tablet is amazing, not a tablet

1 hour ago - 9:00 AM on 01.12.2012 | Dale North ​

19 comments
​

#CES #PC #Previews #Razer #Tablet #Top Stories​

Razer's newly revealed gaming tablet gaming concept raised a lot of eyebrows yesterday. Concept images showed a tablet-like device with controller sticks mounted on handles. Some even wondered if those were removable. The unit's specifications had others scratching their heads as Razer claimed it would feature full PC game compatibility with its Intel Core i7 processor. This prototype is unlike any other tablet we've seen, so many didn't know what to think about it.
We got our hands on a running prototype in a meeting with Razer at CES, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. My jaw fell open at first glance and stayed that way through the entire meeting. Seeing Fiona running popular PC games at high settings was really surprising. You've never seen anything even close to this quality on a tablet. In fact, I'm not even sure this could be called a tablet.
Whatever it is, I want one.
First off, forget those renders. The Fiona prototype is beautiful, and those renders we shared yesterday do it no justice. Razer told us that after a bit of a search they finally found a great company in Taiwan that was able to make high end prototypes that look like final hardware. Razer liked their work so much that they bought the company up. These guys did a fantastic job, as Fiona really is sleek and sexy, and has a great hand feel and balance. It's not heavy at all, and the analog sticks and buttons fall under the fingers naturally. While just about anyone would consider it thick for a tablet, and the side controllers looked a bit odd at first, seeing it in person really impressed.

Here's what really matters for gaming: Fiona is a beast in the hardware department. This isn't some mobile processor running a mobile OS, folks. Razer packed in a third-generation Intel Core i7 to have this machine running a Windows operating system. The rest of the specs are still under wraps, but what they had inside this prototype was enough to have it running Windows 7, and Razer says that the timing is right to have the final unit running Windows 8.
We first saw Space Marine running at high settings, and it ran so well that it took a long time for my brain to register that I was watching play on a tablet machine. Graphically, Fiona performed flawlessly, and with the game's combat controls mapped to the analog sticks and control buttons, play looked just as perfect. After that we saw The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim running on Fiona, started directly from Steam, just as you would on a PC. The game looked beautiful even on "Ultra High" settings, coming in at around 15 to 20 frames a second. On "High," Skyrim could do 50 or more frames a second at 1280 x 800. Seeing this flat, compact device running the game at such high quality was almost unbelievable.

The neat thing about Fiona is that input can come from the controllers, touchscreen or a combination of the two. The 10.1" touchscreen is perfect for simple games and mobile-type experiences, and the analog sticks and buttons are perfect for core games, but Razer is hoping that developers will create hybrid controls for titles for Fiona in the future. The included accelerometers and force feedback are also available for game creators. For now, any game with gamepad support will work on Fiona's controllers, and tablet games will work fine with its touchscreen.

I'm sure some will question the need for a gaming tablet, putting it up against a dedicated gaming laptop. Razer says that they are not looking to replace the gaming PC with Fiona, saying that portable form factor could actually supplement desktop gaming rigs. Keep in mind that with its touchscreen and dedicated controls, the experience is quite different from laptop gaming. I don't know that I'd call Fiona a tablet. While it's relatively thin and features a touchscreen, it's so much more capable. While they're not sharing all of what's under the hood, Fiona looks and plays more like a flat touchscreen PC with dedicated gaming controls, especially with it running Windows 7.

What's important is that the unique in design and function are aimed squarely at gamers, and that it seems to be a dream device for those craving portable PC gaming. It's really a dedicated, portable PC gaming console. I'm sure its ability to run top PC games, dedicated controls and sub $1,000 price tag would have many gamers choosing this over a PC gaming laptop if it were to come to market. I'm looking forward to seeing where Razer goes with this. But for now, as a prototype, Fiona is incredibly impressive. Again, whatever it is, I want one.






Source - http://www.destructoid.com/ces-razer-s-fiona-gaming-tablet-is-amazing-not-a-tablet-219533.phtml

 

[Richard B Riddick]

Needs.... holographic keyboard!

edit:

One handed keyboards can be compact and sexy, too...

 

[Linnaete]

I hate the thought of non-physical keyboards. I just never find them very intuitive especially if I'm left to tap on a touchscreen's soft keypads. Not that I would ever want to play an MMO, let alone an MMO on the go on this gaming tablet, but the lack of a physical keyboard to me would be jarring.

This machine ehh, I'm not too sure about the controller buttons/joystick things on the side - particularly the button layout on the left. And seriously though, who would really prefer to buy this over that of a conventional Alienware laptop or something? How many people even want to play PC games on the go? The majority of PC gamers I'm aware of like their beefy desktop PCs, or at the very least, a good laptop, with decent-sized screens. Other than the novelty factor, who would shell out close to $1,000 for this?

As a tablet on its own, it would look alright. With the joypad sticks wedged onto the sides though, it's not exactly much of a looker in my opinion.

 

[Big Casino]

Its big and bulky. Not something you can take on the bus with you like you can a psp or whatever the thing nintendo has. I can see why you people would want the bigger screen but you have to think. When would you use this? It has to be when your not at home. No one would choose that over theyre ps3/xbox and tv combination. So if your using it whilst travelling youl need to have it in a bag because it wont fit in your pocket. It looks like an inconvenience.

 

[ribbit]

That thing would only be good if I really wanted to play some PC games on the go Which, with those joysticks, would be really hard to please me. Most games I much prefer to use a keyboard and mouse, thought that would defeat the purpose of that tablet. If you can play Steam games on there, that would be nice. Maybe I'd get around to playing Bastion. But I hate tablets as a whole, and think they're a waste of time and money. Soooo, it's a no go for me.

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Gaming Tablets and Touchscreen TV's

What do you guys think all about this? Will game consoles really become obsolete in the future?
Will these things eventually replace Game consoles?



Apple iTV could end Xbox and PlayStation reign

• Email
  
  Share
  

March 2, 2012 By Peter Chubb 0 Comments
We’re in for an interesting time when it comes to the gaming market, as Apple could be about to launch its assault and while rivals have nothing to fear just yet the next decade for gamers is certainly going to be very interesting. We already know about how the iPad 3 will cater more for the gamer but Apple’s iTV could also become a dominant force as well
Now you may think this is a little extreme but just consider how far the iPhone has come in that time and how popular gaming is on not only this device but also their iPad as well, which as we know is all set to get an upgrade this month. Apple has changed how we look at home computing, the humble cell phone and mobile computing, so it stands to reason they will do the same with the TV industry – if the device exists.

According to the rumors the iTV (if it will be called this) will be released in 2012 and could take what they have done with their iOS deceives and try to replicate that same success but in a new market. The games available on the App Store have certainly progressed over the years and still has a way to go to compete with the likes of Microsoft and Sony, but we have seen what they can do in 5 years so what about another 5?
By that time the new Xbox and PS4 would have already been on the market at least 3 to four 4 years and might not have the lions share of the gaming market that their current versions enjoy. We already know that the Apple iTV would include the App Store and from all the rumors there’s a good chance that it will be far more powerful than the current or next-gen iPhone and iPad, so with this in mind their latest device could deliver at least half the performance of the Xbox 360 and the PS3.
Now there are two things to consider here, it could be a fraction of the cost as the games consoles because you have no need to purchase one, and also what would the 2017 version of the iTV be like? It’s only obvious that hard-core gamers will say playing games on a touchscreen device will not cut it at the moment and they are correct, but all it takes is a Bluetooth controller to make it more viable.
However, the biggest benefit would be in the games themselves because we know the price of a new title is pretty expensive, and this is where apps come in. We can see the big developers and publishers starting to take gaming apps far more seriously if Apple decided to release the Apple iTV, so for now watch this space.