They call it Project Fiona, but frankly it goes beyond a fancy name. The Razer Edge Pro gaming tablet is scheduled to be shipped out by or before April 10. Already, a staggering number of people have preordered it.

On the up side, you are paying for a hardcore gaming tablet, which is the kind courtesy of Razer. On the downside, they are asking for $1,499; a heavy amount of cash, which even the most professional gamers will hesitate to pay! What are you going to do?

If you are going to buy the Razer Edge Pro tablet, the plain version comes without the Gaming Pad. This gaming pad is attached beneath the tablet’s surface so that the controls are adjacent to the sides. You will also need a docking station and some side accessories to enrich your gaming experience. We’ll talk about that later.

The important thing is that Razer released the Edge Pro tablet, claiming that it’s the “ultimate handheld” gaming machine. That’s a lot of promises to be delivered, if you ask me. Take a look at the perks of owning the Razer gaming tablet:

Good Stuff about Razer Edge Pro Gaming Tablet:

• The Price factor is a huge turn on in case you are planning to show off this tablet. Even if the Edge Pro/ Fiona tablet does not end up running high end games, at least your friends will always appreciate it in awe. Cmon’, $1,499 is bound to create some buzz in the neighborhood.
• Fiona Razer Edge tablet comes ready with Windows 8. For Microsoft, this tablet may have been a great opportunity to boost Windows 8 popularity, which is in fact a crappy OS.
• Specially optimized for gaming, this tablet is a work of art. The specs offer an overview of Nvidia 640M LE (2 GB DDR3 Card), iCore series processor, multiple storage options and etc.
• Very easy to set up and get started on gaming.
• Vibrant display makes up for lack of 1080p video quality.

Close Look at the Razer Edge Dock and Side Panel Gaming Controller – CNET Images

There you go; you just read some of the highlights of the Razer S Edge Pro tab.  There are tons of ways to customize the tablet. Given that Razer just announced it; a lot of companies will be vouching in to promote their accessories that go with the tablet. In the end, you will be getting an overall awesome gaming experience – at least for a few months to date…

Bad Stuff about the Razer Edge Fiona Gaming Tablet:

Oh boy, where do I begin? I don’t have the tablet; really I have nothing against it. However, if I were “Razer”, I’d have surveyed the market to bring my consumers a perfect gaming machine. Frankly, there are a few serious concerns that irritate me.

View of the Razer Edge Pro Tablet – Up Close and Personal – CNET Images

• Lack of SD Card Slot is a turn off. I get it; the Razer Edge Pro tab is available in multiple storage versions. Amazon is selling this tablet in the form of 3 different units. 256 GB, 128 GB and 64GB. You can check these out here. Next gen games have huge texture files. Your memory space will soon run out!
• Although the gaming performance reeks of richly detailed graphics, the lack of 1080p screen is again not a good thing.
• Razer has not replied the Razer Edge Pro pre order customers about the tablet’s battery life. I am guessing they will not be doing it anytime soon. The battery life on this device drains quickly whenever you are gaming.
• There is no Ethernet slot. I’d have loved to connect the internet through Ethernet port on the Razer Edge. Sometimes Wi-Fi hotspots are not available everywhere.

Last thing’s always the most important. No matter how good this tablet is, $1,499 is too much to ask for it. Maybe it is the right price because Razer must have worked its ass off on creating this beauty. At least, during this time frame, the gaming industry customers are not exactly ready to part ways with this much amount of money.

Also when you factor in side accessories price, the overall amount skews up to $1,500 easily. For instance, Amazon is selling the following at these price rates:

• Razer Edge Pro Gaming Tablet 256 GB Version – $1,499
• Razer Docking Station for Razer Edge Tablet – $99
• Razer Gamepad Controller for the Edge Pro Tablet – $249.99

If you are looking to buy all three in a bundled purchase, you will end up paying $1,798.98. But if you are planning to buy the two accessories as the cash piles up in your wallet, the price is likely to go high in future. The rest is up to you.

In Depth Razer Edge Fiona Tab Review – To Game or Not to Game?

Due to intensive specs, the Razer Edge Pro is positioned to be one of the best handheld gaming devices in the market these days. Take away the gaming element, you have a replica of Surface Tablet. Go back to gaming and you get to play at least all the current titles at either ultra details or reasonably high details.

Plus, the fact that you can also connect the tablet to a giant monitor or a TV through the Razer Docking Station, the tablet has numerous possibilities for delivering enriched gaming to your fingertips. Only if Razer would have taken the memory and battery life constraints into account, I would have been overjoyed.

As much as I am complaining about the Razer’s battery life, I also know for a fact that when you, as a manufacturer, are delivering high end details, the battery life has to be sacrificed. If Razer decides to go for extended battery performance, it will have to release a revised version of the Fiona tablet; perhaps something called: Razer S Edge Pro or Razer Edge Pro Pro Version.

Secondly, the company will have to release a high capacity battery for the tablet. I doubt if the existing battery will be replaceable by new one because of size limitations and other schematics. But Razer does deliver performance and tons of promising features to aspiring gamers.

Design and Overall Schematics: Besides, appreciating a gaming machine, if there’s one thing that inspires me, it’s the overall beauty of the device. After all, design elements are the first thing you always notice. Performance and characteristics will always have a second preference because that’s how it goes.

Don’t trust me? What happens when you see a random stranger with a beautiful face? It’s those looks that attract you towards the person. Anyway, we are going off topic with this beauty and the beast discussion. Coming back to the Razer Edge Pro designs, I have to applaud the high end feeling.

On the outside, Edge Pro is slightly thick (0.75 Inches Thicker than average tabs), and weighs 2.1 pounds more than your average tablets. Right against a Surface Pro Microsoft tablet, this one looks bulkier, which I think is an added beauty factor for gaming devices. I like em when they are big and look authoritative enough.

Razer Edge Fiona Speakers and Screen are a Marvel at Best

The hardware is solid. Before buying this tablet, I will recommend that you grip it firmly at both sides. If it cranks, or squeaks, it means the device is not built perfectly. From what Razer and other companies have said already, the Edge Pro has a solid build. It is comfortable to hold and does not hint of any sudden cracks if dropped accidentally.

Screen Size & Speaker Performance: Moving on to the screen size, you will find out that the Razer Edge Pro boasts of 10.1 inches. Always measure the tablet or smartphone screen diagonally to get the best measurements. The screen itself has 1366X768 resolution.

The best part about Edge’s screen is that it is an IPS display. What does that mean? It is non reflective and does not appear to fade when you are looking at the screen from the side or at an angle. Normally, conventional laptop/ flat screens don’t have IPS display. So whenever you are standing at the side, the screen will appear white – hence obscuring the display.

However, the Razer Edge Pro does not have 1080p display. I think if they went for the 1080p, this would have affected the battery life a lot. Better leave it that way instead of complaining. As for the speakers, they are stereo. For enhanced gaming, you will need to plug in your best gaming headset.

Gaming Performance: Of course, when you strip away all the hype, gloss and shine, we are looking at the tablet’s gaming performance. That’s what you are paying for technically. The question is: you haven’t bought the tablet, but you’d very much like to know more about its game related results.

Take a look at the following benchmark stats. I ported them from CNET website. Credit goes to their awesome reviewers who took the pains to bring these stats. Here, I’d like to add that the frame rate is not very impressive. Metro 2033 is clocking in at 26 FPS on the Razer Edge Pro, which is okay but not a good frame rate.

Also, the new upcoming titles will not be running easily on the Razer Edge tab. It will be a little heart wrenching to see your games stutter or lag. For now, the games that have already been released, the tablet offers unparalleled performance. However, you also have to look at the device’s future application whenever you are buying it.

BioShock Infinite was amazing. It’s details were as good as they are on my Samsung LED 32 Inch TV. I loved the visuals.

Final Thoughts about the Razer Edge Pro Tablet?

I am writing this from the perspective of future proofing. Here you are investing $1,499 in Razer Edge Pro because you need a high end gaming machine. For now, those games will run fine. Likewise, multimedia files and existing file formats are supported easily.

Am I comfortable enough to say that instead of buying a high end GPU, or a major hardware accessory for your PC, you should buy the Razer Edge Pro? Well, I will not recommend this. Even though the tablet is great, a GeForce GTX or an ATI card, alone, will always have an edge.

Speaking of the tablet’s overall rating, it is definitely 5/5. Go for it if you have lots of cash. Otherwise, save it and spend it on a Mac, a new laptop or a PC. The choice is yours. By the way, Alienware just released new gaming rigs; you should take a look at those as well. Tom’s Hardware also featured the Razer Edge. You can read more about it here.

Word from Razer:

The Most Powerful Tablet In The World

The Razer Edge Pro is the world’s first tablet designed for PC gamers. Powered by Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics powering a 10.1″ high definition multi-touch display, and a rugged high-speed solid state drive that screams incredible performance in a portable form-factor.

The new Razer Edge Pro features Intel’s 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor, ensuring your games and media playback run with the most powerful processing performance you’ll ever experience on a tablet.

The Razer Edge Pro also features NVIDIA GeForce Series graphics with Optimus technology, so you can play games the way they were meant to be played.