10 replies to this topic

[bp9801]

Razer unveiled Project Fiona today, a PC gaming tablet with attached controllers on either side.

It is still a concept device, but could see production if enough people are interested in it.



http://www.razerzone.com/projectfiona

[AZNguyen]

If it cost half the price of a gaming laptop (~$500) and had support to be used at LANs (video out, usb ports, and ethernet), I could see potential.

If it didn't have LAN support and was basically pure gaming handheld for ~$500 I would pass. If it was pure gaming handheld at ~$250-350 (seems unlikely) it may find some people, since laptops at those prices won't play games all that well. Also comes down to non-gaming functionality too (web browsing and non-strenuous daily tasks).

Edited by Krazyxazn, 10 January 2012 - 03:15 PM.

[Fogel]

I don't see any laptop out there at MSRP (or MSRP with sale) for $500 that is gamer quality. At that price range you are already at Medium settings if not below ...which puts you in console type graphics. How will that laptop fair at gaming 1 or 2yrs later?

The $1000 price definitely puts it at around the competition of laptops capable of gaming, but that is assuming someone is only buying the laptop for gaming. And even then, it's really not worth it at that price range ...you can spend a bit more on a laptop and trounce anything this thing can do. When most people see this device though they will compare to current tablets they can get for half the price or even cheaper, which they can probably jailbreak if they want to and do whole heck of a lot more. I just don't see this competing with tablets or laptops ...it won't make either camp happy ...not to mention I laughed when I saw it.

Honestly its a good thing someone stole their laptop design. I don't think I could trust Razr on a laptop or a tablet ...not to mention their stuff is pretty overpriced. That laptop price made Alienware seem ok.

[Tjj226_Angel]

Does anyone know what sort of GPU this thing is carrying, or are we left to assume it is the GMA 4000 on an IB mobile chip.

[AZNguyen]

I don't see any laptop out there at MSRP (or MSRP with sale) for $500 that is gamer quality. At that price range you are already at Medium settings if not below ...which puts you in console type graphics. How will that laptop fair at gaming 1 or 2yrs later?

That's exactly the point. If it costs as much as a gaming laptop, no one is going to buy it. If its near the same performance minus the convenience, but half the price it would have a better chance of selling. Then again you see people paying $500 for an iPad, when they could have bought a laptop.

As for its longevity, it should be fine. The majority of gamers I know just play mmorpgs or free 2 play games. Neither are high spec required. It is a handheld afterall and laptops also suffer in the same aspect. If it can run the majority of the popular games like Blizzard/Valve games and LoL/Dota2/HoN, then it will be enough for the majority of the gamers. This device + a service like OnLive would be an incredible bargain for a gamer. Assuming that service had more games than OnLive does. Perhaps in the near future, streaming technologies will vastly improve and publishers will be more open-minded to it.

Steam Hardware & Software Survey: December 2011:
Windows 7 64 Bit (Will probably receive Win 8 or Win 7)
Intel CPU Speeds 2.3 Ghz to 2.69 Ghz (Spec sheet does mention Intel i7, as to which model is unknown)
4GB Ram (Ram is cheap, most likely will offer 4 or 8 GB variant)
1920 x 1080 Res (1280x800 display, big bonus to longevity)
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 (I'm sure they can find something reasonable/better to this and keep costs down)
250 GB - 500 GB total storage (This one might be costly, probably fit a 320 GB like most lower end laptops)

Tech Specs for Project Fiona:
Hybrid user interface for PC gaming
Intel® Core™ i7
10.1" 1280x800 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

Edited by Krazyxazn, 10 January 2012 - 04:39 PM.

[bp9801]

Razer posted a new video.



You can plug in a mouse and keyboard via an adapter for more precise controls, not to mention a lot more.

[Fogel]

That's exactly the point. If it costs as much as a gaming laptop, no one is going to buy it. If its near the same performance minus the convenience, but half the price it would have a better chance of selling. Then again you see people paying $500 for an iPad, when they could have bought a laptop.

I gotcha, I see where you are coming from now and completely agree.

As for its longevity, it should be fine.

Actually I was referring to laptops in my statement so I agree with your follow on statement in the quote below. Though I think laptops have a slight edge because at least some of the parts are upgradeable (memory and hdd).

The majority of gamers I know just play mmorpgs or free 2 play games. Neither are high spec required. It is a handheld afterall and laptops also suffer in the same aspect. If it can run the majority of the popular games like Blizzard/Valve games and LoL/Dota2/HoN, then it will be enough for the majority of the gamers. This device + a service like OnLive would be an incredible bargain for a gamer. Assuming that service had more games than OnLive does. Perhaps in the near future, streaming technologies will vastly improve and publishers will be more open-minded to it.

True, not everyone is into games like BF3, Skyrim, etc.. You do bring up a great point with OnLive, this would be a great device for that. It would definitely shake up the portable gaming market! Both Nintendo and Sony would have some serious competition if it took off.

You can plug in a mouse and keyboard via an adapter for more precise controls, not to mention a lot more.

That was going to be my next question

Still not my thing but I'm not writing it off like I was before. Has potential, should be interesting as more information becomes available. According BP's article it will be sporting IB, but I guess that is within reason since earliest release date is looking like Q4 of this year ...which means, most likely next year release.

[AZNguyen]

Yea its only a concept like the Razer Switchblade. I highly doubt they can get the hardware and price in a sweet spot nor the buyers needed. Then again Razer did make that 3D motion controller thing (very small market). They must got money to burn on R&D.

[Locutus]

Two wii nunchucks and an ipad.

Anyone thinking this is silly since you can play games on onlive on an ipad or android tablet? I mean, this opens it up a bit more, but is it really worth the price difference?

[bp9801]

This will only see the light of day, according to Razer, if enough people show an interest to buy it. The price will be at or under $1,000, again, according to Razer, so we'll have to see what happens. It is still just a concept device, but Razer does have a working unit at CES. It could just remain a concept device, like the Switchblade, but with Razer, you never know.


Though, if it ever wants to produce the Switchblade en masse and sell them for $500 or less, I'd be down for it.

Hands-on Project Fiona over at Engadget.

[nickk47]

Silly gimmick. I see no potential in it. Razer should focus on improving their peripherals more. Why bother with all this new gadgets, switchblade, fiona, blade?
They really must have tons of money to burn on R&D like Krazyxazn mentioned, AND their product designers must be bored of making keyboards and mouse only lol.
If they want to expand their market, Id suggest something like decent speakers, not cheap portables or super expensive THX ones.

Edited by nickk47, 10 January 2012 - 07:51 PM.