Razer Edge is adaptable gaming tablet

Hardware house Razer cut its fangs on mice and keyboards before moving on to laptops of its own, and now the company is making the Swiss Army Knife of gaming tablets. Consumer Electronics Show attendees saw the first reveal of the Razer Edge tablet today, a Windows 8 machine with a suite of accessories to support a variety of play styles.

Razer claims its Edge is "the most powerful tablet in the world," Polygon reports. The follow-up to last year's Project Fiona prototype uses a 10.1" multitouch screen with Bluetooth and a USB 3.0 port.

The standard and Pro models use an Intel Core i5 and i7 CPU, respectively, and both pack in an Nvidia GT640M LE GPU with 1366x768 resolution. Standard Edges have 4 GB of DDR3 RAM and a 64 GB solid state drive, while Pro Edges have 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB SSDs. Razer says shipping for the consoles, which are listed for $999 and $1,299 on its website, will begin in the first quarter of 2013.

The tablet itself is only the beginning, however, with several docks expanding its potential uses. Razer plans to sell a bundle featuring the Edge Pro and a gamepad controller accessory, which docks the tablet in the middle of a fairly standard layout featuring analog sticks, buttons, and triggers--much like the original Fiona design. The gamepad dock on its own will retail for $249.

Other accessories include a laptop-style keyboard dock with an extended battery, and a living-room friendly station with HDMI output and extra USB ports to connect the system to an HDTV.

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan told Polygon that the system "works beautifully in Big Picture Mode" and can run Windows games like Dishonored and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with no extra optimization or porting.