Other Razer: Project Fiona

[DLDeadbolt]

Seems Razer has decided to go into the tablet market, but are aiming it at us PC gamers:



Project Fiona
Supposed specs:
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


Looks like they've just stuck Wii controllers onto a tablet...

Will watch this to see how it turns out

[BentAnat]

and Gizmodo played with one a bit and say it works well...

[t4n6o]

this looks nice, i would like it, would definatly get one if i had the money

[Nexxo]

It's not going to catch on, unless you can remove the controllers.

The kind of hard-core gamers who will drop that sort of money on a gaming device will want something with a big screen and big speakers, in front of which they can slouch with a controller and veg out. This is very much a portable gaming device. However for casual portable gaming it is really too big. For dedicated portable gaming it is too niche. To offset that, it would have to be a multi-purpose device: make the controllers detachable and it can do dual duty as a regular tablet. Basically it would be a tablet with extra gaming features. That would sell. As a dedicated portable gaming device it won't.

[wuyanxu]

Nintendo Wii U anyone?

[BentAnat]

Worth noting is that a lot of it will still change. Gizmodo says the version they got to play with was 0.2, with Razer already sitting at 0.8, expecting to go 1.0 by the end of the year.

I share Nexxo's scepticism, though... time (and another iteration of it... 1st gen devices don't work as well normally) will tell, I suppose.

[Orca]

So... RRP of £999 then? I'm sure it's impressive but it's probably gonna be far too expensive for us mere mortals.

[TheKrumpet]

Agree with Nexxo. Unless the controllers are optional and it can be used as a day-to-day tablet (a good one, with actual functionality) it's too niche. I'd rather spend the money on something new for my desktop otherwise.

[supermonkey]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the battery life isn't all that great. I agree with Nexxo; it's a solution looking for a problem.

[Showerhead]

Surely anyone spending that kind of money on mobile gaming will just get a gaming laptop?

[SuicideNeil]

Doubles as a handy tray for drinks & meals...

[Sloth]

I'm going to skip right past what market this is supposed to fill and say that there are some fundamental flaws with it even for its own niche usage.

Imagine holding it by the controllers. You've got your thumbs extended enough to work each joystick and your index fingers ready on the triggers. Now press buttons 1 or 2 on either controller. You thumbs will be curling down uncomfortably far causing the angle at which you press them to be more like pressing with your nails rather than the pad of your thumb. Real console controllers have their joysticks and buttons offset to the side of each other for a reason: it better follows the natural movements of your thumb as you turn it from facing away from your palm for the joystick to being in line with your palm for the buttons.

Continuing to imagine you're holding it with each controller in one hand, attempt to operate the touchscreen with one of your hands. The weight of the entire device now rests entirely in one hand holding it at its very farthest edge. To hold the thing level you'll be at risk of hitting the trigger with your index finger while trying to support it, or pulling on the joystick if you were operating it at the time. The two input methods are largely incompatible with each other.

Just watch the video on Gizmodo to see what I mean, particularly about the buttons.

Oh, and screw both of you Gizmodo and Razer. Future of PC gaming? Okay, I suppose I can admit that some PC games do play well with a controller. So what game do you show? Space Marine. An FPS. You're appealling to PC gamers with joysticks for an FPS game? It's a portable console at best.

[daverobson08]

Agreed. Where's the mouse? (THE most intuitive and practical interface peripheral ever invented. Perhaps discounting the touch screen)

[Tangster]

Please stop thinking up stupid products and trying to sell them for enormous prices.

[Kiytan]

good god that is ugly. and as sloth pointed out, really not usable (I said the same thing about the Wii u)

edit: also, how the hell is it possible for that to have surround sound...it's flat.

[alf-]

its seems like a very niche product, and as others have said, i dare say it will fail immediately if you cannot remove the controllers.

and one word came to my mind when i first saw this, onlive, i haven't used onlive myself but surely it offers a much better solution for people who want to play games on a tablet?

[Marvin-HHGTTG]

Originally Posted by Tangster

Please stop thinking up stupid products and trying to sell them for enormous prices.

This. Get back to improving build quality and think up useful, solid, well built and designed stuff to flog to gamers. Like different sizes of mouse. Or adjustable mice, or different keyboards, but without the need for 95 billion macro keys.

[supermonkey]

I've always wondered about the uber-specced-out "gaming" keyboards I see at the store. I understand that there are some people who are truly into gaming, and as such they desire a keyboard with enough functions to manage all of their macros and such. I just can't imagine that market being terribly large - at least not large enough to warrant the R&D, production, and marketing of a "gaming" keyboard.

Wouldn't it make more sense to build a decent keyboard that is somewhat modular, then sell attachments to expand on its functionality if needed?

[Marvin-HHGTTG]

No, I don't get it either. Only keyboard with the ability to map the keys that I've seen that's useful is the Eclipse Litetouch with the LCD screen, but that's unfortunately a crap screen. The idea is sound though - launching applications, or adding "buttons" on a macro screen (so you can change the icons/buttons look) is a sound idea, but a massive array of identical looking buttons with different numbers on is not great innovation, and I know no-one who actually uses them...

Personally, I use a decently made ordinary keyboard for typing (plus no gaming keyboards have low-profile keys), and a Logitech G13 for gaming (where remapping the keys is useful!).

[<A88>]

Would it not make more sense to just sell the controller mount for the iPad? Or better, just make it adjustable so it can fit onto any iOS/Android/Windows 8 tablet and save themselves the embarassment of an expensive failure.