CES starts today, and while most of the big announcements have already been made, some companies are still showing off new products. That"s the case with Razer, which has four new concepts to show off this year.
First is the Razer Kishi mobile controller, which will definitely feel familiar if you"ve seen the company"s Junglecat controller from last year. It"s aimed at mobile devices and you can split the controller in half to attach it to the sides of the phone, similar to how Nintendo"s Switch works. One big improvement over the Junglecat is that the Kishi controller has a "universal" fit, so you should be able to use it with most smartphones, instead of the very limited selection of phones supported by the Junglecat.
The new model also supports low-latency input thanks to a USB Type-C connector for Android phones, or a Lightning connector for iPhone. What"s more, with passthrough charging ports, you can keep charging your phone while you"re playing. The controller has been approved by Nvidia"s GeForce NOW Recommended program, so if you"re looking to enjoy cloud gaming on your phone, this seems like a good fit. There"s no mention on Bluetooth support, though, so it doesn"t seem like you"ll be able to use it separately from your phone.
Next is the Sila 5G Home Router, which is exactly what it says. Again, it"s aimed at gaming, specifically cloud gaming, thanks to 5G speeds and ultra-low latency, which is also helped by Razer"s FasTrack technology. The router also has a gaming mode, and you can prioritize specific devices to ensure that your play session doesn"t get interrupted.
If you"re more focused on a traditional PC gaming experience, Razer also has the new Tomahawk Gaming Desktop, which is based on Intel"s NUC 9 Extreme Compute Element. That means it has up to a 9th-generation H-series Intel Core i9 processor, which is unlocked for overclocking, up to 64GB of RAM, and two M.2 slots for SSD storage.
Razer is combining that with graphics up to a GeForce RTX 2080 Super. The machine is designed to show off the vertically-mounted GPU inside, with glass panels on the side, and you"ll be able to upgrade the RAM, SSD, GPU, and even the entire NUC if you need to.
Finally, Razer also has a Eracing Simulator concept, which includes a lot of elements to provide an immersive driving experience. The concept has a 128-inch projection screen, with the projector sitting above the user, offering 202-degree field of view while driving. Of course, there"s a steering wheel made of aluminum and carbon fiber, and covered in smooth leather. The steering wheel has paddles and buttons to help with gear shifting and other features, and there"s a three-pedal system below the that.
The chair itself has a harness that helps simulate the effects of G-forces by applying pressure to the user, so they can feel the car"s acceleration and turns more realistically. In terms of software, the concept is running Project CARS Pro.
This is just a concept though, so there"s no indication of when and if it will become a real product you can buy. Likewise, the Sila 5G Home Router is also a concept for now and doesn"t have a release date.
The Kishi mobile controller is set to launch in early 2020 at a yet-undisclosed price. The Tomahawk Gaming Desktop will also be available in the first half of the year, and Razer will also be selling the Tomahawk N1 case separately for those interested in building their own compact gaming PC.
The company also says it will launch new Razer Blade laptops later this year with 10th-generation Intel Core H-Series processors, which aren"t available yet. Those laptops will have refresh rates up to 300Hz on the display, too, but that"s all Razer is revealing for now.