CES 2015: Razer Forge Is Perfect Union Of Android TV And PC Gaming
This tiny console can play gaming titles like Titanfall
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Razer knows what PC gamers like. Since the company’s inception, it’s made PC gaming peripherals a top priority, and it’s earned the trust of many professional gamers because of it. Every year at CES, Razer tries to win even more fans over by making a splashy announcement that generates a lot of buzz. This year is no different.
Today at CES, Razer unveiled the Forge TV, a microconsole running on Android TV that’s sold for $99. The device is similar to the Asus and Google Nexus Player that was released late last year, but Razer’s set-top-box is much more powerful and contains more internal storage.
The Razer Forge TV is powered by the quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, has gigabit Ethernet (something unique to a device this size), built-in Wi-FI, 2GB of RAM, USB 3.0 input and 16GB of internal storage. For a console that’s roughly the size of your smartphone—it’s a powerhouse.
The Forge TV is only part of Razer’s strategy to make its way into people’s living rooms. The company hopes that consumers will pair the Forge TV with its new Razer Cortex: Stream device, which allows people to stream games in real time directly from their PCs. For example, you could keep your high-end PC gaming rig in your office, and stream games like Titanfall out to the television set to play at a more leisurely pace.
For $50 extra, the microconsole comes with a game controller called the Razer Server that feels like a gaming console controller should. Most other microconsoles, such as the Nexus Player or Amazon Fire TV, also come with gaming controllers, but consumers have often complained about their built quality. The Razer Server is hefty, made of durable plastic, and most importantly, the joysticks are responsive—not flimsy.
Whether PC gaming ever fully transitions to the living room remains to be seen. But, if the notion of streaming PC games from one room to another is ever popularized, this device is most likely to succeed. Gamers will certainly be impressed.
Popular Science is covering the coolest, most futuristic, and strangest gadgets and technologies at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Catch our complete CES 2015 coverage all week long.