The history of video game rivalries has been a case of oneupmanship. Whether it was two publishers going against one another or a three-way war, the idea was always to have something that could top the other, even if it was something small. SEGA brought new and fast new games to battle the “bland” Nintendo Brand. When Sony entered the mix, they brought in CDs to allow for more extraordinary game design, and Xbox brought the focus to online play through their Xbox Live service. Right now, the significant “momentum shift” in the game industry is from the Steam Deck and how it evolved beyond what the Nintendo Switch is doing.
The Switch was a game-changer when it debuted in 2017 because it was a fully mobile console. You could play all games for the system in docked mode on your TV, or you can take it anywhere you want through handheld mode. The drawback was that the handheld mode had downgraded graphics. The graphics didn’t look horrible, but you could tell the difference. The Steam Deck doesn’t have that problem. It has a graphical setup that allows you to play your entire Steam library on the system without issue or visual restrictions. This upgrade let the system dominate the sales market. Not surprisingly, as it did so, many companies came out with their versions of that, including a new one via the Razer Edge 5G.
The system is the result of the collaboration between Razer, Verizon, and Qualcomm. They promised in a teaser, which you can see in the tweet below, that the system would allow for all kinds of gaming experiences through inherent 5G internet:
“This Android handheld gaming device will give you access to games you love, whether they are downloaded to play locally, streamed from your console, or accessed directly from the cloud — all over 5G Ultra Wideband.”
If this sounds familiar, it might be due to the other Steam Deck competitor announced recently in the Logitech G. The difference, though, is the Razer Edge 5G has internal internet capabilities. At the same time, the Logitech G requires a Wi-Fi connection, limiting the device from the outset.
Another note about the Razer Edge 5G is that the teaser indicates that the Xbox Game Pass will work on the system. That could help get customers to go to the system, given the wealth of titles available on the service. If Steam works on the Edge 5G too? That could be another game-changer.
If nothing else, this proves how successful the Steam Deck is, as companies are coming out of the woodwork to try and deliver their take on the platform and see if they can be as successful as that system.
Source: Twitter
