Nintendo Switch & Steam Deck Competition: Razer Is Developing a Handheld

Handhelds seem to be all the hype now, and Razer wants to get in on it: Their latest project is a Razer handheld with next-gen specs.

Razer handheld design
Let's Go Digital came up with this slick design for the Razer handheld. | © Let's Go Digital

So, the Nintendo Switch is basically the disappointment of the year, while the Steam Deck was supposed to be a year-end highlight, until it got pushed to February 2022. Now, Razer wants to get in on the hype, because... well, because Razer seemingly wants to develop absolutely everything that has anything to do with gaming.

Razer Handheld Specs

Developer kits have already been sent out, and the full report on it can be read here. We have the Razer handheld specs at a quick glance:

  • The Razer handheld will run on Android
  • 120hz + HDR OLED screen
  • 6,000 mAh battery
  • Snapdragon g3x silicon
  • 5g mmWave support
  • Full haptic feedback
  • 1080p front facing camera and 8k rear camera with HDR video recording, 18-bit colour
  • The system will mainly be advertised as a streaming handheld console

Interesting, but also weird: Why the F would you need an 8k rear camera on a handheld? That sounds like Razer justifying an insane price-tag. Also, aren't a lot of those specs redundant, if the system is tailored towards streaming? And let's not even mention the fact, that, if streaming is what I'm after, I can get all of that done on my phone. The Steam Deck offers a portable PC, while the Razer handheld just seems to offer... a phone without phone capabilities. Without first-party games like the Nintendo Switch, the Razer handheld already seems like an unnecessary product, and the design doesn't really help much: The mock-up from Let's Go Digital we used in the header looks good enough, but the patent-design you see above... legit looks like a cheap toy from the 90s, and, knowing Razer, will be horribly overpriced.

Razer handheld
Damn, that's ugly. | © Razer

Still, it's too early to call the Razer handheld doomed, and maybe those specs will be put to good use. Now that the cat's out the bag, we can expect some more details to drop soon, most likely around the release of the Steam Deck.

Amidu Njiemoun

Amidu is a Brunel University graduate, and former published novel & screenplay writer turned gaming journalist and show host. He was a Senior Content Creator and Content Co-Lead at EarlyGame....