Razer Project Fiona Hands-On: Windows Gaming Tablet Has Dual Analog Joysticks

LAS VEGAS — For the better part of a year, rumors had been circulating that Razer was working on something big. Then a few weeks before CES, we heard a name — Project Fiona, a conceptual tablet for gamers. From there, the news began to trickle out about possible specs including a Core i7 processor and Windows 8. In a darkened room on the CES floor, we went hands on with Razer’s mythical tablet. Read on for our first impressions, images and videos.

The first thing we noticed about Fiona was the pair of built in handles. The black matte handles were sturdy and soft to the touch. A set of four buttons rested above our tentative digits. The matte silver buttons were perfect for mapping the numerous functions necessary to defeat the bad guy, save the world and rescue the princess. The dual analog sticks were the stars of the show, giving us quick accurate movements as we cut a path through the alien horde.

Toward the back of the handles we found two sets glossy of black plastic flippers. They wrapped perfectly around our index fingers and allowed us to quickly navigate through screens in tablet mode. As we played Warhammer 40000: Space Marines, they allowed us to spray alien after alien with a seemingly never-ending stream of hot lead. Both the buttons and the flippers gave us firm feedback.

Fiona’s display was nice and bright with sharp detail and vivid colors, making it easy to make out the minor details of our space marine’s uniform. The tablet itself is on the thick side, as you might expect from a tablet with so many demanding components inside. Fiona’s rear is made of a gray matte rubberized material that’s soft to the touch and has a chrome Razer insignia in the middle. Sitting directly above the logo is a webcam of indeterminate megapixels.

To show off Fiona’s power, Razer had a number of taxing titles streaming from Steam including Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and  Minecraft.  While we couldn’t see the frame rate, we noticed how seamlessly the game progressed without any noticeable latency.

Overall, the two Dumbo-eared controllers might take some tablet users a little time to adjust to. However PC gamers looking for a seriously mobile gaming solution will want to check out Project Fiona if and when it comes out. 

•  CES 2012: Full Coverage
• Razer Unveils Project Fiona Concept Gaming Tablet
• Razer’s Superthin Blade Gaming Notebook Puts Other Rigs on Notice

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