The Razer Forge TV is the latest Android micro-console to join the market.
Part of the millions of CES 2015 announcements comes the Razer Forge TV, a brand new Android console made by one of the world leaders in gaming technology.
The Razer Forge TV gaming ecosystem is made up of the set-top box itself, the unique Razer Cortext: Stream software and two new Bluetooth peripherals – a controller called the Razer Serval and the Razer Turret, a gaming mouse and laptop combo.
Running on a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 420 GPU, the Forge TV comes with 16GB of internal storage for all your game and media content.
Powered underneath by Android TV, the Forge TV will also utilise the new Razer Cortex: Stream, the latest feature of the Razer gaming launcher. It will arrive in beta in the Spring.
Razer Cortex: Stream will offer ultra-low latency gaming and in up to full HD resolution.
It features Bluetooth 4.1 and Wireless 802.11ac connectivity, and gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4 output ports. All content is output at a maximum full HD resolution.
You won’t really notice it on your TV set up either, as it measures up at 105 x 105 x 17mm. That makes it even smaller than the slimline Amazon Fire TV (115 x 115 x 17.5mm).
It can support up to four controller at once and is Google Cast ready too. Although it doesn’t quite have the impressive search functionality of the Amazon Fire TV, you can use your smartphone for voice search by downloading the Remote app.
The Razer Forge TV will retail for €99/$99 (we assume £99) as a standalone purchase, or for $149.99/€149.99 (and again we assumer £149.99) with the Forge TV and Serval Controller bundle.
No word on pricing for the Razer Turret as yet.
Related: Amazon Fire TV vs Apple TV
“Razer Forge TV is a device that is able to bring together the most popular elements of an entertainment centre,” said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “It powers popular music and movie apps and plays Android TV games that an entire family can enjoy. For the hardcore gaming audience, it will bring PC gaming to the couch.
Like other Android gaming controllers, the Razer Serval is a near carbon-copy of the Xbox 360 controller, albeit with a few extra media buttons in the centre.
The Razer Turret is a useful bit of kit. It takes the form of a full sized QWERTY keyboard, but at one end there’s an integrate mouse pad. It also comes with a gaming mouse, so you can get the PC gaming experience from the Forge TV Android TV box in your living room.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
