Summary
Razer Steam Deck’s main competitor. When it comes to the rapidly expanding market for mobile gaming PCs, Razer has been rather silent. During my meeting with the firm at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to learn about its new goods, I was pleased to find that it had a solution to the problem of the Steam Deck’s success.
But that was not the kind of response that I had anticipated receiving.
Razer Steam Deck’s main competitor
It is the Razer Kishi Ultra by Razer. It is a telescoping controller, which is a controller that wraps around your phone and transforms a mobile screen into a portable gaming device. It is quite similar to the Kishi. It is much bigger than the original Kishi, and it has full-size sticks and buttons. However, its most notable feature is that it is capable of supporting tablets that are as large as the iPad mini.
What is the forecast for handheld gaming?
Joey Hanna, the product manager at Razer, claims that while it is not a mobile gaming PC by definition, it does fulfill a function that is comparable to that of a gaming PC. Hanna was involved in the development of both the original Kishi and the Razer Edge, which is built on Android. This is where the analogy to Steam Deck comes into play. The Kishi Ultra seemed to be a turning moment when I crossed paths with Hanna at the Game Developers Conference.
It was Hanna’s insistence that the Kishi Ultra has a number of distinct benefits that set it apart from other devices, such as the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally. One of the most important aspects was the ergonomics, which included curved grips that lay in your hand like an Xbox controller and clicky face buttons that have a tactile and responsive feel to them. Additionally, the adjustable plastic back is beneficial; it ensures that the two ends of the controller are securely attached to one another, therefore preventing the unpleasant wobbling that you experience when using the original Kishi.
During the demonstration, Razer demonstrated the Kishi Ultra in conjunction with an iPad Mini. I must confess that, even while playing simple mobile games on an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, the experience was just breathtaking. Not only do you not have to deal with the noise of the fan, but you also do not have to worry about the heat or the battery life, which are all aspects of a mobile gaming PC that I am quite acquainted with.
Here, the packaging is of very high quality. The Hall Effect analog triggers and Razer haptics, in addition to the Mecha-Tactile face buttons and D-pad available from Razer, provide an excellent experience. For those games that do not support a controller, you also have access to Razer Nexus, which gives you the ability to rebind controls, manage the RGB lighting that is built in, and map buttons to touch control.
If Razer is to be believed, this is the way that mobile gaming will develop in the future. The devices have sufficient capability to play games out of the box, and you can always use the cloud for anything that requires more processing power. You also have access to a high-quality controller that can be attached to the iPad Mini, which is widely considered to be among the finest mobile displays available for purchase. It is a compelling narrative, yet, after giving the Kishi Ultra a try, I am not quite certain that I agree with it.
I have my doubts
The Kishi Ultra is priced at $150, which is a high price regardless of how you look at it, given that this is, at its heart, simply a controller. In addition to this, you will be paying an additional $500 on the most affordable iPad Mini, which means that you will already be spending more than you would on a Steam Deck OLED or ROG Ally. The future of mobile gaming is going to be a very pricey one if this is the case. It is possible to utilize your phone or a less expensive Android tablet, but doing so does not truly bring out the most in the Kishi Ultra.
Another problem with this design is that it has an inherent weakness, which was the problem with the Razer Edge 5G. In certain parts of the nation, there is a plethora of access to high-speed Wi-Fi and 5G, but there are a great many places where it is not available. When you are on an aircraft, do you not intend to utilize mobile gaming equipment that costs $650? Also, a journey via car? The difficulty with using the Kishi Ultra as your primary portable device is the same one that cloud gaming in general has: even in the year 2024, it is inconsistent.
There is a place for the ordinary Kishi as a companion device; however, Hanna informed me that the Kishi Ultra is aimed at a distinct demographic, which consists of core gamers who are looking for a comprehensive mobile gaming experience while they are on the go. In terms of the controller itself, the quality is satisfactory; however, the idea of using this configuration in lieu of a Steam Deck or ROG Ally is not feasible.
Nothing can replace you
I was pleased with the Razer Kishi Ultra after my brief demonstration, but I did not end up purchasing it. In spite of the fact that it is a controller of superior quality and an obvious improvement over the standard Kishi, it performs the same function as the Kishi. This is not a substitute for your Steam Deck or ROG Ally; it is the same thing.
For the last few years, Razer has been concentrating its efforts on the mobile gaming community by releasing products like as the Edge 5G and, most recently, the Kishi Ultra. However, I would be interested in seeing what a genuine portable gaming PC from Razer would look like. In spite of the fact that Razer already manufactures some of the greatest gaming laptops, it would not be a bad thing if there was a little bit more competition among PC handhelds. This is because there have been some disappointing launches, such as the MSI Claw.
