Razer Tips $99 Forge TV Android Microconsole

LAS VEGAS—Gaming peripheral (and more recently, notebook) maker Razer is jumping into the home console market with the Razer Forge TV, an Android-powered microconsole with an emphasis on gaming and a $99.99 price tag.

The Forge TV features 16GB of internal storage, a quad-core CPU, and "gaming-grade graphics," though Razer offered few other details. It will, however, offer access to the Google Play store, support Android TV media apps, and work with Bluetooth controllers, including Razer's new Serval gamepad and its upcoming Turret mouse/lapboard.

The Serval is a gamepad developed by the same Razer team that made the company's Sabertooth Xbox 360/PC controller. It connects wirelessly through Bluetooth 3.0, and offers a wired mode with an included 1.5-meter micro USB cable. It features dual analog sticks and other standard physical game controls, plus Android navigation and media playback buttons. It will retail for $79.99, or as a bundle with the Forge TV for $149.99.

The Turret is a $129.99 lapboard/mouse bundle that combines a keyboard with dedicated Android buttons and anti-ghosting for up to 10 simultaneous keystrokes with a laser mouse that boasts a 3,500 dpi sensor. Both controllers connect to mobile devices and PCs through Bluetooth 3.0.

Besides the new devices, Razer also revealed its new remote gaming service. Razer Cortex Stream lets mobile device (and Forge TV) users play their DirectX 9 and higher PC games remotely (from the user's PC) over Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections. The system seems similar to Nvidia's GameStream and Sony's PlayStation Remote Play features, and goes into beta this spring. Razer Cortex: Stream will come free with the Forge TV/Serval bundle, the Serval, and the Turret. It will be available as a separate product for $39.99.

The Razer Forge TV and Serval will be available this spring. The Turret is scheduled to ship by the summer.

About Our Expert

Will Greenwald

Principal Writer, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I’m PCMag’s home theater and AR/VR expert, and your go-to source of information and recommendations for game consoles and accessories, smart displays, smart glasses, smart speakers, soundbars, TVs, and VR headsets. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and THX-certified home theater technician, I've served as a CES Innovation Awards judge, and while Bandai hasn’t officially certified me, I’m also proficient at building Gundam plastic models up to MG-class. I also enjoy genre fiction writing, and my urban fantasy novel, Alex Norton, Paranormal Technical Support, is currently available on Amazon.

The Technology I Use

Where to start? I have a standard IT-issued Lenovo Thinkpad for writing and editing, supplemented with an iPad Air and an 8Bitdo Retro Keyboard when I want to write on the go. I also have a Lenovo Legion Go as a platform for running Portrait Displays’ Calman software and controlling the Klein K-10A colorimeter, Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester I use for testing TVs.

For gaming, I use a Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, and a GeForce 5080-equipped MSI gaming laptop. I like collecting retro games as well, and have an Analogue Pocket and a ton of classic consoles and portables. Photography is another interest, and I use a Sony A7 IV when I’m shooting products and events, and a Fujifilm X-Pro3 for my own attempts at visual creativity. And for reading and writing, I’ve become partial to the Kobo Sage for books and the ReMarkable 2 with Type Folio.

When it comes to phones and tablets, I’m pretty platform-agnostic. I use a Google Pixel 8 for my phone and an iPad Air for a tablet. Android, iOS, and iPadOS are all totally fine, but I need a Windows PC. MacOS just isn’t for me.

Read the latest from Will Greenwald

Read full bio