LAS VEGAS—Razer is unveiling its entry into the Android-based microconsole market, Forge TV, here at CES. While it, the associated gamepad, and the PC/Android-compatible lapboard-and-mouse combo, the Razer Turret, won't be released for a few months, I got a chance to try them out at the show, along with Razer's upcoming Cortex Stream video-game-streaming service.

The Forge TV itself is a tiny black box, about the size of an Amazon Fire TV and not much larger than a PlayStation TV. It's just big enough to hold its HDMI and Ethernet ports, and looks like it can easily disappear next to your HDTV, like most microconsoles. The interface is nearly stock Android TV, Google's Android version for big screens and recognizable as Android with its Google Play icons prominent on the screen.

I used the Forge TV with the Serval Controller, a Bluetooth-based gamepad designed for the Forge TV; they will be available separately for $99.99 and $79.99 respectively, but will also come in a $149.99 bundle when they hit the market in Q1. Besides dual analog sticks, a direction pad, and face/shoulder buttons, the gamepad also has Android and media playback controls designed to work with the Forge TV. It felt comfortable and well-built, which is unsurprising considering Razer's well-established emphasis on gaming peripherals. I had one minor quibble with the not-quite-finalized gamepad: The four face buttons had very short, clicky throws. It's a small complaint, but one that hardcore gamers may notice and compare to full game console gamepads.

The gaming experience was solid. I played Asphalt 8 natively on the Forge TV with the gamepad and saw smooth, responsive controls and 1080p graphics on the connected HDTV. Razer plans to leave the Forge TV open with full access to the Google Play store, and users should be able to load any Android software they want on the device.

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The Forge TV isn't stopping with Android gaming, though. It will support Razer's upcoming Cortex Stream, a game streaming service similar to Nvidia's GameStream and Sony's PlayStation Now services. Cortex Stream can display games running on a PC through the Forge TV, with low latency controls and 1080p60 video output. Razer set up a demonstration of Cortex Stream with the Forge TV and Titanfall running on a wireless networked PC, and it was very playable. The video feed didn't seem to really hit a full 60 frames per second, and control lagged just a few milliseconds too long to feel quite feasible for competitive play, but I handled wall-running and complex acrobatics without issue. This is a pre-release version of Cortex Stream, and even if I wouldn't use it for online play yet, it definitely felt good enough for many single-player games.

Besides Forge TV, Razer is also pushing connecting your PC directly to your HDTV, and has a gaming peripheral in mind for it. The Razer Turret is a lapboard and wireless mouse designed specifically couch computing. The lapboard component is a flat, smooth keyboard that folds in half to conceal a mouse surface that, with the included mouse, was wide enough to use fairly comfortably on my lap. The keys are flat but full-sized, and the mouse uses a laser sensor. Both can work either with a 2.4GHz USB receiver or via Bluetooth, so Forge TV users will also be able to use the Turret. The lapboard and mouse rest in a slim, vertical charging cradle that keeps both devices out of the way when not in use. The Turret is set to launch in Q2 2015 for $129.99.