Verizon partners with Razer and Qualcomm on 5G gaming handheld

Verizon and Razer are developing a new gaming handheld with chip maker Qualcomm. Dubbed the Razer Edge 5G, the handheld's purpose is to bring the phone company deeper into the games space.

Verizon's made no secret that it wants to become more involved in games. It launched a cloud-based service for games in 2019, and it's possible for Verizon customers to buy a game console from its website or in specific stores using their phone plan. 

The Razer 5G will run Android games and use the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform that Qualcomm announced back in 2021. Games will be able to be downloaded onto the handheld, or streamed via cloud-based services such as Xbox Cloud. 

Various phone carriers have been attempting to lure new customers in by bringing up 5G technology. 5G connectivity is something that the Steam Deck lacks, and can be something Verizon uses to push its handheld. 

One hurdle of the Razer 5G is that since it doesn't use SteamOS, it won't be able to run Steam games. Still, Verizon and Razer's handheld may be able to find a niche for itself in a handheld market that is increasingly growing thanks to Logitech's G Cloud, along with the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch. 

As far as pricing and other details are concerned for the Razer 5G, those will come when the device is fully unveiled at RazorCon on October 15.