Intel processor-based tablets are on the way, including a high-end gaming device

Gaming tablets

Intel has big ambitions when it comes to tablets: Intel processor-based tablets running Android are poised to hit the market soon, and HP and others have announced that they will release Intel processor-based Windows 8 tablets in the fall. These tablets will all be based on the Intel Atom processor. But Intel also wants to see high-performance tablets based on Intel Core processors.

The question confronting members of the Intel Core processor tablet team was how to make a splash in this new market with limited resources.

“We only had enough high-touch resources to support 3 [Intel Core processor-based] tablets,” said Brad Graff, who leads tablet customer marketing. A number of established, well-known original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) wanted Intel’s help to launch tablets.

“We could have gone with 3 tried-and-true companies,” he said. “Or we could do something different.”

They decided to do something different.

Betting Big on Games

”Something different,” in this case, was to bet big on games.

Why? Tablets have become a hugely popular gaming platform. Angry Birds, anyone?

But enthusiasts who want to play the best PC games out there—titles like Battlefield 3, World of Warcraft, or Empires: Dawn of the World—are out of luck. These popular, graphics-intensive games are not compiled to run on the ARM-based tablets on the market today.

Razer Cuts into the Tablet Market

This is where a small but well-regarded gaming company called Razer saw an opening. Razer makes gaming peripherals that are considered among the industry’s best. In 2011, the company decided it wanted to do more. It approached Intel with a proposal to create a high-end Intel processor-based tablet capable of playing the most demanding games.

Graff said, “The whole idea was to not compete with the [Apple] iPad for casual gaming. Razer wanted to focus on bringing real PC gaming to tablet users.” Even better, this segment wants the highest possible performance and is ready to pay for it: Razer is planning to market the tablet for about $1,000.

“Yet,” Graff said, “Razer didn’t have any volume with Intel at the time. They weren’t a Dell or an HP. But we decided to prioritize the Razer project. I think it’s a real example of risk-taking.”

Working at the Gaming Industry’s Fast Pace

Last fall, a small team of engineers in Netbook and Tablet Engineering Enablement began to work on the Razer tablet.

They soon discovered that the gaming world works at a fast pace, team member Jitesh Shah said. “Razer wanted to be able to show a prototype at the [International Consumer Electronics Show],” he said, leaving the Intel team weeks, not months, to put together a working prototype.

To speed the process, Razer and Intel agreed to use a current-generation, low-voltage Intel Core i7 processor as the brains for the tablet—with the understanding that the production version of the device would use the newest Intel Core i7 processors available at the time of manufacture.

Getting a Handle on this New Tablet

The Razer tablet looks like nothing you’ve seen before in a tablet. It’s a sleek, black, widescreen 10.1-inch tablet, with a special-purpose handle on each side of the screen.

Each handle sports 4 game-control buttons and a joystick.

"It will run your high-end PC games and Angry Birds," said Razer CEO and Creative Director Min-Liang Tan, himself a gamer who averages about 20 hours a week of joystick time. "We have brought in the best of the [game controllers] on the [Sony] PlayStation and best of the [Apple] iPad interface and best of Xbox interface, all integrated,” he said.

Consumer Electronics Show Fan Favorite

When the prototype was revealed at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), it was an immediate hit. In fact, CNET readers and editors gave it the coveted CES People’s Voice award.

“The Razer tablet,” CNET editor Brian Cooley said, “is lightweight and on-the-go but still not sacrificing power or the interface to get into the game.”

Razer plans to release the tablet in time for the holiday 2012 buying season.

What This Means for You

The Razer tablet is one example of how Intel is working with OEMs to push the limits in the tablet space. Although your mobile broadband service plan customers are not likely to be looking for a high-end gaming tablet, they will be excited to know that Intel is strongly committed to the tablet market. Tell them that they can expect to see Android and Windows 8 tablets featuring Intel processors later this year!