Razer’s RGB dock turns gaming handhelds and phones into TV consoles

Razer has announced some new handheld gaming goodies, including remote PC streaming capabilities for the Kishi Ultra mobile controller and a folding multiplatform RGB dock for the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and more.

Razer says its Handheld Dock Chroma is a “6-in-1” docking station that transforms phones, tablets, or handheld gaming devices “into powerful gaming consoles” with 100W power passthrough support for charging. It’s priced at $79.99 and will be available on January 30th, with preorders starting on January 7th.

The Handheld Dock Chroma is a similar concept to the official docking stations provided by Valve or Nintendo, allowing users to hook handheld devices up to external displays with expanded connections to complement big-screen gaming setups. The Handheld Dock Chroma uses a USB-C cable to connect supported devices, including Android phones and tablets, iPads and iPhones with USB-C ports, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and Razer’s own Edge Android gaming handheld.

Image: Razer

Image: Razer

The cable is located on the rear of the docking station, alongside a USB-C power port, an HDMI output to connect to a TV or gaming monitor, a gigabit ethernet port, and three USB-A ports to connect things like controllers or keyboards. Given the cable placement, certain handhelds like the Switch that have their ports on the underside will need to be positioned upside down in the dock.

The dock itself is constructed from aluminum and folds down into a box shape to make it easier to transport without damaging it. And given this is a Razer product, there’s naturally a Chroma-enabled RGB bar located at the front, which users can customize with various lighting effects.

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Razer is also introducing a PC Remote Play feature for the Kishi Ultra mobile controller, among other controllers, allowing users to stream games directly from PCs to smartphones and tablets. The feature also makes use of the Kishi Ultra’s Sensa HD support, which converts audio output into haptic feedback on supported Android devices (but sadly isn’t available for iOS). PC Remote Play allows games to be streamed at full resolution without compromising “visual quality or game speed,” according to Razer, and can be accessed via the Razer Nexus app on iOS or Android.

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Razer tells us the PC Remote Play feature is built on top of the popular Moonlight streaming client, and is particularly proud of how it can automatically run your game at your phone’s native resolution and refresh rate.