Razer Edge preorders begin March 1

Razer's PR sends word that its versatile Windows 8 gaming tablet is due for a first-quarter launch as promised. Preorders being March 1, and the company says the units will ship out to customers "later that month."

As announced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the Razer Edge is due to ship with two configurations, the vanilla Edge, with an Intel Core i5 CPU and a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD) for $999, and a higher-end Razer Edge Pro with a Core i7 chip and a 128GB ($1,299) or 256GB SSD ($1,449).

The Razer Edge debuted in an earlier form at CES 2012, via a concept called Project Fiona. Razer then announced the market-ready version of the system at this year's show where the Edge took home a Best of CES award (not without controversy, which you can read about here).

In its final form, the Edge offers an impressively wide-ranging gaming experience. You can use it as a standalone Windows 8 touch-screen tablet, or in conjunction with a variety of accessories that give the Edge different usage modes.

A keyboard attachment turns the Edge into a laptoplike device. With a game pad add-on, the Edge becomes a 10.1-inch gaming handheld, and with a docking station equipped with an HDMI video out and an array of USB ports, you can turn the Edge into a small-screen gaming desktop or a TV-connected game console.

Razer says the game pad add-on, the docking station, and an extended battery will follow the same preorder and shipping schedule as the Edge unit. The keyboard dock that turns the Edge into a laptop will launch in the third quarter this year.