All-in-one PCs are liars. They’re PCs strapped on the back of a monitor, ignoring the mouse, keyboard, desk, extra storage, and the bevy of other peripherals you need to achieve “all” at your desk. They’re like two-fifths-in-ones.
Razer may be the first company to truly have an all-in-one PC, shown off at CES 2022, and it’s called Project Sophia.
Project Sophia is a concept of a modular desk that goes beyond a place to rest your other components. It comes with a PC inside, an OLED TV bolted to the front, and space for 13 modules ranging from high-fidelity audio units to pen tablets.
You can customize the modules in seconds, according to Razer. That could be a webcam and second monitor for a streaming setup, or a drawing tablet and macro panel for Illustrator pros. Razer isn’t shy about wacky concepts at CES each year, but Project Sophia may have some legs.
Going modular
The modules snap in under the desk using a custom-designed PCB. In the middle, you’ll find a familiar fan layout as a laptop, which houses a 12th-gen Intel processor and Nvidia RTX 30-series GPU (Razer isn’t ready for specifics right now).
The magic is around the system, though. Razer showcased a few different modules, including a mug warmer, an audio equalizer, and a pen tablet. The idea, it seems, is to have touch controls for virtually anything you could want in a matter of seconds.
The OLED screen on the front has some modular magic, too. There are mounting rails around all sides of the display. By default, the side rails hold speakers for the TV.
You can snap those off and add a webcam or second monitor, or you could add video lights to the top rail. The speakers themselves have mounting space, too.
Where price meets practicality
Project Sophia is a great idea that could catch on, but it’s far from the first all-in-one battlestation. Every CES has brought at least one monstrous machine with three monitors dangling over a recliner for the past several years. They’re real, but most can’t cough up the tens of thousands of dollars they cost.
Project Sophia doesn’t have a price yet, but it will be expensive. A massive OLED TV and high-end gaming PC alone is around $7,000, plus the modules, plus the inevitable price hike of Project Sophia being the first of its kind.
I love the idea of a modular gaming desk that has everything you need. But that’s most of what Project Sophia is right now: An idea. It may never come out, and if it does, it will be expensive. Razer has a demo unit available at CES 2022, but price could drive the concept into the ground.
Still, I’m waiting. I’m all for Project Sophia — erm, with some interest-free financing, at least.