Dell - owned
Alienware said because there'll be no hardware customisation or upgrade options on the Steam OS - powered devices, only new models can satisfy future generations of «resource intensive» games.
Both the iBuyPower and CyberPower units outspec Xbox One and PS4 @ a $ 500 pricepoint
Alienware said their machine will compete with Console pricing as well.
Dell - owned
Alienware said because there'll be no hardware customisation or upgrade options on the Steam OS - powered devices, only new models can satisfy future generations of «resource intensive» games.
Alienware says you'll be able to upgrade to SteamOS when it launches.
Over 500 titles work with the controller,
Alienware says, and there's Steam Big Picture mode and Steam Early Access support too.
Not exact matches
DIY's like to compare against us because we're kind of the benchmark — to
say, «I can build it better than
Alienware» — that's fine.
So what we basically did was we looked at the two organizations and
said, «Look, from the XPS gaming team and the
Alienware team, these are the strengths that each have.
And the people that
say, «Dell screwed up
Alienware,» are the ones that haven't bought the old product or the new product.
That
said, one scene involving a long, distant view over the docks leaves the
Alienware laptop in the lead by a wide margin - and neither platform truly fares better than the other during the shoot - out involving multiple grenades towards the end.
So with all that
said — and considering my potential learning curve — I now have an
Alienware 15 in my apartment, access to a slew of Steam and EA games, and six weeks to get acquainted with the PC life.
During the E3 2014 gaming conference last week,
Alienware's Marc Diana
said that more developers are using OpenGL and creating games with Linux in mind than before, with the impending launch of Steam Machines.
The Lightpack can clip to a belt or shoulder pad, and Abovitz
says that it's similar in power to a MacBook Pro or an
Alienware gaming PC, with a dedicated graphics card.
«We're interested in driving new experiences, not just doing something for the sake of doing it,»
says Frank Azor, co-founder of
Alienware and a VP at Dell.
Its prospects seem even worse when you look at how little success Valve, Corsair,
Alienware, and other massive companies have garnered with very similar living - room - ready devices — to
say nothing of the Ouya, the Nvidia Shield, and that whole Android side of the market.
Valve
says the
Alienware is expected to cost $ 479 with a Steam controller (read our impressions of Steam's final controller here) and SteamOS.
Despite all we've
said, there's still ample room for SteamOS to make an impact, as
Alienware general manager Frank Azor told PCWorld ahead of last year's E3:
Speaking to Trusted Reviews,
Alienware's general manager Frank Azor
said: «Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year.
I'm not
saying the
Alienware Steam Machine is devoid of benefits.
The company is entering (or, one might
say, re-entering) a crowded and increasingly upscale space with competition from Razer, Roccat, Logitech, HyperX and
Alienware, among others.
Magic Leap founder and CEO Rony Abovitz
said that the Lightpack is «something close» to a MacBook Pro or a pre-built PC offered by
Alienware.
Alienware's Frank Azor
said its Steam Machine «will absolutely be the least profitable system we ever sell» — no doubt a necessary move when competing with $ 400 - $ 500 consoles.
That's not to
say the
Alienware Alpha will launch without Steam, however.
«SteamOS is obviously been designed around one single use, whereas Windows is a multi-use operating system that can be custom tailored around any one particular use — as we're doing [with
Alienware Alpha's console mode],» he
says.
It's not as likely to induce a hernia as,
say, the Maingear Shift SuperStock (58.8 pounds),
Alienware Area - 51 or OriginPC Millennium (60 pounds each), but you'll still want to bend at the knees when moving the unit from place to place.
That
said, all hope is not lost, as the
Alienware Alpha is still «SteamOS ready», or at least SteamOS - capable.