HiGame

There was a lot of hype surrounding the impending launch of Valve’s Steam Machine platform, but much of the excitement dissipated when the first wave of machines were delayed until 2015. Now, Alienware is going in alone, and shipping its own consolized gaming PC with an Xbox 360 controller and a custom 10-foot interface. It’s certainly an interesting gambit from Dell, but this offering is pretty weak. It’s not as flexible as a normal gaming PC, and it’s not as cheap as a PS4. The Alienware Alpha just seems stuck in an uncomfortable no man’s land.

At the very bottom end, you can snag an Alpha with a dual-core Intel Core i3-4130T CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU with 2GB of GDDR5, 4GB of DDR3L RAM, and a 500GB hard drive for $549. On the other hand, the top-of-the-line $899 configuration gets you a quad-core Intel Core i7-4765T CPU, an Nvidia GeForce GTX GPU with 2GB of GDDR5, 8GB of DDR3L RAM, and a 2TB hard drive. All versions come with Windows 8.1, but you can always install SteamOS if that’s your bag.

The price is decent for what you get out of the box, but the extremely small case is going to limit your upgrade options. If you want to invest in a high-end graphics card at a later date, it probably won’t be able to fit. Frankly, if you want the full PC gaming experience, just buy a full tower. You’ll thank me later.



Additionally, it’s worth noting that some new games aren’t going to work with the lower priced models. Some of this year’s major releases like Assassin’s Creed Unity and Dragon Age: Inquisition require quad-core CPUs, and the paltry 4GB of RAM will likely be an issue as well. At a minimum, you’re going to need to invest in the $799 configuration to play those games. At that point, you’re spending twice the price of a PS4, so the value proposition is pretty awful.

If you’re a diehard PC gamer, you’re better off building your own rig. If you’re more concerned with price and simplicity, buy an Xbox One or PS4. As for this frankenconsole? I’d recommend staying away. The mediocre hardware and limited ability to upgrade sour this product, and makes the comparatively high asking price seem like a joke.

So, does this spell doom for the future of similar devices? It certainly doesn’t fill me with confidence, but I’ll hold off on making blanket judgments until we see what Valve and its hardware partners can deliver next year. Until then, I plan on sticking to my PS4.


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