Alienware Alpha bridges the PC/console gaming divide
[MUSIC]
Have we finally bridged the gap between gaming PC and console?
I'm Dan Ackerman, and this is the Alienware Alpha.
Now we've been hearing about this particular system for more than a year now.
It was originally proposed as part of the.
Steam Machine series, so Alienware decided to take the box they had been working on and just release it as a Windows 8 desktop but with a custom UI that gets you into the Steam Big Picture mode.
Now you can use a mouse or keyboard but it's really designed to work with a gamepad.
You can use a wired or wireless, Microsoft/Xbox gamepad.
And here's the custom UI.
You can launch into Steam that takes you into big picture mode.
That's the television version of Steam.
You can go into settings.
And you could set your display resolution and connect to your network and do a few other things.
So in the Steam big picture mode, any games you bought through the Steam service, and there are thousands fo games.
And a lot of them are actually very expensive.
Some of them are the same games you can get on console.
Some of them are ones you can only play on a PC.
All we've listed here you can download them, install them and you can run them.
And hopefully if they have this little game controller icon, that means they'll work well with the controller.
I found a bunch of games that actually.
Don' have that controller icon.
I have a keyboard icon, it'll still work fine with a controller.
Now the catch is this box starts at 550 dollars.
When it was first proposed the new gaming consoles cost, you know, 500 dollars like an Xbox One, those prices have come down since then so this is now 550 still to get into it.
Is more expensive than the current generation console.
The components inside are a little perplexing.
It's almost better if you play around with this without knowing what the parts are because it only has an Intel Core i3 processor which you may think of as underpowered for a gaming system and the graphics card, it's a modified version of Nvidea's 860M which is a fine mainstream card, you know, not fantastic.
But the way they've optimized the processor and the graphic's card actually works really well and I was able to play brand new games like.
Far Cry 4 on kinda medium-ish settings that really look great on a television as opposed to being like on a big super high-res monitor, right up close to your face.
And I found it to be, you know, as good or, or perhaps better than the console version in a lot of cases.
So if you're willing to take a chance and work through some setup hiccups, we occasionally had to dig out a mouse to fix a few things, and we had a couple of problems early on.
It's a little bit of a first-generation experience with the custom UI.
Once we worked through all that, I actually found this a lot of fun and a great way to access my huge library of Steam games, and get them all up on my TV.
Where frankly it, it feels more powerful than connecting to a current gen console.
[MUSIC]
Up Next
Macintosh 40 Years Ago Compared to Vision Pro Today
Up Next
Macintosh 40 Years Ago Compared to Vision Pro Today
Apple Debuts 24-Inch iMac With M3 Chips
Apple Debuts 24-Inch iMac With M3 Chips
Trick or Treat? Apple's 'Scary Fast' Mac Event Makes Us Jumpy
Trick or Treat? Apple's 'Scary Fast' Mac Event Makes Us Jumpy
First Look: Apple Mac Pro and Mac Studio
First Look: Apple Mac Pro and Mac Studio
Hands-On Acer Aspire S Series
Hands-On Acer Aspire S Series
Microsoft Introduces Surface Studio 2 Plus
Microsoft Introduces Surface Studio 2 Plus
Mac Studio Review: Testing Apple's New Desktop for Creators
Mac Studio Review: Testing Apple's New Desktop for Creators
Meet the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display
Meet the Mac Studio and Mac Studio Display
Mac Studio and Studio Display Priced With Low and High-End Options
Mac Studio and Studio Display Priced With Low and High-End Options
Apple Introduces M1 Ultra Chip for New Mac Desktops
Apple Introduces M1 Ultra Chip for New Mac Desktops
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
PlayStation 5 Pro Leaked: Everything We Know
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Everything Just Revealed at Nvidia's GTC AI Conference
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Reveals Omniverse Cloud Streams to the Vision Pro
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Nvidia Shows Project GROOT and Disney Bots at GTC Conference
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
Expert vs. AI: Is Now the Time to Buy an EV?
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
The PlayStation Portal Built-In Volume Is too Loud: Here's How to Keep It Low
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
See Adobe Lightroom on the Apple Vision Pro
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
This $400 Cane Has a Built-In Phone
Latest How To All how to videos
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro