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Alienware will launch a new Steam Machine every year

The gaming PC maker has said it'll launch a new Steam-powered machine every 12 months, as the OS isn't very upgradeable.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Gaming PC maker Alienware lifted the lid on its first Steam Machine at CES last week, but there's plenty more where that came from. In fact, the company plans to launch a new Steam Machine every year, because of Steam OS's lack of upgrade options.

"Lifecycle-wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year," said Frank Azor, Alienware's general manager, speaking to Trusted Reviews.

Azor thinks the Steam Machines will be pretty set in what they can do, hence the need to launch a new one every 12 months. "There will be no customisation options," he said, "you can't really update it."

Despite this, he says the Steam OS will keep changing and getting better. "The platform will continue to evolve as the games become more resource intensive."

Alienware's first Steam Machine is set to launch in September. The price hasn't been set, but the company has confirmed it'll cost around the same as an Xbox One, which costs £429.

Azor added you will be able to upgrade certain parts of Alienware's Steam Machine (the CPU and memory), but he added that if customisation is what you're after, you'll be better off with a standard gaming PC.

For those happy to upgrade their console, the Steam OS will make it a cinch. "The amazing thing about Steam is that you won't have to repurchase your games," Azor said. "If you update your hardware, your games will still be there and work."

Ouya, maker of the Android-powered games console, said a while ago it would release a new model every year, so you could upgrade your games machine as you would your mobile phone. Would you like to upgrade your console every 12 months? Or will most people be put off spending hundreds on a new machine that will be out of date this time next year? Let me know what you reckon in the comments, or on our Facebook page.