NextComputing offers up LAN gamers' dream

NextComputing's Radius XG melds desktop and laptop into giant portable gaming PC.

Rich Brown Former Senior Editorial Director - Home and Wellness

Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.

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Rich Brown

Jan. 7, 2010 12:38 p.m. PT

Be still our Kaypro-loving heart. Is laptop gaming performance dragging you down at the LAN party? Nashua, NH's, NextComputing may have the answer in its new Radius XG Portable Gaming PC.

NextComputing's unique approach to portable PC gaming. NextComputing

Complete with Intel Core i7 900-series CPUs, graphics cards from both Nvidia and ATI, 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM, plentiful hard drive and connectivity options, and--oh, right--a 17-inch, 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution LCD built into the side, the Radius XG offers everything we expect to find in a performance gaming desktop. With standard desktop components throughout, you can also upgrade the system as you like.

One of the Radius XG's forebears, 1982's Kaypro II. MB.net

Because of its size and lack of a battery, the Radius XG obviously isn't designed for untethered gaming. Then again, given desktop replacement laptops' cumbersome dimensions and poor battery life, is the Radius XG that much different?

The Radius XG weighs 15 pounds and starts at $6,000, so those large laptops still have an argument. However, if we had money to burn and an inclination to haul a suitcase full of hurt down to the LAN party and kick the door in, we've seen few other PCs that would make a bigger impression.

If the single screen isn't enough, NextComputing also offers companion displays that let you add up to two additional 1,920x1,200-pixel screens. No word on whether it comes with Ladder.