Slimmer, faster Alienware gaming laptops are ready for VR
The redesigned Alienware 15 and Alienware 17 also show off a new logo for the long-time gaming brand.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
It's a great time to be a PC gamer, or at least a fan of PC gaming hardware. Desktops are flying off the shelves, thanks to the popularity of virtual reality headsets among tech early adopters. Companies such as Nvidia and AMD have new graphics hardware that makes major leaps over older components, and there's even a small but growing number of gaming laptops that are ready for VR.
The older Alienware design is on the left, with the new design on the right.
Alienware is joining that arms race with a pair of redesigned gaming laptops. The new Alienware 15 and Alienware 17 both feature current-gen Intel processors and Nvidia's new 10-series GPUs. That's important, as these new Nvidia GPUs promise nearly the same performance in both their laptop and desktop versions -- no more underperforming "M" versions of graphics chips.
That means the Alienware 15 and Alienware 17 are ready for the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, despite being slimmer than the models they're replacing. The new design is subtly updated, with a thinner body, an inset hinge that gives the fans and vents more room to work without adding bulk, and even optional eye-tracking, from a company named Tobii, in the 17-inch version.
The sleek, new Alienware logo.
If you look closely, you'll see one more important change. The Alienware logo, untouched for most of the company's 20-year history, has gotten a makeover. The iconic alien head is just a hair slimmer and more streamlined, while the Alienware name is now written in a lighter font for a more modern look.