We knew the Steam machine was coming. There was a little debate on if the machine would be updateable or annual and, of course, what was under the hood. In an attempt to bridge the gap between console and PC, Alienware will be releasing the Alienware Alpha this holiday season for $550. With the recent price drops on the major brands, that price tag might not be as entertaining as it once was, but wait until you hear what’s inside.
The AlienWare Steam Machine gives up the juicy details.
For $550 the Alpha machine will give you the following;
- Windows 8.1
- Intel i3 Processor
- 4GB RAM
- 500 GB Hard Drive
- Internal Wi-Fi
- Nvidia GPU with still-secret stats
- Xbox 360 Controller
The Steam controller won’t be included because it was delayed until 2015. We were also under the impression that any Steam machine wouldn’t show up until then, either. No word on what most minds want to know. Will it be upgradeable or require a new machine on a regular basis? At least we know you can carry over your old games to the next generation of machines.
Don’t worry. There is also the red Evil version.
Why for that price?
The $550 price can be a bit hard to swallow since it is higher than the original price tag for either of the big two consoles. Marketing Manager Scott Radcliffe believed he knew why someone would pay the price.
We’ve got 3,000 titles that are going to be instantly available to you. The Steam library that you might already have, that’ll be instantly available to you.
Hear that? The box should load up your current Steam library with little issue. In fact, there are around 500 games on Steam that already support a controller, making the change from PC to console simpler. It also won’t cost you to play online. Much like most PC games, you won’t need to pay a monthly subscription on top of the cost of the games. These are all factors that Scott Radcliffe believes will make the Alienware Steam Machine a competitive choice. Considering that it’s much more powerful than my current PC, I might be willing to agree.
