Alienware does not want you to customize or tweak your Steam Machine, and will be releasing the devices on an annual basis.
Alienware unveiled its console-style Steam Machine at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. For users eagerly awaiting its launch in the third quarter, there is a big caveat: Alienware’s Steam Machines will not be upgradable or customizable in any way and there will be a new one every twelve months.
Alienware general manager Frank Azor revealed in an interview with TrustedReviews that the $700 Steam Machine will have a shorter lifecycle and users will not be able to customize their boxes.
“Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year,” he said. “There will be no customization options, you can’t really update it.”
He did say that users would be able to choose the CPU as well as the amount of system memory their Steam Machine comes with, but that’s about it as far as customization goes. He mentioned that users looking for more customization options, like a new CPU or video card, are better off with the Alienware X51, and that the Steam Machine is restricted in its upgrade options.
Azor went on to say that users who make the switch from one Alienware Steam Machine to the other will be able to retain all their saved game information. That’s small consolation, however, as Alienware’s decision to launch a new Steam Machine every twelve months means that if you buy a $700 Steam Machine this year, it will be obsolete in under two years. Imagine having to buy a new Xbox or PlayStation on a yearly basis.
Alienware’s move to severely limit the hardware on its Steam Machines means that users have to ultimately look to other vendor offerings, like Origin’s Chronos, which comes with two video card slots that can accommodate any video card and can be easily customized to a user’s liking. When Valve initially laid out the groundwork for the Steam Machines, it envisaged a design that was easily hackable and customizable. Alienware’s offering is anything but that.
Source: TrustedReviews
Read More: http://ift.tt/1mEe3GR
Alienware unveiled its console-style Steam Machine at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. For users eagerly awaiting its launch in the third quarter, there is a big caveat: Alienware’s Steam Machines will not be upgradable or customizable in any way and there will be a new one every twelve months.
Alienware general manager Frank Azor revealed in an interview with TrustedReviews that the $700 Steam Machine will have a shorter lifecycle and users will not be able to customize their boxes.
“Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year,” he said. “There will be no customization options, you can’t really update it.”
He did say that users would be able to choose the CPU as well as the amount of system memory their Steam Machine comes with, but that’s about it as far as customization goes. He mentioned that users looking for more customization options, like a new CPU or video card, are better off with the Alienware X51, and that the Steam Machine is restricted in its upgrade options.
Azor went on to say that users who make the switch from one Alienware Steam Machine to the other will be able to retain all their saved game information. That’s small consolation, however, as Alienware’s decision to launch a new Steam Machine every twelve months means that if you buy a $700 Steam Machine this year, it will be obsolete in under two years. Imagine having to buy a new Xbox or PlayStation on a yearly basis.
Alienware’s move to severely limit the hardware on its Steam Machines means that users have to ultimately look to other vendor offerings, like Origin’s Chronos, which comes with two video card slots that can accommodate any video card and can be easily customized to a user’s liking. When Valve initially laid out the groundwork for the Steam Machines, it envisaged a design that was easily hackable and customizable. Alienware’s offering is anything but that.
Source: TrustedReviews
Read More: http://ift.tt/1mEe3GR
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