Alienware now shipping its Alpha console box

By David Nield Published November 23, 2014

alienware now shipping alpha console box — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you just can’t decide between a next-generation console and a Windows-based gaming rig then the Alienware Alpha PC is here to meet your needs. It’s been in the pipeline since the summer, and this weekend Dell confirmed that shipping had started on the compact computer with console aspirations.

In terms of living room gaming, Sony and Microsoft have the market pretty much sewn up, but efforts such as Alpha and SteamOS are looking to change that landscape. Prices for the new machine start at $549 with an Intel Core i3 dual core CPU and 4GB of RAM, rising to $899 for a faster Intel Core i7 quad core CPU, 8GB of RAM and more storage capacity.

What makes the Alpha different is its customized Windows 8.1 interface — it sports a console mode that lets you dive right in to your games using a compatible gamepad. The alternative desktop mode available on the machine is invisible until you plug in a keyboard and mouse. If you need them, you’ll need to source these peripherals (and a monitor) separately.

The Alpha ships with an Xbox 360 wireless controller and a specially engineered NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics card designed to maximize performance for games currently in the Steam line-up. If you don’t want to head to the Dell website to pick up your new compact gaming PC then you can find the boxes on sale at Amazon, BestBuy, GameStop, NewEgg and TigerDirect from this weekend.

“We’ve been working hard this past year to break the mold and develop a system that finally brings hundreds of Steam games, including some really fun indie titles, to TVs,” said Alienware’s General Manager Frank Azor in a press statement. “The team and I are excited to finally deliver our vision for big screen gaming and give our fans a console that delivers true next-gen performance with the flexibility to choose how, what and where they want to play.”

Topics

Contributor

Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

Computing

Best Alienware deals: Gaming PCs, laptops, and monitors

Alienware Aurora R15 placed at an angle on a table.

Alienware is one of the older brands on the market, and in the past couple of decades or so, it has expanded into pretty much anything gaming-related, including gaming laptops, gaming PCs, headsets, and even gaming chairs. Of course, it also positions itself as a premium brand, and even though it's owned by Dell and does a lot more budget-friendly gear, it's still pretty expensive, all things considered. Luckily, there are a lot of great deals you can take advantage of that can significantly bring down the price of Alienware products, whether it's from Dell directly or other big retailers.

On the other hand, if you can't quite find what you're looking for below, you can also check out these other great gaming laptop deals and gaming PC deals, too.
Alienware AW920H wireless gaming headset -- $180, was $200

Computing

This Alienware gaming PC with RTX 4090 is nearly $800 off

Alienware Aurora R16 sitting on a coffee table.

If you're willing to shell out a significant amount of cash on gaming PC deals to get a powerful machine, here's a recommendation that you should consider -- the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop, with a configuration that usually costs $4,695, is available from Dell at $795 off. The discount brings its price down to $3,900, which is still pretty expensive, but it's the only purchase that you'll have to make for at least the next few years. We're not sure how much time is remaining on this offer though, so proceed with the transaction as soon as you can.

Why you should buy the Alienware Aurora R16 gaming desktop
Our roundup of the best gaming PCs places the Alienware Aurora R16 at the top spot partly because it offers a lot of flexibility alongside competitive pricing. This configuration of the gaming desktop comes with the 14th-generation Intel Core i9 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, plus 64GB of RAM that goes above and beyond the recommendation of our guide on how much RAM do you need for gamers. These specifications will let you play the best PC games at their highest settings, and will have you ready for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.

Computing

This 500Hz gaming monitor from Alienware is $200 off today

Alienware AW2524H on desk.

If you're on the hunt for monitor deals to pair with a top-of-the-line gaming PC, you're going to want a display like the Alienware AW2524H gaming monitor. If you're interested, it's currently on sale from Dell at $200 off, which brings its price down to just $500 from $700. It's still relatively expensive after the discount, but it's a reasonable price for a screen with a 500Hz refresh rate. However, since this is a clearance sale, there's a chance that stocks run out sooner than you think, so proceed with the purchase immediately if you want to pocket the savings.

Why you should buy the Alienware AW2524H gaming monitor
The Alienware AW2524H gaming monitor features a 500Hz refresh rate on its 25-inch display, which is pretty amazing. Our computer monitor buying guide explains refresh rate as how often the images on the screen are updated, and it recommends a range of 120Hz to 144Hz. At 500Hz, this gaming monitor gives you a new image every 2 milliseconds, for an extremely smooth experience while you're playing video games. This also gives you an advantage over your opponents in multiplayer matches as input lag is diminished, giving you a better chance to react to what's happening in the game.