It has been long time since we heard anything about Alienware’s Steam Machine. So, when we got a press release saying that the Steam Machine would be coming to PAX Australia, and that it was going to be playable during the next three days – well, we jumped at the chance to have a look at the long awaited device.
Obviously, this machine runs SteamOS – which means you can play thousands of games from the Steam library (either natively or streaming).
The hardware and design for the Alienware Steam Machine is exactly the same as the Alienware Alpha, its Windows-based equivalent. The only main difference between the two aesthetically is the branding.
And just like the Alienware Alpha, you will get the same level of hardware customisation. This means that you can upgrade the CPU (up to fourth-generation Core i7), memory (up to 16GB), hard drive and wireless card very easily. Other hardware internal specs include an NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU processor, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a HDMI-in and HDMI-out port.
So, when does it come out and how much? Those are two open questions that Alienware could not answer. While the game console is coming to the United States on November 10; Australians and New Zealanders will have to wait til next year. Why? Regulatory issues with the wireless controller.
“The controller uses a proprietary wireless technology, and so Valve is working through all the different countries’ regulatory process,” Joe Olmsted, director of product planning at Alienware, told TechGeek.
And pricing? While Olmstead has confirmed that they are targeting a ‘premium console’ price point, local pricing ultimately will depend on the currency exchange rate.
“We’re targeting the premium console price point. It’s difficult for me to give you an exact price because between now and the next three months, we have no idea what the currency exchange rate will be,” Olmstead said.
It should be noted in the US, the base model of the Steam Machine (with an Core i3 processor and 4GB of memory) will be priced at US$449.99 – or AU$631.85.