Alienware had plenty to show at E3 2016, as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary (and 10 years since Dell took them over). The company originally started as a means to make a proper gaming computer when there was no mass-produced way to get one, in the days when any gamer had to essentially DIY their own computer. This year, the focus is all about getting gamers up to speed to be ready for 4K gaming and VR, and at E3 I attended a special presentation to showcase the range of new products on offer in the coming year.
First up, the new Aurora desktop is a mid-tower desktop with a smaller footprint than its predecessor, but still with plenty of customisability. The tower is easy access, with tool-less easy to remove side panels, and the ability to swing out a cage with the power supply independently of the rest of the computer to access memory and the motherboard. Airflow is once again very important, as the graphics card gets fresh air from the side vents, heat goes out the top, and recirculated air is passed through the motherboard and out the back. The chassis is very power efficient and quiet, making use of Intel’s ready mode, but still packing a wallop able to be decked out with the latest generation Intel CPUs and Kingston Fury X RAM running at 2400 MHz. It’s available now through Alienware.
The Alienware Alpha was intended as Alienware’s first ‘console’ like product, able to bring the power of PC gaming to the television for every gamer. The new Alpha is a Windows 10 console running Steam OS, upgraded to new graphics cards, DDR4 RAM and sixth gen Intel processors. The ultra-compact computer is also compatible with Graphics Amplifier technology, including a port to link it to an Alienware Graphics Amplifier which houses an external graphics card. You can buy (or be given as a hand-me-down from a GTX 1080 purchaser) a card like a GTX 970 and be able to essentially plug-and-play into the Alpha, making it Oculus Rift ready whenever you want. The Alpha is also available now from Alienware.
The Alienware Area-51 desktop is the monster performance machine of the desktop range, now equipped with Intel Broadwell i7 CPU technology, taking your options to a massive 10-core maximum. You can run triple Titan cards, easily swap out bits with the removable side panels and even take it to parties with the easy to access carrying handles (you might want to take out an insurance policy on it before it goes anywhere with you in the car, though). It’s also available, right now.
Finally, Alienware are predicting that we are on the precipice of OLED technology truly taking off in display technology, and have begun integrating OLED screens into their products with the new Alienware 13″ notebook including the tech. The laptop’s screen is the key feature of the device, boasting a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, better colour saturation, a fast 1ms response time and a fantastic brightness level (as OLED technology is devoid of a backlight, as the screen itself emits light). It’s out now and it’s definitely something to show-off to your mates if you feel like being the ultimate OLED hipster – who liked it before it was cool.
Alienware also made noise about the success of Zero Latency in Melbourne, Australia, which have integrated Alienware technology into special backpacks for VR. This unique experience is where Alienware sees VR technology growing in the future – specialised experiences in venues such as Zero Latency. If you’d like to check out the experience for yourself, you can book a spot (which you should, as it’s booked out for months) at Zero Latency’s website.
