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- Feb 18, 2019
Honestly I'm just surprised it got this far without Nintendo saying "Ok no". I am interested in seeing what they can do with this though, being able to play some of the more high powered games on the go on something that isn't a laptop would be cool. That pricetag is gonna be a bitch however.
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A more hands on review of the console
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Dell Alienware Concept UFO Is The Nintendo Switch Killer PC Gamers Want
Dell’s Alienware gaming products division stole the spotlight for many tech enthusiasts at this year’s CES 2020 show in Las Vegas, with its Concept UFO handheld PC gaming device.
www.forbes.com
Dell Alienware Concept UFO Is The Nintendo Switch Killer PC Gamers Want
Dave AltavillaSenior Contributor
Consumer Tech
I cover break-out tech in mobile, on desktop and in the data center.
Alienware Concept UFO
DELL
Dell’s Alienware gaming products division stole the spotlight for many tech enthusiasts at this year’s CES 2020 show in Las Vegas, with its Concept UFO handheld PC gaming device. The product is currently just a prototype of a device that Dell-Alienware could launch some day, so there was no committed ship date given, nor pricing details of any kind. However, judging by the reception the Dell gaming device received, my gut tells me the company could be having some intense internal go-to-market discussions, once all the buzz of CES 2020 is over. I had a chance to sit down with Ed Boyd, Senior Vice President of Dell’s Experience Design Group for a quick chat about Concept UFO, how it came to be and where it could go in the future. Ed has been with Dell for over 12 years and previously spent 11 years with Nike and another 5 with Sony in similar roles. So when it comes to industrial design leadership, I consider Ed a bit of a renaissance man.
Alienware Concept UFO With Controller Bridge
HOTHARDWARE
Ed noted that Concept UFO is the culmination of a multi-year design effort that took the company through many iterations. One Dell designer apparently mocked up literally 50 of the designs in fact, in an effort to conceive its initial form. The product ultimately combines obvious ergonomic similarities to the Nintendo Switch but also significant departures as well, with Dell’s Legend design signature that adorns other laptops, desktops and peripherals products in the company’s Alienware PC gaming lineup. Ed explained that even the simplest of features, like thumbstick positioning and button actuation on the detachable side controllers, were challenging to get right in terms of comfort, usability and durability. Further, detaching its controllers from the 8-inch display head of the device and attaching them to the bridge, marrying them into a very familiar console controller design, took lot of forethought and engineering as well. Though Nintendo’s Switch Joy-Con Grip is similar, Dell’s implementation has a very satisfying snap-in action, with a battery on board and Bluetooth connectivity. It’s more than just a hunk of co-joining plastic like the Switch’s Joy-Con Grip. Another more subtle design choice was the thoughtful inclusion of a kickstand on the back of the device, allowing users to prop it on a desk or their lap with the controllers attached or detached.
Today In: Innovation
Dell Concept UFO Back Side With Kickstand
DELL
But what obviously sets Concept UFO apart from Nintendo’s wildly successful mini console is the fact that Concept UFO is a fully configured and capable Windows 10 PC. It can run any game in your Steam other other PC game library and is a decidedly more open platform as a result, with a much wider, diverse set of games and even use case scenarios that users can enjoy. As Kevin Turchin, Director, Engineering Technologist in the Office of the CTO at Dell explained to me in a hands-on demo of the device, Concept UFO packs a mobile processing platform on board that’s actually more powerful than the average notebook on the market today. Dell wasn’t disclosing what’s under the hood of Concept UFO, but with the level of performance to be offered by next-gen Intel or AMD mobile platform solutions, you can quickly get an idea of expected performance levels.
On its 8-inch display, resolution was currently targeted at 1200p, and at High image quality settings I observed what looked like 30 - 50 fps frame rates in a number of triple-A game titles like Mortal Kombat 11 and F1 2019. In addition, since Concept UFO is a full PC, you can connect it to a larger external display, as well as keyboard and mouse via USB-C. There’s no question, Concept UFO is a well thought-out product and, as I explained to Kevin, looks currently very refined for a product “concept” that you can’t actually buy.
And so it’s no surprise I guess that, since Dell unveiled the Alienware Concept UFO on January 6th, I’ve been flooded with two simple questions: when can I buy this thing and how much? Unfortunately, these are questions that Dell executives currently can’t respond to, as there is no current time frame for release. In addition, it seems obvious that the company is polling potential consumers with its CES 2020 sneak peek of this device, to gauge interest and determine what the market will bear in terms of price point. Well, my Dell friends, I can tell you interest is off the proverbial hook for this thing. Whether its at our site at HotHardware.com, on YouTube or other venues, the virtually unanimous consensus is “bring it!”
In closing, I have a side observation that comes to mind. In the PC space, the level of innovation and refinement, the Windows ecosystem and various OEMs are bringing to the market these days, is both exciting and encouraging.
2020 Dell XPS 13 Laptop - White Spun Glass, 4-Sided InfinityEdge Displays
DELL INC.
Have you seen Dell’s most recent XPS 13 with its near-bezel-less, 4-sided InfinityEdge display, Intel 10th Gen Ice Lake processor and carbon fiber or spun glass construction? Just stop, this is getting ridiculous; this may just be the perfect 13-inch laptop. And Dell’s Ed Boyd tells me the company is going way off rails for its next evolution of the XPS design signature. Between cutting-edge devices like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold, to Dell’s Alienware Concept UFO and the stunning new 2020 XPS 13 laptop, the #PCMasterRace continues to dominate with real innovation.
A more hands on review of the console
I tried Alienware's portable Windows gaming PC concept that looks a lot like the Switch, and I was surprised at how different it felt from Nintendo's console
The Alienware Concept UFO PC bears a lot of resemblance to the Nintendo Switch, but it also differs in a few important ways.
www.businessinsider.com
I tried Alienware's portable Windows gaming PC concept that looks a lot like the Switch, and I was surprised at how different it felt from Nintendo's console
Lisa Eadicicco
Jan 9, 2020, 1:30 PM
The Alienware Concept UFO. Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
- At CES 2020, Dell showed off the Alienware Concept UFO, a portable gaming system that resembles the Nintendo Switch.
- While the Concept UFO has many of the Switch's hallmark features, like detachable controllers and the ability to be plugged into a bigger screen, it also differs from Nintendo's system in many ways.
- Dell's concept is a full-blown Windows PC packaged in a gaming tablet. It's also noticeably larger than the Nintendo Switch and has a few other important differences.
- The concept is another sign that the industry is moving away from the idea that mobile and at-home gaming must be two separate experiences.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Alienware, the Dell-owned gaming PC maker, is typically known for its line of laptops and desktops, but at the CES tech conference in Las Vegas this week, it unveiled a different type of device: a concept gaming tablet that looks an awful lot like the Nintendo Switch.
Like Nintendo's hit console, Alienware's Concept UFO consists of a tablet with two controller pieces that snap on to either side of the device. There's also a kickstand for propping up the tablet when you're not playing it in handheld mode, much like the Switch. And like Nintendo's console, it's designed to be used in a variety of ways.
Attach the controllers to the tablet's body, and you've got a portable gaming device. Take the controllers off and attach them to a bridge accessory, and you can play with a traditional controller, using the tablet as a display. Since it's a Windows PC, you can also plug the tablet into a monitor or TV and play using the controller or a mouse and keyboard. That also means you'll be able to access your PC gaming library on the device.
It's certainly a form factor that was pioneered by Nintendo and seems to be heavily inspired by the Switch. But Dell's Alienware has found a few ways to make the device feel like its own.
The Concept UFO, however, is just that: a concept. That means there's no telling whether this will result in an actual product available for sale. But for a concept, it does feel very polished and almost exactly like a finished product.
I had the chance to spend a few minutes with the Alienware Concept UFO at CES. Though it bears a lot of resemblance to the Switch, I was surprised at how different it felt. Here's a closer look at what it was like to try it.
One of the biggest differences between Alienware's UFO and the Switch is in their size and weight.
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
The Alienware UFO has an 8-inch screen, making it roughly the size of an iPad Mini. It's a lot larger than the Nintendo Switch, which has a 6.2-inch display that's about the same size as a smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S10 or iPhone 11.
Its display is also sharper than the Switch's, since it has a 1900 x 1200 resolution, while Nintendo's tablet has a 1280 x 720 resolution.
Dell wouldn't share how much the UFO weighs, but it feels noticeably heftier than the Nintendo Switch, which is less than a pound.
While having that larger display means there's a lot of screen real estate for playing games, I could also imagine it feeling cumbersome to hold for long periods. The Alienware UFO's bigger size could also make it more challenging to play in cramped spaces, like on a subway train.
During my brief time using the Concept UFO, which runs on a 10th-generation Intel processor, gameplay felt smooth, without any stutter or lag.
The Alienware UFO is also full of design flourishes that make it feel distinct.
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
The Alienware Concept UFO's design may be what drew comparisons to the Switch in the first place, but there are plenty of details that give it an aesthetic that's unmistakably Alienware.
The sides of the tablet are slightly angled, so it very vaguely resembles a trapezoid.
The grooves around the joysticks also light up, much like the colored backlights on Alienware's keyboards.
The kickstand on the back of the tablet is also much larger than the Nintendo Switch's, and it opens downward like a trapdoor, giving it a bit more stability than the Switch in tabletop mode.
The Alienware's detachable controllers also differ from the Switch's Joy-Cons in an important way: You can't use them independently
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
Each Nintendo Joy-Con attachment functions as its own controller, but that's not the case for the Alienware Concept UFO. When removed from the display, the controllers must be attached to the bridge accessory to work, since it includes the battery that powers the controllers.
What I did appreciate about the controller attachments, however, is how easily they snapped into place. The Concept UFO's controllers magnetically attach to the sides of the tablet, making them easy to attach and detach without any fiddling around.
And perhaps most importantly, the Alienware Concept UFO is an actual Windows PC, meaning you can use it just like a regular computer when you're not gaming.
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
The Concept UFO is a full-blown Windows PC, giving it a slew of uses beyond gaming — such as working in an app like Microsoft Office, browsing the web, or streaming video.
The Switch's usability is somewhat limited beyond playing games. There are some apps available, such as Hulu and YouTube, but it lacks other widely used services like Netflix.
The Alienware UFO and the Nintendo Switch have several similarities and differences, but they both indicate where the gaming industry is headed.
Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider
Alienware's Concept UFO is yet another sign that the industry is shifting toward an approach that more closely blends portable and at-home console gaming, no longer requiring that they be two separate things.
The Switch popularized that idea when it launched in 2017, and since then some of the industry's biggest players have been investing in ways to let players experience games on whatever screen they want — the one stowed away in a backpack, or the one sitting in a living room.
Tech giants like Microsoft and Google are hoping to achieve this by beaming games from the cloud to your devices, while Nintendo and Alienware are clearly looking at new portable form factors that can be docked to larger screens. The approach may be different, but in some ways, the goal is the same.
