Only a week or two after the big CES debut of the Steam Machines we get another nice surprise from our good friends at Alienware. Earlier this week it was announced that Alienware’s version of the Steam Machine will not allow customization and will be updated every year. A few days after that it was said that Alienware will allow customers to upgrade their machines.
Frank Azor, Alienware general manager, apparently misspoke. In an interview with Eurogamer Azor says, “The Alienware Steam Machine, announced at CES, is designed to deliver a great gaming experience in the living room and we will enable customers to upgrade components.”
Azor says the he made the previous comment because their Machine’s size doesn’t allow for easy upgrades. Coming in around the size of a Nintendo Wii you can see how that would make removing parts difficult. Instead Azor recommended their X51 desktop model for those feeling the need to do some DIY upgrades.
Not allowing the users of a Steam Machine the ability to upgrade would successfully defeat the purpose of a Steam Machine. The whole point of the Steam Machines was a sort of console “openness.” All the big screen gaming of a console coupled with the technical superiority of a computer and the great steam collection you’ve built sale after sale.
Alienware’s Steam Machine doesn’t have a set list of specs or price point yet so it’ll be interesting to see what type of build(s) they’re going for and what they plan for their yearly release.