Alienware Steam Machines to be Released Annually; Non-Upgradeable

Alienware GM Frank Azor spoke to TrustedReviews earlier this week, announcing that the company’s iteration of the upcoming Steam Machine would be “updating” every year. This means that the Alienware plans to launch a new Steam Machine model annually. 

With a price tag meant to rival that of the Xbox One and PS4, Frank Azor views this hardware change as being comparable to that of the standard console market, which also updates regularly. 

Life cycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year.

Evidently no one has pointed out to Azor that the console life expectancy of half a decade is hardly relatable to a once yearly hardware upgrade, especially with a $450 price tag. 

Additionally, Alienware is planning for a non-upgradeable console, indicating that if you want to upgrade your Steam Machine, maybe you should buy a gaming PC instead; 

If you actually want to customise your Alienware Steam Machine, maybe change your graphics card out or put in a new CPU, you would be better off with the standard Alienware X51. This particular product is restricted in its upgrade options. 

As a positive, even if you buy a new Steam Machine every year, your game library will persist between console generations. However, with a price comparable to a console and a shortened life span without the options of customization, it’s a bit unclear who this Steam Machine is intended for.