Alienware Team Up With Steam

[Hectic Glenn]

Today Dell have announced a partnership with Steam whereby all gaming PCs will ship with Steam pre-installed and free copy of Portal. Dell likes Steam...

With its automatic game updates, easy friend finding and the ability to play your Steam purchased games on any PC, Valve has helped simplify PC Gaming to make it more enjoyable. It's for these reasons; we selected Steam to compliment the Alienware experience.

You can now see Alienware products through the Steampowered site.

 

[scotland1]

I thought this was a Steam competition to win an Alienware computer :<

Good news anyway.

 

[Marler]

hehe love the way they compliment each other

 

[Ennui]

Wow, I had no idea that Dell bought Alienware.

 

[Wills]

Randy Pitchford SMASH.

 

[Hazar]

Wow, I had no idea that Dell bought Alienware.

welcome to like 4 years ago

 

[Kyorisu]

I wouldn't hate Alienware as much as I do if their cases didn't look like arse.

 

[Barnz]

cool, now I can download graphic cards

 

[Matthew Dryden]

@Barnz: Hah! Nice.

I'm interested in seeing where this goes...hopefully there will be some Alienware contests coming up.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Really not sure how to feel about this. I do love Steam, and I don't love slippery slope arguments, so I won't make one.
I just really don't like Alienware at all and I'm wary of Valve teaming up with anyone. Although it'd be great if this somehow led to Steam becoming a kind of industry standard, though it would need some significant improvements for that to be okay.


It's good that a computer might come with some software that's actually useful.

I wouldn't hate Alienware as much as I do if their cases didn't look like arse.

No kidding. I hate the way they look. But I prefer to keep all my computer stuff hidden away apart from all the interfaces.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Way to make the consumer feel more small and inadequate

 

[Yorick]

I wouldn't hate Alienware as much as I do if you didn't pay a ridiculous amount above the computer's value for a special namebrand case.

Fixed.

 

[scotland1]

No kidding. I hate the way they look.

I like them :dork:

Fixed.

Yeah, I put all of the components of an Alienware computer into scan.co.uk and it was almost £1000 cheaper.

 

[Ren.182]

Nice deal, good business for Valve no doubt.

I wouldn't buy an alienware though. Ever.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

My friend bought one when I was doing my GCSEs years back, and we envied him so badly. Looking back and remembering the plastic blue case with a door...A DOOR. The door we all wanted, but now just seems very ordinary.

It's true about the silly price of AW, but there is that prestige with the name that city boys and rich kids get from having one. A custom build is really satisfying and fun, but if you don't have the knowledge and want that gaming might, AW hits that niche.

Digital distribution is very convenient and if someone has the cash to buy an AW and they stumble across Steam pre-installed on their machine...they'll flutter a few more pennies in that direction too to justify the £3000 price tag.

edit: Oh and L4D2 for $29.99 from Dell - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...d=24471&lid=566643&acd=10495476-404255-121901

 

[Eejit]

inb4RandyPitchford

 

[Operational]

Sounds like a smart deal for both parties.

Alienware add some (much needed) value to their products and Valve get more potential customers.

 

[Adabiviak]

Steam is free, no? You're basically getting a free copy of Portal (and you don't have to spend five minutes installing Steam)? I'll go out on a limb here and say that a large percentage of the people in the market for an Alienware 'gaming' rig already have Portal, if not Steam already. Is this a push for new users/purchases in the Q4 holiday season (just in time for Black Friday)?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[alchemistlord]

Interesting.

 

[diluted]

It's true about the silly price of AW, but there is that prestige with the name that city boys and rich kids get from having one. A custom build is really satisfying and fun, but if you don't have the knowledge and want that gaming might, AW hits that niche.

I think it's more about the first thing (flaunting your supposed wealth) than having a gaming PC. Any local computer joint will build you a custom gaming PC if you just give them a list of parts, and still for a lot less than an alienware costs.

Also, its already been said, but the cases are the gaudiest, most obnoxious things ever. Its the PC equivalent of putting spinning rims, a spoiler, racing stripes, and neon lights on your car.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I'll keep my tinfoil hat hung up until I find out Dell, ActiBlizz and Valve have merged and will only be offering games and services through Alienware PCs which have their own proprietary Steam OS which can't be formatted any other way (think Apple, or game consoles) with hardware upgrades offered exclusively through Nvidia and Intel whom which the massive conglomerate had also acquired.

Doubt that'll happen though!

That would make the three main competitors for personal computers and software ActiBlizzIntelNvdiaValve, Google and Apple--and everything will be completely monetized, but dominating the market to the point where they're your only options.

During this time the internet will be privatized by the telecoms so depending on which computer/internet/supermediamachine you choose, you get access to separate sites and media channels--and not others. And have to pay for all of them to get half the entertainment you do now!

They'll also all offer HBO/movie channel style features and additional networking and social features for hiked up subscription prices.

Oh boy, I can't wait!

Repent, net nerds, repent. The netpocolypse is near!

 

[Schall]

Oh, great, Portal. That helps. Thanks.

They should at least give out a game with multiplayer capabilities. I like Portal and all, but you beat it in like 4 hours. Then, there's nothing else to do.

 

[Operational]

Oh, great, Portal. That helps. Thanks.

They should at least give out a game with multiplayer capabilities. I like Portal and all, but you beat it in like 4 hours. Then, there's nothing else to do.

If you don't like singleplayer games why are you posting on HALFLIFE2.net?

 

[Darkside55]

Wow, I had no idea that Dell bought Alienware.

I seriously thought Glenn had made a mistake when the topic said Alienware but the post said Dell. I've been completely out of the loop.

As an aside, man that Area 51 is sexy. Those top vents, like a beast raising its hackles. God, they're just so...unnecessary. It's delicious.

 

[the cow says moo]

I had no idea about Dell and Alienware either. This is a huge surprise for me.

Randy Pitchford SMASH.

I rofl'd hard for the first time in a while.