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Published 14:16 IST, January 7th 2020

Alienware’s Concept UFO is a Nintendo Switch for AAA PC games 

Imagine a Nintendo Switch-like handheld that lets you play virtually any AAA PC game.

Reported by: Saurabh Singh
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Imagine a Nintendo Switch-like handheld that lets you play virtually any AAA PC game. That’s the dream for many gamers and evidently one that Alienware has been having too. The brand known for its literally larger than life gaming rigs has been working on such a device, a Nintendo Switch for PC games, and it’s ready to show it off – albeit in prototype form. Alienware calls it Concept UFO. 

The Nintendo Switch has been a runaway hit, but it still needs developers to ‘selectively’ port their titles for the ‘unique’ platform. And even though many developers are on-board with the idea of portable gaming, ported games still have a hard time mimicking the real deal from a pure performance point of view. That’s the sort of thing that Alienware plans to address with the Concept UFO. 

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Enter Concept UFO

The Concept UFO is essentially a full-on Windows 10 PC – and a gaming one at that, according to Alienware – that's been shrunk down to a Nintendo Switch-esque form factor. It can do all the things that you can do on a Nintendo Switch, only it can do it on a level that’s proportional to a seemingly actual Windows 10 PC including plugging in a mouse and keyboard to it and browsing the internet.  

Like the Nintendo Switch, the Concept UFO also comes with a main display and detachable controllers. It also has a kickstand so you can prop it up on a table and a ‘hub’ that lets you join the two controllers. Lastly, you can also dock this thing to hook it up to a stand-alone monitor or TV – all in Nintendo Switch fashion.      

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“With anything you’re going to hold in your hands while you play, it must feel “right” as soon as you pick it up. Our teams have invested hundreds – if not thousands – of hours on the controller design features and ergonomics. And we’ve spent the last few months testing and enhancing the buttons, the weight, all to strike a perfect balance between performance, ultra-mobility and battery life,” Dell’s Glen Robson says in a press release. 

Even though Alienware has taken a lot of inspiration from Nintendo, the Concept UFO is still classic Alienware.  It’s visibly sharper and more striking to look at unlike the Nintendo Switch that’s more toy-like. There are also LEDs thrown in here and there to accentuate the look.  

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While the Concept UFO does sound amazing on paper, it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Even for a concept that may or may not enter mass production anytime soon. All that Dell’s saying for now is that the Concept UFO has an 8-inch screen with a 1900x1200 resolution and 10th generation Intel Core processors. There’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thunderbolt for connectivity. We don’t know anything about its graphical credentials, thermals, and battery life – all of which are key to a gaming device.   

Also Read:  Sony PlayStation 5 Logo Revealed, More Details Expected At E3 2020 In June

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14:16 IST, January 7th 2020