Unlike traditional living room consoles — which have a pretty lengthy lifecycle — Alienware will offer new iterations of its Steam Machines annually. This is likely to offset the fact that, despite being similar to PCs in architecture, Alienware will not allow consumers to upgrade their Steam Machine parts.
"Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year," Alienware GM Frank Azor told TrustedReviews (via PCR).
“There will be no customisation options – you can’t really update it," he added. “The platform will continue to evolve as the games become more resource intensive.”
Alienware announced it was working on Steam Machines at CES earlier this month. While the machines are expected to release in September 2014 for around $499, the system specs have to be fully detailed.
Valve first revealed Steam Machines late last year, alongside SteamOS, its customized Linux operating system, and its Steam-optimized controller. Prior to the new year, Valve sent out beta units for its own Steam Machine prototype. Other partners working with Valve on Steam Machines are Alternate, CyberPower PC, Falcon Northwest, Gigabyte, iBuyPower, Material.net, Next, Scan Computers, Webhallen, and Zotac.
