Alienware’s Concept UFO aims to Switch up PC gaming

Dell’s gaming division Alienware has been working on what could become a game-changer in the PC gaming scene. Unveiled during this year’s CES, the Concept UFO is just like the name. Out of this world. Taking heavy design clues from Nintendo’s wildly popular handheld-console hybrid Switch, the UFO’s goal is to bring full-fledged PC gaming on the go.

The promise of the Concept UFO is insanely intriguing. Being able to play the extremely large library of PC games anywhere and anytime has never truly been achieved. Some small Chinese companies have tried to fulfill these desires but the end product was always more a compromise than a perfect solution.

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. Using 10^th Generation Intel® Core™ processors along with WiFi, Bluetooth, and Thunderbolt for high performance gaming, networking and connectivity, Concept UFO offers uncompromised on-the-go performance.

Alienware’s take on portable PC gaming, however, is looking like the most polished and impressive effort so far. Taking a quick glance at the prototype, the similarities with the Nintendo Switch are uncanny. Not only the form factor but also the ability to detach the controllers from the sides. Just like with the Switch, tabletop gaming can be done that way. The Concept UFO further can connect to a TV or monitor via USB-C and serve as a more traditional PC.

Since it’s still only a prototype, there are no details about specs inside but early impressions are very positive. Even modern games run at high resolutions and framerates on the crisp large screen. Don’t expect this all to come in cheap. Even though Alienware hasn’t talked about pricing, chances are the Concept UFO will cost significantly more than a Switch.