Area-51
Alienware’s headline unveiling concerns two new versions of the Area-51, the company’s popular gaming desktop PC. It now includes a new selection of processors from both Intel and AMD. Gamers will be able to pick a chip from either brand to reflect their personal buying preferences.
Alienware Area-51
Dell
On the Intel side, the full range of the company’s new enthusiast processors will be available, up to the 18-core Core i9 series. AMD fans will be able to spec the firm’s upcoming “Threadripper” chips which have up to 16 cores. Alienware said that regardless of the processor choice, the Area-51 will be capable of playing games at up to 8K resolution. The computer will launch in August.
Laptops
Alienware
Dell
Dell also announced new Alienware laptops spanning a range of different form factors. The Alienware 14, 17 and 18 are designed for gamers who don’t have the space for a desktop PC, or who want to play while on the move. They have 14, 17 and 18-inch displays respectively with a full HD resolution. All three come with dedicated NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards for smooth gameplay in the latest games.
Peripherals
Accompanying the new systems is a fully-fledged range of Alienware accessories, all of which are targeted firmly at gamers. Two keyboards are available, the Advanced Gaming and Pro Gaming. Both come with mechanical keys and dedicated macro buttons. The $119.99 Pro Gaming adds additional features to the base $89.99 Advanced Gaming. These include zone-based RGB backlighting and a built-in volume roller control.
Alienware
Dell
For mice, Alienware will be offering the $49.99 Advanced Gaming or $89.99 Elite Gaming. As with the keyboards, the “Advanced” branding denotes a less fully-featured but more affordable option. It has an ergonomic design and support for on-the-fly DPI changes. The Elite mouse expands on this by adding swappable grips and up to 13 programmable buttons.
Monitor
Completing the revised Alienware line-up is a new 25-inch monitor that’s designed around the needs of gamers. While the resolution is comparatively low at 1920×1080 Full HD, the monitor has an exceptionally high 240Hz refresh rate. This is four times higher than the 60Hz of a regular PC monitor, minimising input lag and giving competitive gamers an advantage by improving responsiveness. It’ll launch in the U.S. today priced from $499 to $699.
“Fierce commitment”
Dell said it has a “fierce commitment” to supporting PC gamers with its Alienware product line-up. The expanded 2017 range lets gamers buy every component of their workspace from the company, including the PC itself and all the core peripherals. Alienware said it launched the products based on customer requests.
Alienware
Dell
“I love arriving at E3 every year to watch fans get blown away by our latest PC gaming innovations and this year is no exception,” said Frank Azor, vice president and general manager of Alienware, Dell Gaming and XPS. “Our fans’ passion for Alienware and our gaming PCs is our lifeblood, and it’s only through our equal passion and commitment in delivering bleeding-edge innovation, design and performance, that we continue to exceed expectations and deliver on their requests.”
Dell also used E3 to announce new investments in esports gaming, including partnerships with several leading esports tournaments organisers. The company is sponsoring the upcoming CS:GO Clash for Cash: The Rematch event by ELEAGUE which features a $250,000 grand prize.
The new Alienware products will arrive throughout the summer. Pricing on the updated Area-51 and Alienware laptops hasn’t yet been announced.
