Dell has announced that the Alienware Steam Machine, their iteration of Valve’s Linux-based console-style PC, is now available for preorder. There are two versions of the device, one $649 and the other $749, and the launch date for the system will be on 5 November 2015.
The $649 version of the Steam Machine comes with an Intel Core i5-4590T Processor Quad-Core, while the $759 version has a Intel Core i7-4785T Processor Quad-Core. Otherwise, both machines feature an NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU 2GB GDDR5 card, 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz memory, 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s hard drive, and Steam Controller. (Tellingly, Dell strongly recommends getting a wireless Xbox 360 controller for the device, while Valve is currently asking fans to develop a Steam controller suited to their own playstyle.)
The Steam Machine is Valve’s attempt to enter the console market while selling its Linux-based PC software, as opposed to Windows. SteamOS adds media sharing, media services, Steam In-Home Streaming, family sharing, and parental controls functionality to Linux.
