Landing Lights Ablaze, Alienware Arrives at E3 2016

Alienware arrives at this year’s E3 with an invasion of futuristic machinery that would make any extraterrestrial proud. As we celebrate our 20^th anniversary in 2016, we’re reminded of our humble beginnings as a startup launched in a garage near Miami which has grown into a juggernaut with employees around the globe. A company with an uncompromised focus on the same mission – passion, performance and design for gamers – whose two decades of products have earned hundreds of Editor’s Choice awards.

From our roots in PC gaming, we come to this year’s E3 to demonstrate our continued leadership in innovation that give gamers the best playing experiences, including the exciting new universe of VR.  This is best seen in our latest desktops. Supercharged with advanced processors and video cards. Better connected with intelligent cabling. Overclocked, liquid-cooled, and future-proof upgradable.

Before getting into details on each desktop, I’m really excited to share some of the exciting Alienware activities at E3:

• Chloe Moretz, long-time gamer, actress and model, along with other celebrities, DJs and eSports professionals from Team Liquid will stop by our Virtual Reality event Monday night from 8:00 to 11:00 PM @3DLive, and the Alienware booth #747 to play all the latest PC games and VR experiences.
• Check out Alienware’s Twitch Live Stream at Noon PST, June 13, announcing the desktop launches with Frank Azor, GM of Alienware and XPS, and tune in for the live stream from the entire VR event that evening.
• Frank Azor will visit the official Twitch Channel studios in Burbank at 4:45PST, June 13, to talk about the past, present and future of gaming on Alienware systems through its 20-year history.
• If you’re in LA, stop by Alienware’s booth #747 in the South Hall for an opportunity to play some of the latest PC and VR games.  Outside the convention hall, in the LA Live space, the Alienware Truck will be decked out for anyone that wants to come by the inaugural E3 Live event.
• If you are lucky, swing by and get a sneak peek of some new cutting edge VR technology. We’ll be showcasing two different, tether-free VR backpacks. That’s right, a fully enclosed, awesome VR experience. Our friends at Zero Latency are showcasing a model that’s powered by the Alienware Alpha. We’ll also have a super rare concept design that we’re jointly developing with AMD (pictured below).

Now, about those new Alienware desktops… Headlining our E3 exhibit is the new Alienware Aurora.  

The New Alienware Aurora mid-tower desktop: gaming dominance, VR prowess

Fit for gamers looking for a mid-tower desktop with full-scale power and performance, the new systems provides a smaller footprint than the previous Aurora and boasts more dedicated graphics power with up to five drives for speed and capacity. A dual-graphics capable desktop with optional CPU liquid cooling and the newest NVIDIA graphics (a.k.a Pascal), the Aurora also marks Alienware’s first chassis that allows tool-less access for GPU and other upgrades, along with intelligent routing and Wi-Fi antennas to make communication flow. The new Aurora is ripped and ready for today’s VR requirements, including Oculus Ready and HTC Vive Optimized certifications, as well as the multitude of designs coming in the future.

Alienware Aurora options include:

• Intel Core i3 CPU up to Core i7 Extreme Edition
• Graphics offerings in single or dual card configurations include NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, AMD Radeon R9 370, or all the way up to the GeForce GTX 1080
• 8GB DDR4 2133 MHz memory up to 32 GB, including 16GB of overclocked Kingston Fury X running at 2400 MHz
• 1TB 7200RPM 6Gb/s storage up to multiple TBs for the 5 available storage bays
• Networking includes Killer e2400 Gigabit Ethernet and Intel wireless and Bluetooth
• Starting at $799 SAPP, check out the other options and pricing online

The Aurora will be joined in the mid-tower space by fan favorite X51. As a currently selling popular model, the gamer-approved X51 R3 desktop remains one of the most affordable ways to get VR-capable performance.

One of the best gaming desktops just got better: the new Alienware Area-51

Our flagship Area-51 full-tower desktop, which PC World named as one of the 25 Greatest PCs of All Time, exceeds the needs of gamers worldwide.  The ultimate full-tower gaming desktop, Area-51 is not only ideal for hardcore gamers, it’s also the platform of choice for many developers and programmers. It’s now equipped with the new Intel Core i7 processors for X-series platform (a.k.a. Broadwell-E) with a range of CPUs from 6- to 10-core options. According to Intel, the new Core i7 Extreme Edition delivers up to 35 percent faster multi-thread performance and offers a new standard for content creation and VR.¹ Designed to support up to three full-length double-wide graphics cards, including NVIDIA’s newest generation of graphics (a.k.a. Pascal), it’s also stunningly designed on the outside with its iconic triad chassis.

Alienware Area-51 options include:

• New Intel Core™ i7 processors for X-Series platform (a.k.a. Broadwell-e)  with 6 cores, all the way up to the 10 cores for the extreme edition processor
• Graphics options include single, dual, or even triple card configurations featuring both NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon graphics
• 8GB Dual Channel DDR4 2133 MHz memory to a whopping 64GB of Quad Channel DDR4 2400 MHz
• 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s storage is standard with a host of options going beyond 6TBs of storage
• Starting at $1699 SAPP, check out the other options and pricing online

The new Alienware Alpha, now with support for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier

The new Alienware Alpha is perfect for the living room, the dorm room or the den. LAN parties have never been easier and more accessible thanks to its ultra-small form factor and minimal set up. Its compact design is surprisingly packed with power, able to crank through even the latest PC games. With over 60 percent higher GPU performance than the previous generation, the Alpha can pump frame rates at higher resolutions and higher settings than today’s generation of consoles.² By popular demand, it’s also newly compatible with the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, opening up the brave new world of 4K gaming and VR.³

Many of these same updates can be found on the new version of the Alienware Steam Machine for users looking to take full advantage of the console experience offered by Valve’s SteamOS and Steam Controller.

The NEW Alienware Alpha options include:

• 6^th Generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs
• Graphics options include AMD Radeon R9 M470X or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
• 4 GB DDR4 1600 MHz memory configurable up to 16GB DDR4 2133 MHz
• 500 GB HDD storage to up 2TBs of storage
• New Models starting at $599 SAPP, check out the other options and pricing online

Improved response time, better color, true black – it doesn’t get better than OLED, now available on the Alienware 13 notebook

O SAY can you see… the new Alienware 13 OLED? Previewed five months ago at CES, this is the world’s first gaming notebook to offer OLED display tech. More consumers are embracing OLED graphics in televisions and smartphones, with self-lighting pixels that can switch off completely to achieve perfect black for significantly higher contrast. How much higher? The Alienware 13 OLED’s display offers an astronomical contrast ratio of 100,000:1, also delivering better color saturation. Designed through our partnership with Samsung, this gaming notebook offers the fastest response time on an Alienware notebook ever (1ms typically), it also gets a boost from its compatibility with the Alienware Graphics Amplifier.

Alienware 13 with OLED display options include:

• 6^th Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs
• Graphics options include NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M with 2GB up to the GeForce GTX 965M with 4GB
• 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L memory configurable up to 16GB
• 500GB 5400RPM Hybrid (8GB Cache) SSD SATA 6Gb/s  to 128GB mSATA SSD + 512GB PCIe SSD multi-drive storage
• NEW OLED QHD touchscreen display
• Killer Networking Ethernet and Wifi come standard for peak performance
• Starting at $1299 SAPP, check out other options online

Notwithstanding L.A.’s traditional June Gloom weather, E3 attendees can expect to see the bright glow of innovation illuminating exhibit space #747 in the South Hall with the name ALIENWARE. Hope to see you there; come say hi!

If you aren’t a member of Alienware Arena, sign up and make sure you don’t miss anything! Follow us on Twitter @Alienware and keep an eye out for us on Facebook. In the immediate near turn, please sign on and watch our Twitch stream as we’ll have the latest updates and information during this awesome, exciting time.

And because I have to…

¹ Based on Intel testing using the CINEBENCH* R11.5 AND R15 benchmark test, versus the previous generation. Actual performance will vary. CINEBENCH* R11.5 and R15 is a benchmark from MAXON Computer that measures the performance of desktop OpenGL* 3D modeling applications.

²Based on Dell Labs testing in May 2016 using multiple 3DMark benchmarks (3DMark 2011, 3DMark Vantage) comparing the Alienware Alpha with an Intel Core i7-4565T, NVidia GeForce GTX GPU and 4GB memory to the Alienware Alpha R2 with Intel Core i7-6700T, NVidia GeForce GTX 960 GPU and 16GB memory. Actual performance will vary.

³ Available only on the new Alienware Alpha models configured with the NVIDIA GTX 960 GPU