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Dell: Concept, PC based, Switch form factor gaming machine. The UFO

Kdad

Kdad

Member
The Concept UFO

CES may be flooded with new tech coming out soon, but it's also a place for companies to show off new things that may (or may not) become a reality in the future. Dell's doing just that within its Alienware gaming family with a new concept device dubbed Concept UFO, a handheld gaming console that looks quite similar to the Nintendo Switch but is built for full-fledged portable PC gaming.

However, unlike many other concepts I've tested in the past, Concept UFO was quite impressive because it actually worked. It's a rectangular handheld gaming console with an eight-inch display and removable controllers on both ends. Working models I saw all ran Windows and were able to render playable games in handheld mode; docked mode, in which the console was connected to an external display and its controllers were detached; and another portable mode in which the controllers were detached but connected by a center "bridge."

dellconceptUFO1-1440x961.jpg


dellconceptUFO6-1440x961.jpg


 
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Coflash

Coflash

Member
Nice, but as a handheld, how is the battery ever going to hold up? And coming from Alienware? They can't even get a ~5kg laptop to run for a decent amount of time.

And it'll obviously run at a percentage of its real speed unless plugged in.

If they guaranteed certain games would run for 3-4hrs before needing to be charged again, at a usable brightness level, that'd be helpful. Cuphead, Slime Rancher, Risk of Rain all sound about right - but The Division 2? What'll that last? 1 hour tops when playing online?

It would, however, be an amazing machine for emulation.
 
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FeldMonster

FeldMonster

Member
This looks pretty awesome and might get me to give pc gaming a chance if the price is reasonable. As someone else mentioned, this would be pretty great for emulation.
 
Strife In a Teacup

Strife In a Teacup

Member
Kdad said:
Why not?
Click to expand...

Just not the best example to use for a product that may never see the light of day. Edit: Well, or maybe it fits actually.

The game took eons to get released from the Alpha (which I originally bought), and then changed into something completely different and now the dev is AWOL again after release with no patches.

It just seems like a game I wouldn't use for this.
 
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CamHostage

CamHostage

Member
Looks handy, hopefully Switch spurs a few mobile-based PC-processor gaming devices before hardware manufacturers again realize that nobody but Nintendo can do what Nintendo does...

That said, I'm more interested in something in that 4-5" scale (my hands are aching from spending a long time over the holiday with my Switch; even the Vita gives me cramps.) There are a lot of cheapy Android and Linux devices out there, but it'd be miraculous if there was like a new Nvidia Shield from a recognizable company some day. (How about it, Soulja Boy?).
 
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T

tr1p1ex

Member
The 8" screen would be nice. Full sized sticks too. Wii U Gamepad had full sized sticks.

I doubt this comes out and if it does I'd have to bet it fails. Just not seeing the market. It would be expensive. Running Win10 and pcgames with controllers not appealing .
 
S

scalman

Member
imagine how much it weights. into what pocket it fits ? or bag more like. how long its gonna last on battery ?
 
MagnesG

MagnesG

Banned
The prototype only can stand for up to 2 hours of battery life for now, plus the detachable controllers are still actually relying on its main module connected to power supply.

And then we have to factor the price, even gdp win2 for example is priced around $650.
 
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Fbh

Fbh

Member
Seems too big IMO. And if they aren't taking price it's probably going to be expensive as hell too.
 
Denis Colovic

Denis Colovic

Member
If this is priced reasonable and is running on windows 10 I will probably get it. Kinda curious to see what GPD has in store for us next.
 
Ownage

Ownage

Member
ksdixon said:
If it runs Windows, why couldn't it run MS Office?
Click to expand...
Avoid licensing fees. Probably would be stuffed to gills with productivity suites to pad the price.

As Crumbs says above, if 2 out of 3, why not just go balls deep and put a legit battery into it?

I see this as facing a crossroads. Either go whole hog with 3 of 3, or barebones the device with the option of user optimization at backend added cost.

Nintendo likely isn't nervous, but is watching. Their IP counsel probably is thinking patent infringement scenarios re: Switch vs this device. This will be an interesting series of events to watch play out, if at all.
 
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ChoosableOne

ChoosableOne

ChoosableAll
Price, battery and build quality will make or break this thing. Game catalog is another problem(handheld without Nintendo exclusives? even Sony didn't succeed in handheld). Nintendo needs some competition so i hope this one will be successfull.
 
SurprisedPikachu

SurprisedPikachu

Member
I... kind of like it. If it ran even at 720p 60FPS and let me play any of my games at eh.... medium detail? For about 8-12 hours? I’d be ecstatic about it.
 
D

Deleted member 774430

Unconfirmed Member
Note sure about the design, those black bezels are yucky.

It's funny how at launch many were skepticals "similar solutions to the Switch already exist!" and now that Switch keeps selling, they all gave up and started with carbon copies: the detachable controllers, the rails on the sides, the grip,...

It's your turn now Sony, where's the Playstation Xperia Switch?

razer-junglecat-usp3-mobile.jpg


junglecat-01.jpg

2017-02-26-image-10.jpg

Black-Shark-Gamepad-2.jpg
 
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tkscz

tkscz

Member
Most interesting part to me is that there is no GPU in it. It's running off the latest Intel integrated graphics. While Intel has gotten better it seems I find it strange they didn't go with an AMD APU for the prototype.
 
raduque

raduque

Member
tkscz said:
Most interesting part to me is that there is no GPU in it. It's running off the latest Intel integrated graphics. While Intel has gotten better it seems I find it strange they didn't go with an AMD APU for the prototype.
Click to expand...
I have the i5-1035G4 with the 48CU Ice Lake iGP in my new laptop and it is not a capable performer. I can play World of Warships with everything on low at 1366x768 and get 50fps. The 64CU in the i7 is about 20% faster. What iGP is this thing using that can crank 1080p at 60fps in new titles?
 
tkscz

tkscz

Member
raduque said:
I have the i5-1035G4 with the 48CU Ice Lake iGP in my new laptop and it is not a capable performer. I can play World of Warships with everything on low at 1366x768 and get 50fps. The 64CU in the i7 is about 20% faster. What iGP is this thing using that can crank 1080p at 60fps in new titles?
Click to expand...

They didn't say, it's assumed to be an unreleased 10th Gen Intel H series.
 
MoreJRPG

MoreJRPG

Suffers from extreme PDS
I think it’s really neat, I’m excited to see how companies build off the Switch idea and inevitably build faster,
more powerful hardware in the form factor.
 
ChoosableOne

ChoosableOne

ChoosableAll
DESTROYA said:
How is game catalog a problem when it can play PC games?
There are hundreds if not thousands more PC games than Switch games
Click to expand...

At first, most people bought Switch for Zelda. After that, Pokemon and Mario came. Fire Emblem, Maria kart, Smash bros etc. This particular Nintendo games are big part of handheld gaming for a lot of people. I think that was the main problem with Psp and Vita. People like me won't buy a handheld device to just play Gta or Rdr, because they can do it better in elsewhere. PSP and Vita had some PS exclusives under their belt, but even that wasn't enough. Maybe this device will change my gaming habits, i don't know.

Playing PC games while docked will be another story, if there will be that option(not saw in video).
 
R

RealGassy

Banned
What are the specs?
1080p is a bad idea in a portable device like this. It's just not going to work well IMO (battery life!).
I'd buy a 720p version of this.
 
Alexios

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Probably will never become a product but pretty sweet it's so functional and polished looking as a concept. They won't release specs for a concept but I wonder what soc they put in it for Rocket League to run that nicely and if the battery lasts an hour :d
 
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