Can Alienware Alpha (i3) Beat the Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One?

Undoubtedly, the top gaming laptops have taken the video gaming experience to another level, but will they push back the leading video gaming consoles into history? This might bring before us a never-ending debate on the digital gaming industry. Since Dell Alienware Alpha has made a striking entry into video gaming market, let's compare it with Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Regardless of the growing dominance of major game consoles manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft, over the video game industry, gaming laptops are now entering into its eighth generation. With the growing advent of technology and innovation, numerous OEMs and top gaming laptops manufacturers are producing pre-built gaming computers to compete with popular video game consoles. Valve, a video game development, and digital distribution company, has already come up with Steam Machines to land mainstream gaming into gamers' living rooms. Alienware Alpha is a similar living room gaming hardware platform by Dell, delivering optimal graphic quality along with hi-speed access to your favorite Alienware Alpha games.

Before reading the full Alienware Alpha review, quickly scan the details mentioned to compare the latest Dell gaming laptop with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles.

Alienware Alpha

The basic Alienware gaming laptop comes with a Core i3-4130T dual-core CPU nicely paired with a 2.9 GHz processor. The device also features a GTX 860M GPU with 2 GB GDDR5 at the rate of 6 Gbps. The base model costing $550 comes with a 4 GB DDR3L at 1600 MHz (single-channel) memory and offers storage space of 512 GB. Additionally, the device also features Intel dual-band wireless-AC 3160 Wi-Fi to assist you while playing some online Alienware Alpha games.

Sony PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 is powered by an AMDx86 Jaguar 1.6 GHZ 8-Core CPU and possesses an AMD next-generation Radeon based graphics engine to boost your gaming experience. The console also features an 8 GB GDDR5 RAM and inbuilt 500 GB storage drive to ensure smooth and hassle-free gaming operations.

Xbox One

The Xbox One has an 8-core AMD x86 CPU with a Radeon 7790 GPU to take your gaming experience to another level. The console also hides an 8 GB DDR3 RAM and 32 MB of high-speed SRAM to provide a streamlined support while accessing heavy games. Additionally, the Microsoft next-generation gaming console ranks high on features as it incorporates a blue-ray drive, 500 GB hard drive, and 802.11n Wi-Fi connection support.

The Comparison Stage

While Sony and Microsoft are busy in impressing living room gamers with their latest gaming consoles, Valve Corporation innovated PC-like gaming console - Steam Machines. The Steam Machines uses efficient off-the-shelf computer parts and different design specifications to innovate a product that caters requirements of both- a PC and a gaming console. Tech experts claim that the arrival of Steam Machines will give a tough time to the latest consoles as they feature some powerful PC hardware stuffed into the living room entertainment boxes.

Alpha i3 is nothing but sleek-looking Steam Machine, and this PC-like gaming console will get shipped with Windows 8.1, instead of a Steam OS. Apart from the basic gaming features, the Dell Alienware Alpha also incorporates some enthralling Steam features like Big Picture Mode to an amazing gaming experience. You can choose your PC-like gaming console from different design specifications starting from moderate to high, but the base model starts from $550.

On pricing, the base model of Dell gaming device costs $150 more than the standard PlayStation 4 or Xbox One console. One of the best things of Dell's Alpha is that it never pushes games to their highest settings rather modifies the game to achieve best frame rate. Alpha i3 delivers best graphical performance, when compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One's visual offerings and ensures smooth gaming experience.

If you really want to get a hold on how Alienware's latest device is a better gaming PC choice, then try exploring the videos that run video games side-by-side across the platforms. On viewing such videos, you will observe that the Alpha i3 will provide the best frame rate without dropping the visual quality and maintaining the optimal visual glare.

Final Verdict

The final results show that despite being a device with lower hardware specifications, Alpha i3 performs strong against the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Additionally, there is hardly any need for investing into a mainstream gaming console if you can own a device combining features of both a PC and a gaming console. The latest PC-like gaming console from Dell is an ideal choice for users looking for a mainframe PC that can offer seamless access to thousands of Steam games right at your fingertips!