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Numerous Steam machines debuted at CES 2014, but Alienware’s solution, the Alpha, stood out from the pack. It wasn’t an underpowered or rebranded product, and it also wasn’t sitting next to a four figure price tag. Alienware’s little box looked to be the most viable looking console-sized and console-priced offering of the lot.

Alienware started shipping the Alpha late last year for $549 (the high-end version with a faster CPU, more RAM, and an SSD costs $849), but it recently cut that price down to $499. The Alpha is still more expensive than consoles, but also fairly cheap as far as gaming PCs go. Obviously it’s not as powerful as the quintessential PC gaming tower, but it may give Sony and Microsoft’s latest consoles a run for their money.

With a slightly overclocked 860M GPU based on Nvidia’s GM107 chip (the same one that’s found in Nvidia’s 750 Ti desktop GPU), 4GB of RAM, and Intel’s Core i3, the Alpha has all the makings of a good, entry level gaming PC. The 5400 RPM hard drive is a slight disappointment, and it’s likely the source of the Alpha’s occasionally long loading times. Otherwise, the rest of the components make for a surprisingly capable gaming PC given the Alpha’s relatively low cost.

System Specs

Performance

While the Alpha simply can’t fulfill the desires of every PC gamer who dreams of pushing graphics settings to ultra, that doesn’t mean that medium or high settings are out of reach. While you can get away with these settings at 1080p in most cases, you may need to kick the Alpha down to 720p if you want to inch closer to 60 frames per second and take advantage of greater lighting and post processing effects. Although Alpha’s GPU supports 4K output, it can’t realistically play games at such a demanding resolution. Despite its PC roots, the primary appeal of the Alpha is like that of a console, such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In the interest of competition, let’s see how the Alpha fares against Sony and Microsoft’s latest consoles.

Tomb Raider, 45-70 FPS: high settings, 1080p, FXAA, TressFX off, tessellation off
The Alpha can’t handle advanced hair found in the PlayStation 4 version of Tomb Raider, but it still handles the game quite well with high settings at 1080p, staying well above 30 frames per second.

Titanfall, 45-60 FPS, high settings, 1080p, 2x MSAA, bilinear texture filtering
Though the difference is only noticeable on occasion, the Alpha stands above the xbox One so far as Titanfall is concerned, one of the system’s flagship games,

Watch Dogs, 35-50 FPS, medium settings, 1080p, texture quality high, antialiasing off, ambient occlusion off
The Alpha struggled a bit with Watch Dogs on high settings, so we had to dial the effects down a bit to hit a reasonable frame rate at 1080p. Still, next to the PlayStation 4 version, it’s hard to notice any major differences.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, 35-45 FPS: High setings, 1080p, ambient occlusion on, tesselation on
Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor could have ran closer to 60 FPS on the Alpha with more conservative settings, but Alienware’s little box stayed above 30 FPS when we turned on advanced settings like ambient occlusion and tessellation, remaining totally playable while looking good, too.

These tests make it clear that the Alpha is, on average, as capable as PS4 and Xbox One when it comes to sheer in-game performance. Unlike those systems, the Alpha’s RAM and CPU are upgradeable. If you spend a little more money, you can push the Alpha further than we have in our tests, but at that point, $850, it may be worth investing in a traditional PC with a stronger GPU.

Is it a PC or a console?

Although some people refer to the Alpha as a console, it’s driven by Microsoft Windows, a PC operating system, and with that the Alpha exhibits the same general capabilities and limitations as any other Windows gaming PC. What is unique about the Alpha, and why some consider it to be a console, is Alienware’s custom user interface, which boots up on top of Windows and is 100% controller friendly.

Currently, the Alpha has only integrated Valve’s Steam service within its UI, because Steam’s Big Picture Mode makes it easy to access its marketplace your own library of games with only a controller. Neither EA’s Origin nor Ubisoft’s Uplay touts a controller friendly interface, and while they are still accessible through the Alpha’s windows 8.1 desktop mode, there’s no way to properly and seamlessly access games purchased through those services within Alienware’s custom UI. In most cases, Ubisoft and EA games purchased directly through Steam will work without any problems. The only caveat: you may need to make use of the Alpha’s virtual mouse mode.

Every Alpha comes with a wireless Xbox 360 controller that, with a simple hotkey combo, can function as a mouse using the left analog stick. It’s handy when you need it, such as the initial setup when you power on the Alpha for the first time, but the need for such a feature reminds you that you are indeed using a PC and not a system that’s completely controller friendly 100% of the time. The virtual mouse suffices, but it’s not an elegant system.

Apart from the backlit Alienware logo, the Alpha is rather unassuming and less ostentatious than most of Alienware’s other systems. If you don’t like the color of the default backlight, or you want to turn off the lights completely, you only need to hop into the Alpha’s settings menu and adjust the color to your liking.

The Alpha has the basics covered when it comes to connectivity. There are two USB 2.0 ports on the front of the box and two USB 3.0 ports on the back, right next to the ethernet, optical audio, and HDMI in and HDMI out ports. The HDMI in port is an unusual feature, but similar to the Xbox One, it lets the Alpha handle video passthrough from another device, such as a gaming console or Blu-ray player. Alienware hasn’t invested in this feature as much as Microsoft–you won’t find guide apps and the like that sync with your cable provider–, but its a handy feature to have just in case you run out of HDMI ports on your TV.

The Alpha doesn’t offer an experience that’s as composed or seamless as a console, but Alienware has done a decent job of consolizing the PC, outpacing the competition in some meaningful ways. The UI creates the illusion that using a console, and it’s a disappearing act that almost works 100% of the time. Though you can’t tap into Origin or Uplay within the Alpha’s console mode, you can if you boot into the Window’s desktop. Though the Alpha isn’t quite a console, it offers so much more as a PC than the Xbone One or PlayStation 4 ever could. Taking the Alpha out of the home theater and putting it on a desk with a mouse and keyboard open a wealth of functionality that cannot be overlooked. Apart from being able to upgrade the GPU and motherboard, you can do anything with the Alpha that you could with an equally powerful, traditional desktop computer.

With this in mind, the Alpha is a great value. It may be more expensive than consoles, but the difference of $100 is a small price to pay for a console-like gaming device that doubles as a Windows PC. If you like the convenience of the console experience, are interested in the hundreds of excellent games available on Steam, and could benefit from a new desktop PC, $500 is a very reasonable asking price. It may not blow consoles out of the water when it comes to performance, but it comes close. Manage your expectations accordingly and you won’t be disappointed by the Alienware Alpha.

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Join in us over the next few days as we look at all of the leading games consoles and platforms out right now and try to convince you why you should spend your hard-earned cash. Today, Kevin VanOrd tells you why the PlayStation 4 is the console to own in 2015.

The PlayStation 4 has had undeniable market success, so it seems pointless to regale you with tales of sales numbers and game attach rates. Needless to say, if you buy one, you will have no trouble finding a community for the online games you love, and you’ll have all of the multimedia applications you should expect: YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, yadda yadda yadda. But it’s the games that make the console, and the PlayStation 4 excels in a vital area: variety. The system isn’t primarily for shooters, or for kids’ games, or for action-adventures, or for retro platformers: it’s for all of these genres and beyond. To own a PlayStation 4 is to gain access to scores of games, both past and present, that fulfill different needs–the need to compete, the need to relax, the need for emotional fulfillment, and the need to explore and discover.

The Right Side of the Great Resolution Debate

To own a PlayStation 4 is also to have access to the best-looking version of multi-console games. It goes without saying that the upcoming Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will look best on the PC, but where consoles are concerned, the PlayStation 4 version seems the obvious choice because it boasts a 1080p resolution, as compared to the Xbox One version’s 900p. Whether or not you are swept up into the melodramatic console resolution wars raging across the Internet, it’s natural to want your games to look their best. Not only does the PlayStation 4 allow you to play excellent multiplatform games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, but it does so at higher resolutions than does the console competition. This is true of most multiplatform games on the PlayStation 4, as it happens. You may not think you notice much of a difference, but it’s human nature to pamper yourself when possible–so why not pamper yourself with higher-resolution games when given the opportunity?

Diverse Exclusives

Sony delivered a fantastic array of interesting exclusives on the PlayStation 3, and that machine’s successor looks to be no different. Break down the exclusives already released, and you discover racing (Driveclub), open-world adventuring (Infamous Second Son), and off- and online shooting (Killzone: Shadow Fall). Look towards the horizon, and the list grows when you add heavy-hearted role-playing (Bloodborne), explosive cinematic action (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End), and lighthearted exploration (Rime). The diversity isn’t just impressive because these games come from different genres, but also because they strike such different emotional tones. The Order: 1886 looks like any one of the CW’s dark-fantasy dramas come to life, while No Man’s Sky‘s deep colors give it an otherworldly vibe. If it’s hard to nail down the PlayStation identity, that’s due in part to the varied choices lying before you.

There’s another aspect to consider as well: the huge promise of games we’ve only seen bits and pieces of. We know very little about Wild, but promising an explorable area the size of Europe is an astounding claim that piques curiosity. The Tomorrow Children‘s unique mix of resource collection, creation, and creepy youngsters makes it almost impossible to describe at this early stage. And of course, there’s always the hope that The Last Guardian might one day re-emerge as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Game-lovers are nothing if not a faithful bunch.

Let’s Go Shopping

The PlayStation 4’s digital shopping experience is so improved over the PlayStation 3 that it isn’t even fair to compare them. Regardless, it is so easy to buy and download games from the privacy of your own living room that traveling to a local game retailer has become a last-generation memory. At the time of this writing, the most popular downloadable games in the PlayStation Store include Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Dying Light, and Grand Theft Auto V. We used to wonder why console games weren’t so readily downloadable, and looked to Valve’s Steam service on the PC if we wanted to download big-budget entertainment at the moment of release. Of course, the PlayStation Store is still home to plenty of digital-only gems like Race the Sun and Secret Ponchos. But if you stick to the big guns from big publishers, why not just stay at home in your underwear and download Destiny instead of braving the crowds?

Of course, there’s another bright side to the console digital age: free-to-play games aren’t just for PCs and mobile phones anymore, and the PlayStation 4 excels when it comes to freemium choices. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and DC Universe Online grant us access to massively multiplayer worlds, while games like Warframe and Loadout cater to those of us with itchy trigger fingers. So long, retail chains. We’ve found a better way.

Put Away the PS3

If you’ve got the bandwidth and still want to play the PlayStation 3 games you’ve missed for some reason or another, put away the PS3 and put something else in its place. PlayStation Now allows you to play a good number of PS3 games by streaming them directly to your PS4. You might have played the popular games like Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune that are available on PS Now, but what about the beautiful El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron? You might have already crossed BioShock Infinite off of your list, but you probably missed Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Why not rectify your oversight via PlayStation Now?

The library is limited, but poised to grow, and while Sony’s statements have been vague, it’s likely we will see pre-PS3 games added to the list, which would exponentially increase PlayStation Now’s value. Right now, all of the PSOne classics are playable only on the PS3 and the Vita; adding them to the PS Now library would make the service a no-brainer.

Now’s the time. If you don’t already own a PlayStation 4, you’re missing out on great exclusives, a cool streaming service, and the best-looking version of almost every multi-console game on the market.

• Why You Should Buy a Vita in 2015
• Why You Should Buy a 3DS in 2015
• Why You Should Buy a Wii U in 2015
• Why You Should Buy an Xbox One in 2015

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Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates is worried about machines becoming super-intelligent one day and doesn’t understand why more people aren’t right there with him sharing his concerns.

As part of a wide-ranging and fascinating recent Reddit AMA, a fan asked Gates if he thought machine super-intelligence might become a concern going forward. Gates said, at first, machines will do human-helping jobs like picking fruit, but danger could come as they grow smarter and smarter.

“I am in the camp that is concerned about super-intelligence,” he said. “First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super-intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don’t understand why some people are not concerned.”

Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, said last summer that super-intelligent AI systems are “potentially more dangerous than nukes.”

Gates was also asked if he thought full end-to-end encryption of all Internet activity could do anything to protect humanity from the threat of super-intelligent machines. Unfortunately, Gates didn’t answer.

If you haven’t read Gates’ entire Reddit AMA, you should do that. It’s a great read.

Are you concerned with machines becoming super-intelligent one day? Let us know in the comments below!

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