Alienware have made the controversial decision to release a new Steam Machine every year. Not only that, but they will be hardware locked, preventing the ability to upgrade the system as time progresses.
Talking to TrustedReviews, Alienware General Manager Frank Azor confirmed that to play the latest PC games on the highest settings you will need to buy the latest annual iteration of the Steam Machine. He states:
“Lifecycle wise, consoles update every five, six, seven years, we will be updating our Steam Machines every year…There will be no customisation options – you can’t really update it.“
To combat possible criticism he explained:
“If you actually want to customise your Alienware Steam Machine, maybe change your graphics card out or put in a new CPU, you would be better off with the standard Alienware X51. This particular product is restricted in its upgrade options.”
Alienware will be releasing their first version of their Steam Machine this September, although exact specifications are unknown as of yet.