Gaming computer experts Alienware took the occasion of the Tokyo Game Show to unveil four new desktops and one new laptop for those of us who could never afford one to drool over.

Sure, I could build a comparable PC for less money on my own, but it wouldn’t be nearly as pretty, and it could potentially explode. As a former PC tech, I can really appreciate not having to worry about such things. It’s like buying a fast food hamburger instead of cooking your own, only yours might burst into flame and fill your apartment with smoke. This has happened to me, with both burgers and computers, so the analogy is just perfect.

One day I shall own one, but it will be a far off day, when the new Alienware M15x laptop, which they are calling “The most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe” is a mere memory, and the Aurora and Aurora ALX, which are respectively the most upgradeable and powerful MicroATX systems Alienware has created will be replaced with wristwatch-sized models.

They’re also introducing two new machines in their Area-51 line, with factory overclocked Intel Core i7 processors, but at this point I am beginning to sound like an advertisement, and that’s what official press releases are for. Just know that the Aurora’s and the M15x are available for order today, and the Area-51 models will be showing up in the coming weeks. Check out the official blurbs below for specs and stats.

Alienware M15x – The most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. Sporting Alienware’s acclaimed new mobile ID which debuted with the M17x laptop, the M15x offers Alienware performance in a compact package guaranteed to appeal to mobile enthusiasts and hardcore gamers on the go. The first Alienware laptop to feature a mobile Core i7 processor, the M15x also offers a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M GPU* and up to 8GB DDR3 1333MHz memory* to take on, and dominate, even the most intense game titles. Prices start at $US1,499 and additional technical specifications are here.

Alienware Aurora and Aurora ALX – The Aurora is most upgradeable and the Aurora ALX is the most powerful MicroATX desktops Alienware has ever created. Featuring the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors, including an optional Extreme Edition overclocked** to 3.6GHz, the Aurora line of desktops are designed to deliver the power needed for hardcore gaming, pro-level HD audio and video editing, 3D animation and more. To crank up your gaming performance, Aurora and Aurora ALX have options for dual 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics cards, up to 24GB DDR3 1333MHz memory[asterisk] or 12GB DDR3 1600MHz memory, respectively, and up to 2TB of hard drive storage – all in a compact, MicroATX chassis for taking up less desk space. Prices start at $US1,299 and additional technical specs are here.

Alienware Area-51 and Area-51 ALX designed for extreme gamers and tech enthusiasts who demand only the latest, most advanced equipment, the Area-51 line of desktops features Intel Core i7 processors factory overclocked* to an intense 3.86GHz for peak performance. To max out your graphics benchmarks, these systems offer the quad-GPU power of dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295 graphics cards. Other featured specs include up to 12GB DDR3* memory clocked at 1333MHz or 1600MHz, respectively, and six easy-access, cable-free hard drive bays that support both 7,200RPM and 10,000RPM drives, solid state drives and RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10 configurations. Prices begin at $US1,999.

Will the upcoming new version of Windows be yet another Vista for PC gamers to worry about, or will Windows 7 be a boon for the mouse and keyboard set? TechRadar takes a look.

When I first upgraded to Windows Vista, I wasn’t just disappointed. I was depressed. It looked lovely, had all these new bells and whistles, but bells and whistles take up memory, slowing things down to a crawl. Well TechRadar UK’s article on Windows 7 has me feeling a great deal better.

Windows 7 is essentially what Windows Vista should have been. They’ve taken the same OS and streamlined it, making it much more efficient memory-wise. Essentially what this means is you wind up with more free memory and an OS where all the bugs that plagued Windows Vista’s launch as far as 3D performance goes are already ironed out. It’s like getting a memory upgrade and a lovely new interface.

I’ve yet to try Windows 7 myself, having been understandably worried about screwing up the grudging agreement my PC has reached with Vista at this point, but after reading TechRadar’s thoughts I’m feeling a bit more confident. Should I take the plunge?

Windows 7 – what it means for gamers [TechRadar UK - Thanks Sensai-N]

The IdeaCentre A600 All-in-One Desktop includes a 21.5-inch frameless screen, integrated speakers, digital TV tuner and a 4-in-1 optional remote controller.

“It is the first to bring PC users the ability to play games using the remote control’s ‘motion drive’ feature, which controls on-screen objects according to the movement of the remote.

Unlike competitor’s remotes, the Lenovo 4-in-1 remote controller can also be used as a VOIP handset3 to make and receive phone calls over the Internet, similar to a typical cordless telephone. The remote also serves as a media center/TV remote, and with Microsoft Vista Media Centre users can use the controller to operate DVDs, movies and TV. Additionally, the remote also functions as an “air mouse” so it can be used to operate the cursor on the screen, eliminating the inconvenience of using a wired mouse.”

That seems like an odd combination of abilities, and I’m not really sure how much I care about motion controlled games on my PC. The A600 hits from April starting at US$999.

The study goes on to conclude that the $20 billion dollar PC gaming market, predicted to rise to $US34 billion by 2011, was bigger, worth more money, was growing faster and had better tech than the console market could provide. Okay then! PC gamers in one corner, console gamers in the other. Ready, fight!

Study Claims PC Market is the Largest [Edge]

[B]y keeping Freeman quiet, Valve also creates one of the most personal first-person games in existence. Rarely does the player ever find their control lost, and when they do, it is because Freeman also is physically restrained. As a result, the player becomes Freeman; everything that he does occurs because of the player.

By keeping Freeman silent, Valve’s designers take a fundamentally linear experience and allow the player to impose his or her will or personality on the character through which they play, writes Smith. I’ve talked about how I frequently role-play a choice or a battle in an action/shooter genre, restarting if it felt I won cheaply or out of character. Half-Life definitely indulges this. While it makes it a winner for me, what makes it a winner for you? Or would you like to hear this iconic game hero speak up and say something, someday?

Keep Freeman Quiet [Thunderbolt Games]

“We recognise that gamers expect these features in standard retail games, so why not in indie games as well?” said Greenhouse’s Vlad Ceraldi. “But, in a crowded gaming world of achievements and trophies, it’s inevitable that all of the good words are gone. We’ve just snatched the last few that make any sense, so ‘good luck’ to anyone else looking to offer something similar.”

The actual news, points out Greenhouse’s Robert Khoo, is that this is likely the first in-game awards system for games on Mac and Linux. The first game to get the treatment is Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two.

Greenhouse Unveils Nitrogen Software Development Kit! [Greenhouse Forums, via Joystiq]

An MMO where you get NPC party members? Good grief, yes. A thousand times yes. I get the extra hands I require to tackle a stronger foe, but without them bitching and whining at me because I didn’t use my double-cloaking no-hit AOE poison buff at exactly the point they would have used it if they were playing on their own. See? SEE? Every single bugger in these games just wants the others in their parties to be the over-qualified AI companions that perform the tasks they don’t have time for. If you don’t play like they would have done it, you’ve failed them, you’ve let them down, you’ve spoiled their game. … But if my party members are NPCs, they’ll do what they’re programmed to do, or when I tell them to do it. That’s great for any of the above frustrations I might experience. But more importantly, when I don’t do what they might want when they might demand it, they’re not going to storm off in a giant pissy huff and block me on IM.

John deflects the “then you don’t want an MMO,” argument — “I really do want an MMO of KotOR’s world, because then I’ll have myself a KotOR game that doesn’t end! And Bioware, mightiest at the RPG, utterly suck at endings.”

This does make a lot of sense, and BioWare’s shrewd for implementing the NPC party member option. I haven’t gamed MMOs ever partly because — well I don’t even own a PC, but that’s beside the point — I’m just not that into what other people are doing with their game experience. I have enough on my hands just managing my own. And holy shit, Walker’s right when he talks about people playing Team Fortress 2, “screaming – and I mean SCREAMING – in anger at a Medic’s failure to uber-charge them the very instant they wanted it.” Go through that, or anything close, and you start to question whether multiplayer really is fun.

Anyway, you can tell I’m in something of a pissed mood this AM, so the argument resonates. Check it out.

The Trouble With Other People [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Better yet? He’s going to spend another $US1,500 on 36 copies of Wrath of the Lich King so his army of level 80 Shamans can start pounding down Stormwind and Ironforge on day one.

Bradster is a WoW multiboxer. This isn’t a lifestyle I’m all that familiar with, but there are forums and discussion boards devoted to helping players control multiple characters in WoW. It sounds like he has utilities that allow him to start up all of his copies simultaneously, and use his mouse to control eight of these monitors (which look like they have at at least 3 copies running) at once.

Oh and here’s a comment beneath his post on a multiboxing forum:

“I’m horrified and greatly impressed at the same time. And I thought I took my hooby [sic] too seriously at $1680/year in subscription fees.”

Psssht. $US1,680? Night elf, please. So, now I really want to know what Bradster does for a living, a) so he can afford all this shit and b) so he can have the time to play it.

Here’s the class picture.

Prepared the 36 Boxer World of Warcraft [Dual Boxing.com via Ripten]

LaBeouf kept following the calls until he got to the director’s office. And there was the master himself: shoes off, socks on, dressed in shooting gear, but sitting behind a computer, stuck on the fifteenth level of a first-person shooter called BioShock.

“This is like months to get to this level, and he can’t get past this one little mysterious spider god, and he’s losing his mind. He’s like, ‘I can’t do it, Shia! I can’t do it.’ “

LaBeouf, who got into acting at age 12 partly because he wanted to make enough money to buy himself a Sega Genesis, had found himself a soul mate.

Bwah? The 15th level of BioShock? There are 15 levels in BioShock? And mysterious spider gods? Guess Spielberg really is losing his mind!
LaBeouf Article [GQ Thanks, Brendan!]

For a long, long time I’ve been credited unduly… Not so much these days, because the role of a designer is much, much more understood. But for a very long time, I was way, way over-credited for many things.

Warms your heart doesn’t it? Peter Molyneux saying he’s gotten too much credit. Fuzzy feelings all around.
Molyneux Interview [The Guardian via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]