- At CES 2020, Dell showed off the Alienware Concept UFO, a portable gaming system that resembles the Nintendo Switch.
- While the Concept UFO has many of the Switch's hallmark features, like detachable controllers and the ability to be plugged into a bigger screen, it also differs from Nintendo's system in many ways.
- Dell's concept is a full-blown Windows PC packaged in a gaming tablet. It's also noticeably larger than the Nintendo Switch and has a few other important differences.
- The concept is another sign that the industry is moving away from the idea that mobile and at-home gaming must be two separate experiences.
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Dell-owned Gaming PC maker Alienware is typically known for its line of laptops and desktops, but at the CES tech conference in Las Vegas, it unveiled a different type of device: a concept gaming tablet that looks an awful lot like the Nintendo Switch.
Like Nintendo's hit console, Alienware's Concept UFO consists of a tablet with two controller pieces that snap onto either side of the device. There's also a kickstand for propping up the tablet when you're not playing it in handheld mode, much like the Switch, and like Nintendo's console, it's designed to be used in a variety of ways.
Attach the controllers to the tablet's body, and you've got a portable gaming device; take the controllers off and attach them to a bridge accessory, and you can play with a traditional controller using the tablet as a display. Since it's a Windows PC, you can also plug the tablet into a monitor or TV and play using the controller or a mouse and keyboard. That also means you'll be able to access your PC gaming library on the device.
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The Concept UFO, however, is just that - a concept. That means there's no telling if or when this will result in an actual product available for sale. But for a concept, it certainly does feel very polished and almost exactly like a finished product.
I had the chance to spend a few minutes with the Alienware Concept UFO at CES. Although it certainly bears a lot of resemblance to the Switch, I was surprised at how different it felt. Here's a closer look at what it was like to try it out.