Steam erupts from Dell's Alienware gaming PCs

by Stevie Smith - Nov 25 2009, 18:25

With Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo actively embracing digital distribution for their respective videogame consoles, computer manufacturer Dell Inc. has made a clear move to keep PCs at the head of the pack by making software delivery platform Steam available straight out of the box through its heavily muscled Alienware brand.

The digital distribution service, which has been developed by renowned Half-Life creators Valve Corporation, boasts some 20 million users (equating to approximately 70 percent of the market) and its virtual shelves are populated with a wealth of software supplied by third-party publishers such as Electronic Arts (EA), Activision Blizzard, SEGA, LucasArts, Ubisoft and THQ.

“With its automatic game updates, easy friend finding and the ability to play your Steam purchased games on any PC, Valve has helped simplify PC gaming to make it more enjoyable,” trumpeted Frank Azor, Dell's senior manager of product planning, in an official statement. “It's for those reasons we selected Steam to compliment the Alienware experience.”

Echoing that enthusiasm, Valve's director of business management, Jason Holtman, said Alienware's positioning as “a household name among PC gamers” will mean the combination of Alienware systems and the Steam platform result in the delivery of “a superior gaming experience” for those looking to get the most out of their computer hardware.

Not satisfied with sprinkling a little fairy dust on digital distribution through quick and easy access to Steam, Dell is also looking to tempt prospective buyers towards new units of its sexy Area-51 and Aurora gaming desktops and M17x and M15x notebooks by also throwing in a free copy of Portal, Valve's critically acclaimed first-person physics puzzler.

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