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Dell Offers Ubuntu Option With Alienware Gaming Desktop

Posted by timothy on from the year-of-the-linux-sorta-console-looking-thing dept.

dartttt writes "Dell has launched a new Ubuntu gaming desktop (first ever?) . Alienware customers can now choose either Windows or Ubuntu when buying a new X51. Ubuntu option is initially available to U.S. customers only and the price starts from $599." Also in Ubuntu news: Canonical announced on Friday the final beta release of Ubuntu 13.04, aka Raring Ringtail (the main release, as well as the growing flock of other *buntus).

135 comments

  1. But where are the games? by invictusvoid · · Score: 2, Insightful

    where are the Linux games ?

    1. Re:But where are the games? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/

    2. Re:But where are the games? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Out of the 25 or so games I have on Steam, only about 25% of them are Linux compatible. All of them older games (Original Half life, original Counter Strike, etc). No Skyrim, Dead Space, HL2, etc.

    3. Re:But where are the games? by Mike+Frett · · Score: 5, Informative

      I have about 30, most all of them are compatible or will be once Valve releases HL2. And we already know any new games Valve releases will be Linux native. There are also dozens of sweet Kickstarter projects about to be released also. And lgdb.org has a huge database of games.

      I think what you are really saying is "Where are the Graphically Superior Games". Well, IMO Graphics don't make the game, but they are nice to look at. The solution is to stop buying Windows only games and check the compatibility before you buy a game so you're not stuck.

    4. Re:But where are the games? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/
      duh?

    5. Re:But where are the games? by mwvdlee · · Score: 5, Funny

      This machine will run Tux Racer like you wouldn't believe!

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    6. Re:But where are the games? by Svartalf · · Score: 2

      Not to mention there's a bit of a big push to get games out- everyone on Steam's at least passingly interested in Linux versions of their titles now.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    7. Re:But where are the games? by Svartalf · · Score: 2

      Heh... DRM's not a mandatory thing for Steam use. It's another lego block in the API. At least a good part of the Indie titles don't use that lego block. Personally, I'm not for DRM, mind...but I do hope you're not ever using a gaming console, because by definition, you're using DRMed titles- PERIOD.

      --
      I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
    8. Re:But where are the games? by Riceballsan · · Score: 1

      While I agree quite a few games with older graphics are often better games. People don't tend to spend the luxury price for an alienware PC to play world of goo. That being said I do believe if valve can manage to push things foward with the "steambox" idea, we could wind up with an unprecidented future generation of games with linux compatibility.

    9. Re:But where are the games? by LRAD · · Score: 1

      https://www.humblebundle.com/ Most Humble Bundle stuff works on Linux too, and comes with a steam key to boot.

    10. Re:But where are the games? by spire3661 · · Score: 1

      Of the 30 Xbox games I have, only about 8 of them work on Xbox360. THats how i view this issue, as a back-compat problem. Both Sony and Microsoft have paid lip service to back-compat but Steam on Linux is supposed to somehow magically do everything. Its going to take time, but more AAA titles WILL be coming to Linux.

      --
      Good-bye
  2. That's weird. by Seumas · · Score: 4, Informative

    You have the inquisitiveness and good taste to use linux, but you have a low bar for standards, shitty taste, and willingness to overpay for Alienware?!

    I mean, I'm glad to see linux anywhere it can get to, but that's such a bizarre pairing.

    1. Re:That's weird. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 0

      Correct if I'm wrong, but isn't Alienware that company that charges twice the price of a normal laptop for one that's in a slightly customised case?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    2. Re:That's weird. by Verunks · · Score: 5, Insightful

      if you want a gaming laptop there aren't many other choices, and they are all priced around the same

    3. Re:That's weird. by crafty.munchkin · · Score: 2

      $599 in the US. Base model is $1299 in Australia, for a PC spec which could be bought for $800 without the glowing Alien head.

      Yeah, I can see that working out well for them...

      --
      ... wait, what?
    4. Re:That's weird. by Seumas · · Score: 2

      I haven't followed them much, since the brand was acquired by Dell, but yes - they're one of those Northwest Falcon / Doghouse Systems type of companies that build you a gaming rig for a lot more than you could build one yourself (between 150% and 200% of what you could put it together yourself for). That isn't to say it's a total rip off, but you could reasonably also find someone to build it to your specs for you if you don't want to do the dirty work and still come out a lot cheaper than paying the "there's a little alien logo on my ridiculous looking chassis" fee.

      As someone else mentioned, they're one of the only games in town if you want a "real" gaming laptop (still an oxymoron if you ask me) -- but at a ridiculous price point.

      Anyway, I just took a look and even their high end doesn't seem very high-end, anymore. Alienware used to put out some pretty beefy systems (but not beefy enough for the insane markup). All I can find under the Alienware brand for desktop gaming PCs is an "X51" with 16gb RAM, a 1.5gb GTX 660, a i7-3770, and a 256gb SSD. Throw in a chassis, mobo, and decent PSU and you could do this for about $1,000 or less retail. Dell can do it for $1,500 (ooh, but that includes Valve's Steam client - pre-installed!).

      Oh, actually, they seem to have a hexacore lineup called "Aurora", too . . . It's pretty much the same thing, but with an i7-3820 and dual 680s . . . for $2,700!

    5. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that some of their lower-end laptops were actually a good value, if you didn't want to be stuck with intel graphics. Or can you find a better gaming laptop vendor?

      As for buying desktops, of course it's always a lot more cost effective to build your own.

    6. Re:That's weird. by Seumas · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Though, if you want a gaming laptop, someone will hopefully intervene and nudge you away from it as the name is kind of oxymoronic. Even in 2013, I believe people need to be disabused of the idea that (short of spending $5,000 on an insane system every year for a 12lb crazy ass laptop) there is really such a thing as a "gaming" laptop.

      Except maybe for linux, because on linux the majority of ported games tend to be . . . a little more trivial (sorry, I tried to come up with a less dismissive word).

    7. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I bought an alienware abut 4 years ago. Cost me about 3,000 and will still play everything that comes out just fine (though no longer at max settings). At the time I was working as a merchant marine so it was great to have something to take on the ship with me. Even now I use it as a backup/lan party machine rather than taking my whole desktop setup. However little sense these machines may make for most people they do serve a useful purpose in the market.

    8. Re:That's weird. by Patch86 · · Score: 2

      What actually is a "gaming laptop"? One with an i7 processor and a non-Intel video card? That's not that difficult to buy. A quick search of Amazon shows me 96 results for just that. 31 of them have a 17" or greater screen size too. Pretty much every PC manufacturer is represented there.

      No judgement on price though; the ones I can see look fair enough at £500-£700.

    9. Re:That's weird. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      At the time I was working as a merchant marine..

      Damn, I wish I was younger. I'd be one one a them boats so fast it's make my wife's head spin.

      And now you're telling me I can play Borderlands 2 in the downtime? Hell yes.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    10. Re:That's weird. by thoth · · Score: 1

      I bought a Sager Midern gaming notebook 3 years ago, for right about $2000. It is heavy, but more like 9 lbs not 12.

      Yeah, it was pricier than a regular notebook, and I could have gotten a more awesome desktop for that much, but overall, I'm really happy with the gaming notebook.It has decent stats for me (core i7, 6 GB, 500 GB HD originally but I swapped out for a 250 GB SSD, 17" 1920x1200 screen, GeForce 285M, wireless). I'm not into FPS games so I don't need every graphics setting maxed out. This thing plays the games I want to play just fine - mostly MMOs, indie puzzlers, RPGs, strat games, etc.

      And the portability is very useful. I hate headphones (I wear glasses so headphones eventually pinch my ears against the frames) so if I'm bothering somebody (somebody else wants to watch TV) I can take my games to the 2nd or 3rd floor. Or to a LAN party (kinda rare for me these days, but I've dragged midtowers to those and that kinda sucked to do).

      So basically, $5000, every year, 12 lbs: not even close.

    11. Re:That's weird. by Seumas · · Score: 1

      I'd consider a gaming laptop to be a laptop that can play current releases just fine at reasonable frame rate and only sacrificing the graphic fidelity a little bit (meaning, not dropping everything to minimum). Being able to play a game that was released five years ago shouldn't really qualify it as a "gaming laptop". Also, you have to factor in the price of a laptop that can meet this requirement and then consider how quickly it will become obsolete for that function. Unless you sleep on piles of money every night, the concept of a true "gaming laptop" is unfeasible.

      A laptop that can play TF2 (from 2007) or facebook games or a game that is two or three years old (and perhaps with lowered settings) is what I would just call "a laptop".

    12. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and importantly, not cremating itself in the process

    13. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think that's true anymore. Modern games require less expensive hardware to run than ever - a gaming laptop under $1k is much more powerful than a console, and can run most games.

      The most crucial part of even a cheap gaming laptop is a semi-decent discrete AMD/NVIDIA graphics card, as opposed to an integrated Intel one. Frustratingly enough, most non-gaming vendors still provide laptops with weak graphics cards relative to the CPU, even though the difference in performance can be orders of magnitudes.

      I'm trying to look at low-end gaming laptop vendors objectively, and Alienware/Dell don't seem that bad. Can you find a better one?

    14. Re:That's weird. by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      To me, a "gaming laptop" is a laptop that is too big or heavy to comfortably carry around or sit on top of your lap and has hardware (CPU/GPU) that emphezises processing power over energy consumption.
      Basically, it's a gaming desktop that is convenient for dragging along to a LAN party but not very convenient for typical laptop use.

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    15. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think even the i7 processor is necessary. I've always seen it as a minor upgrade for a major price, while discrete graphics are orders of magnitudes better than integrated.

    16. Re:That's weird. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That and Dell has a habit of abandoning some after a year.

      Look at the M11x-R1. No new video drivers since March 2011. You're largely stuck with Dell's drivers if you want the switchable graphics to work.
      Dell doesn't have any replacement batteries in stock and hasn't at least for months, so if your battery is like that of many other M11x owners and dead after 2.5 years, you pretty much have a small desktop computer now.

    17. Re:That's weird. by Entropius · · Score: 1

      Not so much.

      I'm typing on a machine I bought a week ago -- an Asus G46. It's a 14" machine that is a bit overbuilt (important to me because I want something durable), but still clocks in at about 5 pounds. The CPU is a 3GHz dual-core i5, which is really not so bad; the GPU is a GTX660M, which runs anything I have thrown at it at very high FPS. (I actually don't have games installed yet that will really stress it, but people's reviews rate it very highly.) It runs quite cool; the cooling system on the thing is quite beefy, and exhausts out the back so you don't bake yourself. The battery lasts for 5-6 hours when not running the 660M.

      It cost about $900.

      No, it's not as powerful as the dual GTX580 beasties, but I don't need it to be.

      The one drawback is the screen -- it's only 1366x768, which is not the best for a 14" panel, but when I'm at home I have a 1080p monitor anyway.

    18. Re:That's weird. by Entropius · · Score: 2

      They've not been that way for a long time, if you get ones that have x60-class (560, 660, etc.,) GPU's rather than the 580/680 class ones. They may not run all your games on ultra at 1920x1080 with FSAA on, but is that really that big of a deal?

      I'm sitting here with one in my lap right now, actually. It's barely warm, not that heavy, not that big (it's small enough that I plug it into a real monitor when I'm at home), the battery lasts a long time, and it still runs games quite well. No, it's not a beast with multiple high-end GPU's in SLI, but I can't afford one of those anyway.

    19. Re:That's weird. by Entropius · · Score: 1

      The Asus gaming laptops are pretty nice. They're not super-high-end, but they're quite nice, and not that expensive.

    20. Re:That's weird. by prowler1 · · Score: 1

      I saw this article on gamingonlinux.com last night. I was interested in one when I first saw the article. The casing was OK and you could get some decent hardware configurations, on top of that the pricing listed (for the American market) made the product a reasonable option. So I decided to see what was available for the Australian market and the price was one of the two points I made on why I would pass. The other was the fact that on the Australian Dell Alien page, there was no option for Ubuntu when I looked.

  3. Comical by Dunbal · · Score: 0

    A struggling computer manufacturer has the brilliant idea of combining two struggling brands in the hope of saving itself. Ubuntu has been "meh" for a while now, and Alienware has earned a reputation for being overpriced crap. Who knows, maybe this will work for Dell. But I doubt it. The kiddies and the people attracted to shiny are all about smart-phones and tablets. They don't want a lap/desktop anymore. That means the market has shifted, and those of us still left in the computer market are a hell of a lot more savvy now, on average.

    --
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    1. Re:Comical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Not comical. Revealing desperate for any traction at all, sure. Dell clearly thinks that branch of product can't do well enough on Win alone, and "linux gaming" has been making headlines lately, so what the heck.

      Ubuntu itself doesn't matter per se. They'd go with Ubuntu because they'd want the closest to 'safe well-supported mainstream brand' they could find. But it's no turn-off to anyone who'd prefer another distro because they'll load it easy enough, and the 'ubuntu inside' assures them it's a high end laptop that /definitely/ has a full set sorted of linux drivers for a change.

  4. Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dell and Ubuntu. All you need now is some spyware from Sony and you've got the perfect storm of crapware.

    1. Re:Wow! by Seumas · · Score: 1

      Dude! You're gettin' a command line! :D

      No, seriously, I would love to see some sort of goofy slip-up on the installation media cause all of these laptops to go out in "server mode", with no desktop. :)

    2. Re:Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, because a BSOD is so much better and modern.

    3. Re: Wow! by johnsnails · · Score: 1

      The same thing could then happen with the new window servers that are command line first with optional GUI

  5. Nice! Fedora will look brilliant on it by aakkuan · · Score: 0

    I have been looking for linux compatible game machines!!!

    1. Re:Nice! Fedora will look brilliant on it by Nerdfest · · Score: 1

      Try System76. Again, a bit of a premium, but they have a 17" laptop that makes a pretty decent gaming machine and is fully Linux compatible.

    2. Re:Nice! Fedora will look brilliant on it by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      Ah, but you see, it doesn't matter - if the hardware is compatible with Ubuntu, it should be compatible with *any* modern enough Linux. Which is why having Ubuntu, even if it's not what you use, is so important.

  6. no Windows fee, so costs more by dltaylor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd

    http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=DPDOXP4u&model_id=alienware-x51&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

    Ubuntu box gets lower spec' and fewer accessories:

    Smaller hard drive 1 vs 2; no mouse or keyboard, ...

    They're both 1049?

    1. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      Sort of. If you look closely, you see that the Ubuntu is $100 cheaper list-price but has a $100 discount there. The Windows one has a $200 discount. So the final price comes to the same for each, $1049. The only hardware difference I see is the hard drive: Windows has 2TB, Ubuntu has 1TB. Which explains why the latter is $100 cheaper: Not license fee difference, but just that it has a cheaper drive. I'm not sure why this is, but perhaps Microsoft specifies 2TB as a minimum for a Windows 8 desktop. Just to speculate.

      The whole thing might be just a bargaining ploy - give the appearance of seriously considering selling Linux OEM, and Microsoft may offer cheaper OEM licenses in order to reduce the appeal.

    2. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd

      http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=DPDOXP4u&model_id=alienware-x51&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

      Ubuntu box gets lower spec' and fewer accessories:

      Smaller hard drive 1 vs 2; no mouse or keyboard, ...

      They're both 1049?

      I read somewhere that the average cost of a single customer care call to Dell is higher than what they pay MS for their Windows license. So if Dell (for some reason only they can answer) expect to get more customer care calls when selling a Linux-PC (fx driver/compatibility questions, etc., and the odd user not knowing what s/he bought) then yes, it can be a more expensive machine to Dell even if the OS is free.

    3. Re: no Windows fee, so costs more by kenh · · Score: 1

      Until you have Linux software publishers willing to pay an OEM to load their trialware on the system and a Linux distro decides to help pay for Linux-based system advertising Windows-based systems will always be less.

      For every enthusiastic Linux supporter there are several (I suspect) burned Linux netbook purchasers that vowed never again to buy a Linux system... The market share for Linux systems is very, very small & uncertain. Many Linux advocates like to talk about how Linux runs great on last generation hardware, which does not encourage OEMs to race out and offer high-end (expensive) systems, since many Linuxusers appear to prefer cheap last-gen hardware, not current-gen equipment.

      --
      Ken
    4. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by Zimluura · · Score: 1

      maybe they're rolling into the price what they think will be an increased tech support cost. but they probably won't offer tech support for ubuntu anyway. wait a sec, i haven't bought a whole system since 99, is tech support still a thing?

    5. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by johnkoer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or Dell, like any other company, is trying to make a profit and sees an opportunity to get some additional markup. You could also speculate that if they make the Ubuntu boxes cheaper, more people would buy them not knowing what Ubuntu is. Then when they try and install their copy of The Sims they will call Dell and complain. This raises their support costs for the computers and thus has to be included in the base sale price.

      --
      Johnkoerner.com
    6. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm not interested in purchasing a "gaming desktop" or any other type of desktop, but I certainly am willing to pay more for Linux bundled on a machine. Yes, not paying the "Microsoft tax" is so important to me that I'm willing to pay extra money to ensure that my dollars are not going to Redmond.

    7. Re: no Windows fee, so costs more by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's not small. But many of us simply run Linux in virtualization on Windows systems, so we have access to MS Outlook and critical tools like VMware ESX or mandated IE browsers for corporate websites. With its lighter weight OS, far less intrusive security, and lack of vendor installed bloatware running at all times, it's usually far faster in virtualization than Windows is. So it's more likely to virtualize Linux on a Windows box than the reverse.

      In fact, I just turned in my Macbook to get a Windows netbook. Not because Windows is better, but because I have to run VMware clients and Outlook. The Mac version of Outlook performs !@#$ on giant donkey !@#$, and the bloated VMware management tools in virtualization are almost as bad. Since I do code development for servers, I actually have *no use* for the Macbook except as a high quality notebook with virtualization capability. But for the repair costs of the Macbook for typical problems, I can replace my notebook every year and schedule upgrades.

    8. Re: no Windows fee, so costs more by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Many Linux advocates like to talk about how Linux runs great on last generation hardware, which does not encourage OEMs to race out and offer high-end (expensive) systems

      No. Linux users are smart and demanding. That makes them harder marks for fraud and nonsense.

      They understand the math and are less likely to pay a lot more for marginal improvements of little value. This can be paying too much for the CPU or the video card or paying the extra premium for a compact form factor when you don't really need it.

      Linux users are probably a harder mark.

      Of course American corporations don't want informed consumers.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    9. Re:no Windows fee, so costs more by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Sort of. If you look closely, you see that the Ubuntu is $100 cheaper list-price but has a $100 discount there. The Windows one has a $200 discount. So the final price comes to the same for each, $1049. The only hardware difference I see is the hard drive: Windows has 2TB, Ubuntu has 1TB. Which explains why the latter is $100 cheaper: Not license fee difference, but just that it has a cheaper drive. I'm not sure why this is, but perhaps Microsoft specifies 2TB as a minimum for a Windows 8 desktop. Just to speculate.

      Here's a hint. The cost to Dell for Windows licenses is zero, or negative.

      Yes, Dell (and every other OEM) end up having to pay nothing or get free money for Windows. You know all that trialware the comes on the PC? Symantec, Roxio, etc., pay Dell to put it on there. Enough so that the license fee Dell pays Microsoft is well covered. And then the extra fees above and beyond go into profit and pay for extras like a larger hard drive, discounts, etc.

      And no, Microsoft doesn't demand a 2TB hard drive, because you can find Windows 8 installed on a 64GB SSD machine.

  7. Re:Ubuntu naming reset! by lxs · · Score: 1

    Damn. I was waiting for the Xenophobic Xestia release.

  8. Re:Microsoft Kinect Spy System by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please Microsoft, come scrub these inane posts from Slashdot.

  9. 2002 by stevens · · Score: 0

    The story might have been relevant to my interests in 2002. But it's clear now Linux is going to skip popularity on desktops and just do mobile instead.

  10. Why so negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm constantly surprised at how some people can only see the bad side to any news.

    Finally we're seeing mainstream acceptance of Linux as an alternative to Windows and yet people still complain. This is a great first step, a major manufacturer is putting Linux onto machines designed to be sold to the home in a competitive way. It can only lead to good things, more game manufacturers taking notice and developing their games for the platform, which in turn will make the hardware vendors made decent drivers.

    And yet all some people can focus on is the fact that this machine doesn't suit their own personal special snowflake situation. the mind boggles!

    1. Re:Why so negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      finally? where have you been, dell picks one token machine to offer ubuntu with every fucking year, then no one buys it, then they stop doing it 8 months later

      finally, phht linux in the household has had more chances than a windows tablet, and for some odd reason, not many people want an OS thats a pain in the ass to use with none of the software they want.

    2. Re:Why so negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be new here?

  11. Re:Ubuntu naming reset! by Torodung · · Score: 1

    Wait till they get to the Apoplectic Apologetic Apogean Aardvark, launched alongside with Merely Mir.

  12. Steam has 97 Linux games and 1952 Windows games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And most of the commercial Linux games are pretty expensive. That's going to be a tough sell as a Steam box.

  13. Dell still doesn't get it by loufoque · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why is Dell making stupid Linux offerings?
    Either they're providing Linux on shit hardware or on gaming hardware. Neither is the right target.

    People want Linux on good hardware, but not for games, they want it for work.
    And they want it to be part of the main offerings, not hidden on some special section of the website.

    1. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by ISoldat53 · · Score: 2

      Marketing is playing buzzword bingo again.

    2. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by loosescrews · · Score: 1

      More specifically, they should offer it on their business computers. My school has a whole lab full of OptiPlex desktops with Windows 7 Pro CAs running CentOS.

      They also have another lab full of OptiPlex desktops with Windows 7 Pro CAs running Windows 7 Enterprise.

      Either way, making it easier to buy business computers without Windows licenses would save organizations a lot of money.

    3. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by BenJury · · Score: 2

      You might, but I'd like it on a decent gaming machine which would force the hardware companies to provide decent drivers. And guess what, all the kids who buy a Linux gaming machine will grow up using Linux along with things like Open Office, so when they get to the work place the Microsoft stranglehold will be loosened.

      Though you're right, I'd like the offering to be more prominent (and available in the UK!) but its still a good start and not to be scoffed at.

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    4. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, not all people. Some people. I think this is a good step in the right direction. When/if other manufacturers follow suite, prices will come down a bit. Gamers tend to know more about technology and will have a better idea as to what they're getting themselves into. Its a first step. You can't expect a full blown Ubuntu adoption.

      You're looking at this and saying "well this isn't tailored to me so it sucks." Instead of seeing the big picture. Its a step. Not a huge step, but a step nevertheleas

    5. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dell offers their top of the line XPS 13 laptop with ubuntu. They call it the Developer Edition and is targeted at business segment.
      link

    6. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by loufoque · · Score: 1

      You'll need to run Windows to get any serious gaming done anyway, so it is stupid.
      If you're just doing basic gaming, then you don't need an Alienware, you can just buy an Inspiron or something.

    7. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by BenJury · · Score: 1

      This sort of attitude really annoys me. People have always said crap like this, like "why would anyone need this automobile? there are no petrol stations so where would I be able to go", or "who is ever going to need more than 640k of RAM?" its all just so short sighted.

      In the near term maybe people have to use Wine to get access to the latest games, however the fact that this is being sold might wake games developers up to that they're missing out on a market. And once they start developing, everyone else starts noticing. Its a positive cycle.

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    8. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I bought a Dell with Redhat workstation on it in 2001. Less than 30 days after the purchase they dropped support for it and refunded me $1 as they were no longer supporting open source. Bastards!

    9. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by loufoque · · Score: 1

      If you're interested in Linux, then you probably have better things to do with your computer than gaming.

    10. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by BenJury · · Score: 1

      If you don't know about Linux, buying a Linux gaming machine is a good way to start.

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    11. Re:Dell still doesn't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is Dell making stupid Linux offerings?
      Either they're providing Linux on shit hardware or on gaming hardware. Neither is the right target.

      People want Linux on good hardware, but not for games, they want it for work.
      And they want it to be part of the main offerings, not hidden on some special section of the website.

      Stop being the cunt who complains about everything. Tell me, what should the precise specs have been for you to shut your fucking mouth?

  14. Modern Gaming is about Linux by tuppe666 · · Score: 2

    And most of the commercial Linux games are pretty expensive. That's going to be a tough sell as a Steam box.

    Your talking about legacy gaming, Modern gaming is cross-platform, with Windows being a shrinking platform [Microsoft treating the the Windows Desktop as an xbox ugly stepchild; its gamers like its prison bitches DRM victims; child only games], with Linux/Android being a massive groth industry [and a refuge for Valves business model :)]

  15. Emulators and not-an-emulators by tepples · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nearly every game for NES, Super NES, or Sega Genesis works in emulation on Linux. If you have a Retrode, you can turn your Super NES or Genesis cartridges into ROM files and play them that way, or you can use a Kazzo to dump NES cartridges.

    And if you're not into emulation, you can try Wine, which is not an emulator. Plenty of PC games made for Windows work in Linux through Wine. Or you can try a load of amateur games made with SDL or Pygame.

    1. Re:Emulators and not-an-emulators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nearly every game for NES, Super NES, or Sega Genesis works in emulation on Linux.

      Well yeah, but you don't need a fancy gaming rig for that, just repurpose an aging PC or pick up a Raspberry Pi. Or use a bluetooth gamepad with your phone or tablet if it has an hdmi out.

      In the context of this article, the question remains - why would anyone buy an expensive Linux gaming rig when so few modern games are available for Linux?

      Plenty of PC games made for Windows work in Linux through Wine.

      Wine is hit or miss, especially when it comes to games. You can run into some weird bugs.

      True story - a few year back I was running Diablo 2 with Wine, and it was repeatedly overwritting my MBR. Seriously. That is not the kind of thing that most gamers are willing to put up with (let alone able to solve if it happens to them).

    2. Re:Emulators and not-an-emulators by Sigg3.net · · Score: 1

      I play L4D2 almost exclusively now, and I haven't had a Win box for several years.

      But instagib in Nexuiz or Zotonic and CTF in AssaultCube is still fun. The latter could probably run on a Raspberry Pi. Really love Vendetta Online but it takes too much time.
      Just bought the FPS humble bundle and the GF is away all week so I hope to expand my horizon.

      Coming from the open geek culture of F/OSS beware of rude gamers though.

      --
      Defining Statistics and Social Research
    3. Re:Emulators and not-an-emulators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If that is true you were doing something extraordinarily stupid.

    4. Re:Emulators and not-an-emulators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nearly every game for NES, Super NES, or Sega Genesis works in emulation on Linux. If you have a Retrode, you can turn your Super NES or Genesis cartridges into ROM files and play them that way, or you can use a Kazzo to dump NES cartridges.

      And if you're not into emulation, you can try Wine, which is not an emulator. Plenty of PC games made for Windows work in Linux through Wine. Or you can try a load of amateur games made with SDL or Pygame.

      except: Wine Is Not an Emulators
      And you can play the carts with out (possibly illegally) dumping the ROMs with Retrode

  16. !!!??? LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hahahhhhahahahahahahhhahahaaaaaahhahahahahahahahhahahahha

    Linux gaming, aaaaaaaahhhhhh

    I mean I really need some beefy hardware to play angry bird on chrome LOL

  17. PS3-class gaming with no GPU by tepples · · Score: 2

    Even in 2013, I believe people need to be disabused of the idea that (short of spending $5,000 on an insane system every year for a 12lb crazy ass laptop) there is really such a thing as a "gaming" laptop.

    You might not be able to get PS4- or Durango-class gaming on a laptop, but PS3-class gaming is certainly attainable. In the past, Intel's "GMA" integrated graphics processor has been nicknamed "Graphics My Ass" compared to even a low-end AMD or NVIDIA GPU. But a year ago, a PC with an Ivy Bridge CPU was seen to run Skyrim at over 40 fps. If a PS3-class game runs that well on Intel graphics, think of how much better AMD's laptop GPUs will handle it.

    1. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by Seumas · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't consider a laptop that is capable of playing games at a level comparable to a 2005 video game console to be particularly appealing nor considered a "gaming laptop". I would assert that for something to truly be a "gaming laptop", it should be able to play modern games recently released with only minor acceptable sacrifices (obviously, not running with maximum eye-candy cranked up, for example). I think this is an especially fair demand framed in the context of how expensive they are.

    2. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by tepples · · Score: 1

      it should be able to play modern games recently released with only minor acceptable sacrifices (obviously, not running with maximum eye-candy cranked up, for example).

      That depends on what you mean by "recently released" and "acceptable sacrifices". Skyrim was first published in the fourth quarter of 2011 (source: Wikipedia), and Ivy Bridge graphics pulled 40+ fps on Medium settings (source: Anandtech). And as I said earlier, there are laptop GPUs more powerful than the one in Ivy Bridge. My point is that any laptop with an NV or AMD GPU is probably a "gaming laptop" by now.

    3. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 0

      I can tell the instance the framerate drops below 60. 40 fps looks laggy as shit.

      PS3-class game? You mean one that runs only at 480p, 720p & 1080i ? Ewww. No thanks.

      If I'm going to pay $#,### dollars on a laptop I want a GPU that doesn't suck ass; Intel's GMAs have always sucked for performance as you point out.

      I'll keep waiting until shitty mobile GPUs can run 120+ Hz in 2 yr old games. I'm in no rush to blow money on something that will be obsolete in a few years. Hell, I just picked up a GTX Titan so I can run today's games at 1080p @ 120+ Hz on the wonderful Asus VG248QE 144Hz.

    4. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      FPS and display refresh rate aren't the same.
      Also 16 FPS is enough for a human being to consider what happens on the screen smooth, movies are below 40 FPS. 40 FPS is more than enough when it's really 40, but it gets laggy if it suddenly drops to 12 for a second or two, and that is a problem.

    5. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can tell the difference between 40 FPS and 60 FPS but not between 60 and 80. 40 FPS is the bare minumum that I can tolerate. Even if it drops to 35 or 30 it is unplayable and gives me a headache.

    6. Re:PS3-class gaming with no GPU by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

      > Also 16 FPS is enough for a human being to consider what happens on the screen smooth

      1. Citation
      2. Do you understand the frame rate of movies??
      3. Maybe you are blind but I just gave my co-worker this test:

      http://frames-per-second.appspot.com/

      On a double blind test he was able to easily tell the difference between 30 Hz and 60 Hz 100% of the time.

      > movies are below 40 FPS. 40 FPS is more than enough when it's really 40 ...

      Moves are 24 Hz and panning looks like garbage.

  18. An apt-get away by tepples · · Score: 1

    I would love to see some sort of goofy slip-up on the installation media cause all of these laptops to go out in "server mode", with no desktop.

    Fortunately, Ubuntu is based on Debian, for which a desktop environment is just an apt-get away.

    1. Re:An apt-get away by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fortunately, you can everything in Debian that you can in Ubuntu, WITHOUT the crapware or attitude :-)

  19. Whats their plan for Switchable Gfx? by JC61990 · · Score: 2

    This is cool and all being that linux is slowly starting to take off in the world of the gamers. But my bigger concern is, what is dell/alienware doing about the IvyBridge switchable graphics? I have an Alienware M14x R2 with the 3rd gen i5 and a nvidia gtx650. BIOS doesn't let you enable just the video card you must run ivybridge at all times, so how do they plan to implement Bumblebee or maybe their own type of driver? I have ran ArchLinux on my alienware for a few months now, and i have barely been able to get bumblebee running nicely. Ive even switched my laptop over to Ubuntu at one point just to see if it was a difference in distros, which it wasn't. Unless nvidia has secretly been working on some kind of driver for the Optimus cards that i dont know about, then i would say this might be a bad move right now imho.

    1. Re:Whats their plan for Switchable Gfx? by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      Mod *very* interesting!

      I too would be interested in such details.

  20. Every year a growth year. by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

    The story might have been relevant to my interests in 2002. But it's clear now Linux is going to skip popularity on desktops and just do mobile instead.

    Linux has been gaining market share on all platforms including the Desktop. The Desktop is just not sexy right now with, Windows Desktop users having a slight dip sales and Apple its a disaster on the Desktop...but Linux suddenly is checking all the boxes. Personally though I'm loving the support of having a shared kernel with its more successful market.

    1. Re:Every year a growth year. by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 1

      Windows is having a dip in sales because old machines "do the job". When a C2D does the job fine, why upgrade to the latest and greatest?

  21. Trialware in Wine by tepples · · Score: 1

    Until you have Linux software publishers willing to pay an OEM to load their trialware on the system

    Then try this: Install Wine. Download the trialware yourself onto a fresh Linux box. Try installing it. Make a report on Wine's AppDB. Tell the publisher whether it worked. Tell the publisher that PC makers are starting to sell PCs with GNU/Linux, and the company could get a few bucks from selling registered versions to people who buy these PCs.

    Many Linux advocates like to talk about how Linux runs great on last generation hardware

    Windows Vista failed because it ran poorly on machines that ran XP well, such as anything with less than 1 GB of RAM. So after the perceived failure of Windows Vista RTM, Microsoft fixed up the most glaring bugs for Mojave (Windows Vista Service Pack 1) and made sure to keep Windows 7 and 8 no more resource intensive than Vista. But now there comes a problem: a lot of XP machines are still deployed in businesses, and these PCs may get wiped and Linuxed after security patches end in April 2014. This includes a lot of corporate customers. Last time, Microsoft sold a special stripped-down XP called Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (Windows FLP) to replace Windows 98 on PCs of volume licensing customers. I wonder what Microsoft will do this time to replace XP on PCs that aren't powerful enough to run more recent Windows.

  22. Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    DRM on Window - Evil
    DRM on Linux - OHMERGOSH I CAN'T CONTAIN MY ERECTION!

    That's because the DRM on these Linux games tends to be Steam DRM. DRM is evil, but Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user in practice. Unlike Assassin's Creed 2 and SimCity (2013), which made headlines for requiring a continuous Internet connection during gameplay, games using Steam DRM only require the user to connect to the Internet once after installation and every 30 days thereafter for single-player or same-screen multiplayer mode.

    1. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3

      Sorry - DRM is still evil. I might consider a game or something that I have to connect to the internet ONE TIME for verification. Every thirty days after? No sale. No phone home features, thank you very much.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    2. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by tepples · · Score: 0

      Sorry - DRM is still evil.

      What non-evil solution do you have to the problem of mass copyright infringement?

    3. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1, Informative

      http://www.baen.com/library/prime_palaver1.asp

      Copyright infringement is not comparable to bank robbing. At it's worst, it's comparable to children snitching candy. It's a problem that doesn't really need solving. Piracy is free advertising.

      I'm not interested in "protecting" "intellectual property". Entertain the people, and the people will reward you.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    4. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If there are no non-evil solutions to a problem, perhaps we should rethink things.

    5. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't consider if it requires verification even *once*. Especially bound to give trouble if I have to reinstall for some reason.

    6. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Entropius · · Score: 2

      Well, this last month some people went to the Internet and said "Give us money, and we will make you a spiffy game, and will sell it DRM-free. We'll need about a million bucks."

      The Internet gave them $4 million, so much money that they had to scramble to find ways to spend all of it to make their game spiffier.

    7. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope it's not a problem. The music industry lost tons of money for the decade after file sharing took off. Who knows why? I'm sure it wasn't music piracy.

    8. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by devent · · Score: 1

      It's not even that (children snitching candy). If a kid steals a candy bar, that candy bar is gone. It is a loss to the shop. If a kid downloads a game it is not stealing, there is no measurable loss. Any "loss" is hypothetical and the kid downloading the game from TPB can have multiple reasons: a) kid have no money b) kid can't buy the game (stupid ratings) c) the game is not available in stores d) kid is lazy and don't like to go downtown to the store e) it's Sunday and the store is closed, and so on.

      All of those reasons would not have resulted in an extra sale if piracy would not be possible. Thus there was no loss. But what is better: kid wasting time to play your game or kid is wasting time to do something else, like going outside or watch TV? I highly think that it's it in your best interest that the kid is wasting the time with your game. As you see, DRM is not only a big fuck you to your customer, but it will not and cannot increase your sales.

      Instead you should look at why the kid is downloading your game for free instead of paying for it. Instead of increasing investment in DRM, you should invest in making your game as easy available as possible.

      --
      http://www.mueller-public.de - My site http://www.anr-institute.com/ - Advanced Natural Research Institute
    9. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by cheekyjohnson · · Score: 1

      Nothing. Do nothing, and don't harm your own customers just because you don't want to 'lose' some potential profit.

      Since when did you fall under the delusion that most DRM stops copyright infringement, anyway?

      --
      Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
    10. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The less of two evils is still Steam DRM.

    11. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      Citations? It's been shown again and again that the music industry makes truckloads of money, every single year. The corporations that invest in these overnight wonders have never had a "loss". They make money no matter the economy.

      The only claims for losses are hyperinflated bullshit tales told to lawmakers, when speaking in favor of ever stricter copyright law.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    12. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Runaway1956 · · Score: 1

      I'm aware of that, you're 100% correct, but you're preaching to the choir. ;^) But, since I was citing Jim Baen, I chose to use his and his author's choices of words and analogies.

      Baen pretty much proved that you can only make money when you distribute your digital stuff for free. You can't "lose" money.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    13. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Shompol · · Score: 1

      DRM ... cannot increase your sales.

      This is a very bold statement that sums it all up. The goal of management is to maximise profit, and a 0 sales increase translates into a loss. I understand that DRM is evil for an entirely different set of reasons, that the general public will hopefully understand in a decade or two and vote against DRM with their feet (wallets). Until that happens, it is all about maximising short-term profit, and if your statement can be proven with a bunch of marketing experiments then the simple truth will enter management textbooks and we are golden. I am not sure if it is true, though, but setting up some experiments should not be too hard.

    14. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And why would they need to tell such tales to lawmakers if there is no loss?

    15. Re:Steam DRM tends to feel less evil to the user by devent · · Score: 1

      Oh please they all know that. I'm not some kind of genius and the people in EA (for example) that working every day on the same problem, they all know that. DRM is not about piracy, copyright is not about authors.

      DRM and copyright is about control. The biggest fear of all is the loss of control about art, culture, information, products. If we didn't had such strict copyright (150 years or whatever) then we all would live in a very different world. There would be no big studios possible, there would be literally 1000ths of small studios all competing. No control would be possible. FOX News, Murdoch empire, all the big studios, would not be possible with a 14 years copyright on only registered works (like it was when copyright law was first written). DRM is just the extension of copyright laws to invade the privacy of every day citizens.

      For reference I recommend the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated

      --
      http://www.mueller-public.de - My site http://www.anr-institute.com/ - Advanced Natural Research Institute
  23. Why Bother by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why bother? Linux does not run anything that a 'gamer' or most modern people would want.
    Sure it runs like what 4 new games that this company 'steam' arranged..oh wow.

    Honestly, while nothing against Linux, it's about getting the job done more than romance for pretty much most people. People just want to run tons of random programs and heaps of games and I mean heaps.. they want to just buy a printer or scanner, joystick, heck even an iphone - and want it to just work. Hello it's not 1993 anymore these things are not hard to get working. Most people just want things to run and work - just like windows does NOW.

    Sorry but using linux for the desktop is like trying to screw around with my mothers old Windows 98 computer..

    It's crazy to have good hardware and a tinkery old OS that has half ass volunteer support for things that windows run with no trouble. - Its sorta like pretending that a retard is cool and amazing.... when everyone has gorn home, your left with the reality.

    1. Re:Why Bother by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      > Why bother? Linux does not run anything that a 'gamer' or most modern people would want.

      Unfortunately, the past year, neither does Windows :(

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    2. Re:Why Bother by RobbieThe1st · · Score: 2

      And yet, I have things that "just work" on linux which don't work at all on Windows.. Removable drives with more than one partition, for one. I can take any flash drive, partition it with two partitions(say one for work and one for play, one for LiveCDs and one for files). Any Linux will see and use all partitions. Windows 7 will only see one. It's frigging annoying.
      Or, say, booting off USB. With USB3, you could easily use an external USB3 drive to boot, and haul it between three computers so you have all your files and settings. Linux? Trivial. Windows 7? Impossible.
      Or how about printer support? I've run into a number of printers which wouldn't work on 7 due to lack of drivers(MFGR didn't care beyond XP)... Ubuntu? autodetect, Just Works.

      Meh. With either system there's problems. At least on Linux, the solution isn't "reinstall from scratch" like it often is on Windows.

  24. The usual marketing nonsense. by jedidiah · · Score: 1

    I would not call this thing a gaming PC. I would call it an upscale low profile PC. It looks like it could be a very respectable HTPC for people who want something more than a $300 ION or $100 Roku.

    It's less lame than a Mac Mini.

    Really, it's just a Dell with a very Linux friendly video card.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  25. In an alternate universe! by kurt555gs · · Score: 1

    Well lookie here. Dell offering a high spec Linux laptop. I'm just shocked! Michael Dell who would normally have Steve Balmer's cock farther down his throat than would generally be considered comfortable must have come up for air long enough to allow this laptop to slip past. What is the world coming too? It does show that Microsoft's power is waining. Once people see how far advanced Ubuntu 13 is above Windows 8..... Well it is the preverbal camel's nose under the tent. If you have an M$ stock, I'd be selling it. The first Dell laptop I would ever conceder buying.

    --
    * Carthago Delenda Est *
  26. And end up selling one copy by tepples · · Score: 1

    http://www.baen.com/library/prime_palaver1.asp

    Several letters posted there encourage making a sample chapter free to read. Ouya will do this.

    Piracy is free advertising.

    Until you sell one copy to someone in the warez scene and everyone else gets their copy from the warez site.

    1. Re:And end up selling one copy by Runaway1956 · · Score: 2

      You should read more of Jim Baen's free library.

      They put free books online. They are free as in free beer, just download it and enjoy. Free, free, free. Baen pirated the books himself, opening his own warez site to do so.

      Multiple authors have noted that soon after putting the book online for free, sales of that book skyrocket. Mostly, they put older, out of print books online, but that book immediately sells like hotcakes in bookstores around the nation. Hell, around the world, I guess. Not only does that particular book sell, but related books sell (anthologies and such). PLUS - the author notices an increase in his other works.

      Free publicity always pays.

      Entertain the masses, and the masses will reward you. Being a dick about your "intellectual property" just pisses people off. Many gamers have told us the same thing, right here on slashdot. Jim Baen agreed, he put his money where his mouth was, and he proved the theory to be right.

      Rest in Peace, Jim Baen - the world needs a lot more people like you!

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  27. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  28. Pay to upgrade their experience to what? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Multiple authors have noted that soon after putting the book online for free, sales of that book skyrocket.

    That works for books because there is another medium in which some people prefer to view the same work. People who prefer to read books in a paper form have an opportunity to pay to upgrade their experience from free reading on an electronic device to paid paper. If an entire old video game is given away, on the other hand, people can upgrade their experience from free-to-play on the device to paid what?

    1. Re:Pay to upgrade their experience to what? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm not the one trying to make a living by entertaining people. In fact, I'm very UNentertaining. People pay to not see or to hear me.

      What I know for sure is, gaming is trying to follow in the footsteps of the music and movie industries. They really need to back up, look at reality, and find another way to go.

      I no longer play games. I got tired of them. But, I know for a fact, that purchasing a game, only to run into DRM bullshit only forces people to torrent the cracked versions. I did it, and I've watched my sons do it. Whether it's a CD check, or an online activation check, or whatever, if I have to jump through a hoop to play the game, it's not worth playing. Just grab the cracked version, and you don't have to jump ANY hoops.

      Just entertain people, and see if they reward you. Stop treating entertainment like it has to be a big business. Don't spend 3 million dollars developing a game, in the hopes that you'll make twelve million in sales. That's just retarded Hollywierd thinking.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    2. Re:Pay to upgrade their experience to what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I want read a book on paper, I go to the library. They have nearly every book I could ever want to read for free in whatever format I want (my local library does ebook and audiobook loans too). The "upgrade" in buying my own copy is that I get to give the author money and thereby increase the chances of more work from that author as well as more similar works. The physical copy itself is of value to me only because I can lend it to people making the author just a tiny bit less obscure.

    3. Re:Pay to upgrade their experience to what? by Almahtar · · Score: 1

      You say that as if paid games are somehow better than pirated ones. I've bought plenty of paid games sometimes multiple times each. Each time I end up downloading and playing a cracked version because it wouldn't tell me I couldn't play it if my 'net screwed up or if their DRM scheme somehow screwed up.

      The cracked versions are an upgrade, and this coming from a paying customer.

      Getting games to work correctly is hard enough without introducing new ways they can fail on purpose that can also fail on accident.

    4. Re:Pay to upgrade their experience to what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just entertain people, and see if they reward you. Stop treating entertainment like it has to be a big business. Don't spend 3 million dollars developing a game, in the hopes that you'll make twelve million in sales. That's just retarded Hollywierd thinking.

      In the end those are the games people want to play, the model you suggest has been tried and is not superior, if it were then the hollywood model would have completely died out, but it hasn't.

  29. A good start. by Hamsterdan · · Score: 1

    Now, we need games written in OpenGL, not DirectX. Will benefit both Linux and OS X. I'm keeping Win7 on my main computer for games. For everything else, it's OS X. No, it's not a Mac. Apple doesn't sell the machine I need (mini-tower)

    --
    I've got better things to do tonight than die.
  30. Origin PC are better than Alienware for gaming by SplashMyBandit · · Score: 1

    I've been looking at replacing my MacBook Pro with a non-Mac. The reason for this is that MacBooks are weak in the Video RAM (VRAM) department (the thing that actually makes a difference in gaming these days) and I'm like more than 1 GB of RAM. A Retina Display with high pixel count also makes the limited VRAM of the Mac even worse. I also *loathe* glossy screens.

    The Alienware machines are ok. The big problem for me is the fact that the ones I can buy online are either 14 inch or 17 inch form factors. No 15 inch form factor (which is what I'd like).

    Alternatives for my high-end purposes are the HP/Compaq and Dell Precision lines of professional laptops. Unfortunately these are horrifically expensive and suffer from the fact they have Quadro graphics cards. While Quadros are great for OpenGL (which is what I'm writing my modern jet air combat simulator in) the problem is that updating drivers for these on a mobile system is not always easy. Generally they get fewer driver updates than consumer mobile graphics chipsets. I intend putting Linux Mint Cinnamon on my new laptop, so having a mainstream GPU solves a lot of hassles.

    After evaluating all these I was lucky enough to stumble across a little-known vendor in the US (called Origin PC) that builds mobile workstation class laptops with the things I want:
    * up to 4 GB of Video RAM * consumer-grade or pro-grade (Quadro) mobile GPU, configurable by you * up to 32 GB of RAM at reasonable bus speed * Quad Core * a multitude of form factors, including 15" * 1080p display, non-glossy * very very reasonably priced (compared to the HP/Compaqs and Dell Precisions with *lower specs*; I guess a small outfit like Origin can keep costs down by not supporting the huge corporate edifices of Dell & HP)

    The reason Origin PC gets it right is that it was founded by a gamer, so he appears to have better taste than beancounters over what the high-end performance laptop market actually wants.

    Anyway, if you are in the market for a non-glossy laptop with great video performance then I'd suggest taking a look at the customizable Origin laptops:
    http://www.originpc.com/
    http://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/eon15-s/ http://www.originpc.com/workstation/laptops/eon15-s-pro/

    I'd really like to stick with my MacBook Pro but Apple are obsessed with thinness, shiny screens that look great in brochures (but are crap to work with day-in day-out), and battery life (like that matters in a performance laptop) rather than what power users actually need. There is supposed to be an Apple refresh in June but unless they change direction I think this will be another big disappoint for mobile workstation fans. I'm glad I found the Origin PC line - I'm just not looking forward to going back from Mac OS X (stable and "just works") to Linux (fragmented and takes time to tweak and keep operational).

    It is very good of Dell to offer Ubuntu on their machines. Too bad they are actually overpriced and only medium power (compared to the equivalent Origin PC machines I looked at).

    1. Re:Origin PC are better than Alienware for gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've never heard so much shill shill shill bull bull bull shit shit shit in one post.

  31. Where is my sexy Desktop by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

    Windows is having a dip in sales because old machines "do the job". When a C2D does the job fine, why upgrade to the latest and greatest?

    ...no they don't do the job! They are awful in every way. Where is my Android compatibility on obscenely high DPI on a 32" screen with a keyboard with LED keys? Where is all these manufacturers reinventing the Desktop...and no I don't mean Windows OS X or GNOME 3...I suspect what I want is GNU/Chrome? with serious corperate backing. Why I am still buying a tower pc in one part, rather than stacking the bits I want like lego bricks. Why can I not use the CPU in my Phone to power my desktop without wires...and cloud storage?

    ...Why is the PC the same as the one I bought in 1995?

  32. Just one good game is what I'm looking for. by Trax3001BBS · · Score: 0

    I have Mint/Mate/Linux installed as my third boot option, I'll tinker with Mint a bit then
    boot into a Windows OS to play my games.

    One good game for me and I could make Linux part of my normal setup and always be available.
    I say this in all honesty as Doom brought me to the PC, and away from the AmigA.

    http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/

    The stuff listed at that link is of no interest to me. Dungeon Defenders ($15.00) is a POS that
    comes with the Motorola Xoom (Google Tablet), it might be great for a very young kid but not me.
    It's one item all custom ROMs remove with no complaints and the space saved is substantial.

    My games are of the Call of Duty genre, right now Battle Field 3 is calling me to play even as I type this.

    Directx is what needs to be addressed, I know it's being worked on and I follow it a bit; but belonging
    to MS I don't see much hope of a full port.

  33. Make copyright infringment irrelevant by aNonnyMouseCowered · · Score: 1

    "What non-evil solution do you have to the problem of mass copyright infringement?"

    By doing something more evil. Ok, I'm trolling. What I mean is that you create a game that doesn't care whether it's bittorrented to hell. Some "evil" games are able to get clueless players addicted who'd be willing to pay $$$ to level up. So why not create a FPShooter where a less-skilled player gets a chance to buy tokens for an Ironman-style exoskeleton impervious to most low-to-mid-grade attacks? Technically this will involve DRM of some sort, but not of the always-on variety, and the player will always have the option to spend hours training or simply pay up for some instant XP.

    1. Re:Make copyright infringment irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Technically this will involve DRM of some sort, but not of the always-on variety, and the player will always have the option to spend hours training or simply pay up for some instant XP.

      Exactly this makes them use always-on variety of DRM. Because more skilled players will hack the game to get those tokens and not spend days hunting for rats with a kitchen knife.

  34. issues with linux and things that need to be fixed by t8z5h3 · · Score: 1

    honestly the idea of linux is perfect but how it's done is completely bad... when it comes down to it... really linux is a hack job between everyone who is programing for it. we need a central force to unify all the distro's and get them under one tent... kernal,gnu... all the little peaces of Linux . honestly if i am reading the tea leaves right Valve software is thinking that way... every time we have a fight in the linux world we "tree" off and split the community's to a point now that each group hates each other and will not work with each other for the betterment of Linux. are values are the same but we using different ways to get there and we are fighting to be come the "leader" of linux the gold slandered distro. and who is winning this war? Microsoft and apple, that's another mess Apple using Free BSD as there tool to destroy All of linux and with are free tools like apachi... we should fight Apple harder then anyone else. in 2 to 5 years Valve software's linux will be Boss and it's because all there dev. will be in house, well tested and clean, no more comand line for common taskes. set top boxes and standered hardware for most. that's how i see it. and microsoft will still be the big fish in the sea.

  35. $599 Gaming? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did anyone actually read the specs on the $599 computer?

      Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual Core

      6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz

      1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 645

      Slot Load Dual Layer DVD Burner

      Dell Wireless 1506 (802.11gn) WLAN

      1TB SATA 3Gb/s,7200RPM

    That is what Alienware calls the ultimate gaming hardware!

    Sure glad I own an Agrisea Firestorm

  36. Steam ... ? by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
    I suppose I'd better find out what this steam thing is about ... to see if there's anythin interesting there ...

    As of January 2013, Steam has seen over 6.6 million concurrent players

    As few as that? I thought it was meant to be something big? Like "BitCoin".

    During mid-2011, Valve began to offer free-to-play games,

    What? There are "pay to play" games? Why? (As in, "why do people pay for this?")

    OK ; interest lost. Has anyone brought ou any good games in the last 20 years?

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"