Dell to Get its Hands on Alienware & AMD

Dell, which does not typically do acquisitions, recently made the arrangements to purchase the premier high-end gaming PC builder Alienware. Alienware is a company that has experienced tremendous growth in recent years but it may be Dell that deserves the award. Dell has done some soothsaying here. With the acquisition of Alienware it gets the high-performing computer market as well as the performance processor powerhouse that is AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). As Intel’s only competition AMD has been a growing threat, gaining over 21% of the CPU market. Previously Dell has used only Intel processors so we will see more widespread use of the AMD technology. The Dell-Alienware marriage is one to watch.

Its worth noting, Dell has been active on other fronts as well. The deal with google is not going to impact gaming in the same way but it shows more forward movement by Dell.

Hot & Cold Games

When it comes to games I hate impulse buys. I rarely do it as most of those purchases end badly. Having said that, today I bought two games at once, a double dumb thing to do. Typically I stick to a schedule where I know exactly what games I’ll buy months in advance, having digested numerous previews and reviews. Not today. Today I broke the rules and found the rate of satisfaction is no better than chance, 50/50% (given, the sample is 2). Lets start with the good...

Hot! SiN: Episodes.

While this was not a 100% impulse buy I only read a couple reviews (mostly favorable) over the last couple days. It’s a Valve game so that increased game credibility. I installed it when we got home and this is a hit. It’s a cheaper $20 first-person shooter. It kept me up very late last night because it was so much fun. I tried to quit many times but the compulsion to see what was around the next corner kept me going. Be warned, this is a “mature” game and rightly so; cursing, sexually dressed toons, and the obvious depicted violence that’s inherent in shooters. Don’t buy this for your child. If you’re an adult, and are not turned off by such content – buy the game! You can read more about SiN at the official site or at IGN.

Cold. Full Spectrum Warrior (Ten Hammers).

This was a definite impulse buy. Sure, I had seen a clip months ago but it jumped off the shelf when I went by. Always swat those back! FSW (Ten Hammers) is a squad based shooter. It plays different than anything I have tried. The graphics are less impressive than every game I’ve purchased over the past two years. When my squad dies a short slow motion cut scene is enabled – it’s painful. I can’t imagine that hard core gamers would like this. A new player who likes automated troop movement might enjoy this title. I wish I could bring it back. Huff.