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May 12, 2008 8:05 PM PDT

Report: Dell phasing out XPS gaming systems

by Brooke Crothers

UPDATE: Dell Inc. will begin phasing out its line of XPS desktop game machines, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Alienware gaming system: Dell XPS game PC line ate into Alienware sales

Alienware gaming system: Dell XPS game PC line ate into Alienware sales

(Credit: Alienware)

(Note: Dell made a statement Tuesday night--after this article was posted--explaining how Dell's XPS line and Alienware systems will coexist.)

This will effectively leave Alienware as the sole high-end PC game offering from Dell which acquired the Miami-based game system maker in 2006.

Dell's XPS game PC line "ate into" Alienware sales, according to the report.

Alienware competes with brands such as Hewlett-Packard's Vodoo PC line and Falcon Northwest.

Alienware is also expected to bring out redesigned systems based on new materials that go beyond the longstanding Alienware design (photo), according to the report.

Game PCs can cost as little as $1,000 but typically range from $2,000 to $5,000 and feature high-end Intel and AMD quad-core processors and graphics chips from Nvidia and ATI Technologies.

Brooke Crothers is a former editor at large at CNET News.com, and has been an editor for the Asian weekly version of the Wall Street Journal. He writes for the CNET Blog Network, and is not a current employee of CNET. Contact him at mbcrothers@gmail.com. Disclosure.
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by DarkHawke May 12, 2008 9:13 PM PDT
Well, that's a shame. I love my XPS 710: killer design both inside and out. Alienware has some nice looks to it as well, but not quite as hot. They do allow for better configurability, though. C'est la vie.
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by jag0 May 12, 2008 9:24 PM PDT
meh...my custom system has more choices and was far cheaper then buying any of these "custom" systems on the market.

The fact that XPS systems were eating into Alienware sales kind of says something...it says that Alienware systems are far far far too overpriced (which has been the case for YEARS.)
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by The_Decider May 12, 2008 9:28 PM PDT
Who really cares?

People looking for quality don't buy Dell.

Gamers can easily build a system to rival the best from Falcon NW, Voodoo, or Alienware for a fraction of the cost.
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by RudyDude May 12, 2008 10:25 PM PDT
Dell has screwed me in the past, but not as bad as Alienware has screwed me. I'd like to see both companies wiped from the face of the earth.

For my next PC, I will probably go old school and deal with a small local shop that will give me what I want and stand behind it if there are problems. What a concept!
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by edborden May 13, 2008 4:39 PM PDT
I think the "competition" argument is a PR spun ploy to save face from the fact that HP has hurt their business in a big way and they need to consolidate.
http://www.edbordenblog.com/2008/05/dell-dumped-xps-because-they-are.html
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by AppleSuxLeo May 14, 2008 11:38 PM PDT
Kevin "beady-eyes" Rose once said XPS=xTRA pLASTIC s*** LOL
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About Nanotech - The Circuits Blog

Brooke Crothers was formerly editor-at-large at CNET News.com, an analyst at IDC (International Data Corp.) Japan, and an editor at The Asian Wall Street Journal Weekly (The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones), among other endeavors, including a recent hiatus from the tech industry when he co-managed an after-school math and reading center. Nanotech covers computer chip technology and how it defines the computing experience. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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