Dell Offers Ubuntu Option With Alienware Gaming Desktop 135
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).
Re:no Windows fee, so costs more (Score:5, 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.
Re:That's weird. (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).
Re:That's weird. (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.
Re:Pay to upgrade their experience to what? (Score:4, 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.