Portable gaming has taken significant leaps since the release of the Asus ROG Ally in 2023, with emerging rivals such as the Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw, Zotac Zone, Acer Nitro Blaze, and Adata XPG Nia.
In summary, this is a thrilling era for portable gaming.
For evidence, look no further than CES 2025, which has introduced us to a new prototype for the Lenovo Legion Go 2 alongside Acer’s impressively large 10.95-inch Nitro Blaze 11.
Amid all this portable gaming PC excitement, however, there is one prominent gaming hardware maker that has yet to join the competition: Alienware.
Alienware’s UFO gaming handheld: Where is it?
Alienware isn’t the only significant gaming hardware producer yet to explore the portable gaming market. One more is Razer, which has only ventured as far as creating Android handhelds like the Razer Edge, or controllers for mobile devices like the Razer Kishi.
However, even if Alienware isn’t isolated in this regard, its situation is especially intriguing considering that the company revealed a handheld gaming prototype way back in 2020, marking five years since we’ve witnessed the Alienware UFO.
At CES 2020, we were thoroughly impressed by Alienware’s Concept UFO, as the device assured gamer’s the ability to enjoy PC games from a handheld format. To be clear, this was two years before the Steam Deck was announced in January 2022.
Kevin Turchin, who is currently the Director of Product Development at Dell, but at the time of Alienware Concept UFO’s reveal was the Director of Engineering for Dell, stated “We actually perceive [the UFO] as the first of its kind.” He elaborated, “When we assess the balance achieved between performance and portability, it allows [us] to develop a product we believe can potentially thrive in the market moving forward.”
Turchin was accurate, as he foresaw the remarkable surge in popularity that portable gaming PCs would experience in the subsequent years.
During the era of the Alienware UFO Concept, Dell Consumer Product Reviews Manager, Raymond Watkins, expressed “We aim to advance it further, and how it is received at CES should help direct that discussion.” He later added, “If we received a positive response today, I don’t think it would take us eighteen months to bring it to store shelves.” Watkins now serves as Senior Manager of Marketing at AMD.
Of course, the Alienware UFO never came to fruition. Eighteen months passed without any word on its status, and three and a half years following CES 2020, the Asus ROG Ally debuted in June 2023.
What about the current situation? Alienware has just revealed its CES 2025 announcements, yet the Alienware UFO was missing from the lineup. It has been five years, but Alienware still hasn’t revived the UFO. So what’s the story?
Jackie Thomas at IGN inquired with Alienware’s General Manager, Matt McGowan, regarding the absence of portable options. McGowan acknowledged, “We are still evaluating that category,” but he mentioned “there are shortcomings,” particularly emphasizing battery longevity and the demand for enhanced graphics. He stated, “When that inflection point arrives, we aim to be ready.”
It appears that the UFO did not meet the company’s standards, and even at present, the technology isn’t sufficiently advanced to satisfy Alienware. Hopefully, this will evolve in the near future, but for now, numerous thrilling advancements are underway from companies such as Asus, Lenovo, Acer, and others.
Alienware has an opportunity to observe the market, learn from the missteps of its rivals, and then enter the scene with the ultimate gaming handheld when conditions are favorable. Until that time arrives, ensure to explore more of our CES 2025 coverage to stay updated on all things technology.