Alienware launches bonkers HTPC

DUBBED THE 'Hangar 18 HD Entertainment Center', Alienware's latest living room PC is an attempt to move away from the Shuttle re-badges we've all come to know and hate. In its place appears to be the slickest HTPC ever devised.

Now, granted, we haven't had any hands on time with this thing, but, people, we've seen the webpage. And tell us that doesn't look cool.

At its core, Hangar 18 is an Intel Core 2 Duo based HTPC running Vista. So, there's the usual music and TV features - nothing interesting there. The rear of the machine sports a number of ports including HDMI out, component out, dual TV in and even speaker hookups for connecting wired speakers to the 5.1 sound card.

The customised rear and its powering motherboard, we would suggest, are clearly a product of Alienware's increased manufacturing power now that Dell is on board. From Shuttle re-badge to custom design takes some serious clout, not to mention wonga.

In the front, there's a very case-modder-style VFD screen which displays track or DVD information, and there's a D-pad controller for basic navigation functions, as well as a big knob for volume.

The machine starts at $2k, but expect to pay a lot more for the version you really want. Interesting to see Alienware really start to differentiate itself from Dell, which, recently, has been heading more and more into its traditional PC-gaming territory. µ

* CORRECTION Oops. This system isn't based on Intel tech, it's based on AMD tech. Apologies to all concerned, including our readers.