Alienware clarifies Steam Machine upgradability comments

PC maker Alienware has clarified a report from earlier this week that claimed the company's new Steam Machine could not be upgraded. As it turns out, while you will not be prevented from upgrading your system, it won't be easy.

"Enabling customers the opportunity to upgrade components has been a core tenet for Alienware since the company was founded, and that remains true today," Alienware general manager Frank Azor told Eurogamer today.

"The Alienware Steam Machine, announced at CES, is designed to deliver a great gaming experience in the living room and we will enable customers to upgrade components," he added. "Considering we've purposefully designed the Alienware Steam Machine to be smaller than the latest generation consoles, upgrading the internal components will not be as easy as compared to other platforms, such as the Alienware X51, but we will not prevent a customer from upgrading."

Azor's statement today is pretty much a reversal from what he said earlier this week. At the time, he said, "there will be no customization options, you can't really update it." If you're dead set on upgrading your machine on a regular basis, Azor said you might be better suited with another Alienware product, like the X51.

"We feel we have multiple options for customers based on their individual needs. If a gamer wants more freedom to upgrade, we have the X51," he said. "If they would prefer a smaller, more console-like system, we will offer the Alienware Steam Machine."

Valve unveiled a host of third-party Steam Machines at CES 2014 earlier this month, including Alienware's offering. The price of the machine is yet to be revealed.