| Title | Category | Date |
| StrafeRight Visits Alienware Headquarters | Site News | 2007-03-06 10:19:57 |
A Visit To Alienware Headquarters - The Gamer's Perspective
Two weeks ago several of us from Notebookforums (SR's sister site) and StrafeRight set out to sunny Miami, FL for an interview with top ranking executives, product managers and public relations people at the largest boutique PC manufacturing company in the world by the name of Alienware Corporation. Notebookforums has always maintained an excellent relationship with Alienware and it was this bond that made the entire trip possible. Many thanks to all involved!
During our two day visit we got to speak directly with everyone from top to bottom in this amazing company as well as take a tour of the office and, more importantly, the manufacturing facilities where all of the magic happens day in and day out at Alienware.
We were lucky enough, and given enough time by our more than hospitable hosts, to ask a myriad of questions ranging from the tech industry to the history and origins of Alienware to the future of the industry to new products as well as opinions they have both organizationally and personally on a slew of other topics. If you have not already, I suggest you head over to Notebookforums once you finish this read as we have a massive three page article over there regarding many of the aforementioned topics that is loaded with quotes, pictures and more.
We thought it fitting to include a few hard-core gaming questions during our time with the executives of this dynamic and ever-evolving company that would be of interest to the StrafeRight faithful that live, breath and die for gaming. And let me tell you, there is nothing quite like sitting in a boardroom with some of the most brilliant and well respected minds in high end PC manufacturing and being told that they'll meet you anywhere, anytime for a one on one knife fight in Battlefield 2142!
I'll first start off with the way Alex Aguila, President/COO and co-founder of the company, introduced himself to us:
Us: Introductions?
Alex Aguila: Hi, I'm Alex, one of the founders of the company...resident gamer, President and COO...
Arthur Lewis/Executive VP: (cuts in) He's also our Battlefield 2142 champ!
(laugher all around)
Alex Aguila: I don't know about in the whole company but in this room (Alex looks around the room for a second and shyly smiles) ya, I've got the high score.
Now you tell me that it isn't cool as hell that Alex pre-qualifies himself as the 'Resident Gamer' before even mentioning his official title and job capacities to us? That volley between these industry titans encapsulates the vibe felt all around the company. These guys and gals are just like you and I at the core of it all. They are all gamers and enthusiasts first and foremost. They just happen to work at the one company that started it all in the world of boutique, customized and high end gaming PC's. Ordinary people creating extraordinary circumstances that have helped shape the way you and I enjoy PC gaming yesterday, today and in the future.
In fact they went on for several minutes bantering about who is the best knifer in Battlefield 2142 and how many times throughout the day (they suggested a minimum of 3 per day) they get emails with screenshots from one or more employees showing off their trophy of a high ranking Alienware officer's dog tags. You have to love that if you play Battlefield games!
As we moved on through the interview we touched on some of the game titles on the horizon they're most excited about:
Us: As game enthusiasts, are there any specific titles coming out that really tickle your feather?
Frank Azors/Senior VP of Product Development: (without hesitation) Crysis.
Alex: Ya, Crysis looks really cool.
Frank: Supreme Commander and the fact that it supports dual monitors is cool as well.
Alex: Yes definatley. There's some MMORPG's coming out but I don't know if I want to do the whole emotional investment again just yet
(more laughter all around)
It was good to see these big-wig executives have been at the short end of a wife/girlfriend/Mom/Dad's wrath stick over countless hours spent in front of a PC monitor trying to just get to that one...next...level in an MMO! Again, more proof that these are just gamers trying to make their way through the universe, looking for the next ultimate PC gaming experience.
So we move on to personal preferences with PC hardware:
Us: Ok, you're going to a LAN and your arch nemesis is going to be there. The brackets look like it's going to be you and them in the finals. Are you bringing a laptop or a desktop and what graphics processor and CPU would you prefer?
Alex: I'm too lazy to take my desktop. I have a 9700 that is unbelievable. Whenever I got on vacation I play with it, my son plays on it. If I truly go to a LAN party, I take my 9700 without a doubt. If I am playing online and from home, I use a desktop so I can use my big screen...you play on a 30" Dell screen and (pause) shew, my lord.
Us: What hardware is in your desktop?
Alex: Actually I'm a little behind the times, I'm like at a 3 point something (Pentium 4) and an SLI system. But I have like three Aurora m9700's so I make up for it!
(Two points of note: Alex likes Intel and AMD and is currently using Nvidia SLI systems for graphics)
Frank: Three years ago I would have told you I would have taken my desktop but nowadays the notebook is sufficient for taking it to a LAN party and playing in a gaming tournament for a couple of hours.The desktop is still the best for when you're at home and completely want to immerse yourself in an experience, at 1920x1200 or whatever it may be. It's probably (the desktop) is probably still a better option because it has that little bit more performance in it and it also has a hard drive storage advantage because these days we're storing a lot more than just games on our systems. There's a lot of multi-media content from pictures to movies to downloaded videos that we find on the internet. So the desktop has an advantage at that but I have a bad back so I'd just have to take the notebook with me.
(more laughter from old guys with bad backs...me included...drat!)
Pay close attention to Frank Azor's answers here and at the Notebookforums post people. Frank is pretty much the guy that takes products from idea to concept to prototype to the market and finally to your home. He not only has a finger on the pulse of hardware development and global preferences but also of gaming both with regards to trends and futures in the US and abroad. In our time spent together I gathered that Frank is as much of a gaming nut as Alex is and that he honestly believes that to build a great product you have to understand who the product is for and for what application they will be using it. Sounds like a good excuse to game all day at work if you ask me! :)
Seriously though for us gamers, to have a guy like Frank helping steer the great ship Alienware (an in turn much of the industry because of it), is a great boon for the future of our beloved gaming platform known as the personal computer.
So those were some of the more in-depth gaming questions we had for the folks during our sit down time in the executive boardroom. I again cannot recommend to you enough that you stop by the Notebookforums edition of our time in Miami with the great people at Alienware as it is a much longer piece with more industry related questions, new product information, pictures and more.
In closing I'd just like to give a huge shout out to Kathryn for being so great to work with in the planning and execution of this event as well as her patience with us as she showed a bunch of drooling nerds around the building. I hope we didn't get any on you!
Also a big thanks to Juan for years of helping out, Claudina for being so open and responsive to our world, Bryan for your unique and informative insight into the products and, last but certainly not least, my girl I.B...you know who you are, one in a million kid, one in a million :)
Oh and to the executives...you can find me on the StrafeRight Battlefield 2142 Server anytime after 8pm EST. Bring your knife...and some of these. You're going to need them soldiers!
-Craig
Comments
schweet!
fantastic read, great job!
nice!
(but the thread at NBF appears to awol...
Amazing trip! A Great company. Envy all of you :)