At CES 2022, Alienware unveiled the Concept Nyx. It is a game streaming platform that allows a home gamer to stream games from his one powerful gaming PC to multiple TVs at the same time. Home streaming from your PC is not a new concept (opens in new tab)However, Alienware is looking to streamline the experience, starting with the controller.
I got my hands on a Concept Nyx game controller at a recent Alienware event. I didn’t play the game, but I was able to play with many of the controller’s features.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Nyx controller is that instead of a proper directional pad, it has a circular touchpad that acts as a mouse for navigating in-game menus in titles traditionally geared toward keyboard and mouse. In fact, one of his recorded gameplay demos I was shown had a touchpad mapped to a Guild Wars 2 skill. for movement. I’m looking at you, Steam Controller. (opens in new tab)
A large part of the demo was devoted primarily to using tools with controller functionality and learning the controller’s role in Nyx’s game streaming ecosystem. Think of your controller as a hall pass to access games on your home TV. With the Nyx app installed on your TV, you can enter any room and instantly see your game profile. The Alienware logo in the middle is a thumbprint reader that identifies you, loads your game library, and resumes progress. The idea is that if you get kicked out of your TV for some reason, you can easily pick up where you left off in another room.
My favorite controller feature is the “self-adjusting variable resistance thumb stick”. This means you can adjust the thumbstick tension on the fly without opening the controller or using any tools. In addition to thumbstick settings, you can customize the haptics of these controllers for each game. All of this is controlled by her two scroll wheels on the bottom of the controller. No software required.
Multiple Nyx users can even share their screens and play two completely different games side by side at the same time, as long as they have two Nyx controllers. It might sound cool in theory, but unless you’re sporting a giant TV in your living room, it can be a distraction.
In a press release, Dell and Alienware hope to use Concept Nyx’s computing power outside of gaming within 10 years to enable ‘virtual collaboration spaces’ with displays and other tools that eliminate the need for VR headsets I think. .”
Of course, an Alienware official reiterated that this is a concept and the Concept Nyx isn’t scheduled to hit the market anytime soon. wanted to know However, even if such a controller were sold, I don’t think it would be cheap.
It’s not uncommon for the company to bring wild concepts to the public that have commercial potential and never seem to be heard again, such as the Steam Deck version of Concept UFO. (opens in new tab)at CES a few years ago.
