Dell latest high-end gaming laptop clearly pwnz competition and it’s no wonder that company engineers have dubbed the thick, top-notch technology-packed machine “the Beast”.
XPS 1730 boasts with two world’s first: the integration of Ageia PhysX Mobile Technology for realistic in-game objects interaction and the inclusion of Logitech’s GamePanel LCD. The latter allows gamers to view game stats, create new macros and track important system information without leaving the game. Ageia’s physics simulation technologies allow for life-like collisions between in-game objects, realistic fluid and particle animations and so on. “The Beast” has an Ageia PhysX 100M processor under the hood and since there’s only a single major PC title that supports Ageia technologies (Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 1&2), clients will receive it as a bundle when they acquire the XPS 1730, but this promotion is only available for a limited period of time.
Dell’s high-end gaming laptop comes in four flavors: Crimson Red, Sapphire Blue, Bone White, and Smoke Grey. The notebook (strange name for a beast that runs games at a minimum of 65 fps at 1600X1200 resolution, eh?) is SLI-ready and DirectX 10 compatible, due to the two GeForce Go 8700M GT GPUs with 256MB found under its casing, but Dell has thought at future technology advancements too and will offer a graphics upgrade program when next-generation graphics processor is available.
Other features include a backlit keyboard with separate 10-key number pad, a high-definition display with a lightning fast response time of 7 milliseconds2 and support for Dell’s LightFX application, allowing users and developers to manipulate the system’s multi-colored perimeter lighting LEDs.
Multiplayer gaming addicts will probably find useful the inclusion of an optional built-in mobile broadband module, which allows them to freely switch between carriers like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless, but also between Wi-Fi networks and even Wireless-N. Systems also include a built-in Web camera and digital array microphone.
“Dell is committed to the creation of PCs that will take hard-core gamers to new frontiers,” said Glen Robson, head of Dell’s XPS systems. “The XPS M1730 engineering team worked with developers on leading titles such as The Orange Box from Valve’s Half Life 2 and 2K Games’ BioShock to help ensure this notebook can deliver the full-throttle power required for the most anticipated PC games.”
“The seamless integration of PhysX into this innovative new product clearly raises the bar in mobile PC gaming,” said Manju Hegde, CEO of AGEIA. “Exciting new PhysX-powered games such as Tom Clancy’s GRAW2 from Ubisoft, NetDevil’s Warmonger and Midway and Epic Games’ upcoming Unreal Tournament 3 are a perfect match for the XPS 1730.”
Lionel Menchaca, Digital Media Manager at Dell, said that the company will offer the laptop for sale later this year. For now, enthusiasts who can’t wait to get at least a glimpse (if not their hands on) of the most powerful portable gaming rig out there can schedule an appointment with Valve’s Gabe Newell in New York, since he will be the first to demo the beast’s capabilities at the DigitalLife theater there, with Dell and subsidiary Alienware sponsoring the onsite gaming tournament. The parade will include some previously unknown content from Valve’s Orange Box. Menchaca added that “We begin taking orders today and expect to ship most orders within 10 days from the time the order is processed.”
With a starting price of $2,999, the XPS M1730 features and Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 processor at 2.2GHz; 17-inch UltraSharp widescreen (1920x1200) display with TrueLife technology (wide viewing angle, 7ms response gray to gray, 260 nits typical brightness); 2GB dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz; NVIDIA SLI technology with dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT GPUs with 256MB; AGEIA PhysX 100MTM processor ; 200GB5 7200 RPM hard disc drive; 8x DVD+/-RW; 2.0 MP built-in webcam with dual digital array microphones and a 80WHr Lithium-Ion battery, among other things.
Customers can choose either Windows XP Professional or Vista Premium as their operating system. Optional upgrades that are available at request include 4GB of system RAM, insertion of Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 (2.4GHz) or Intel Extreme Edition Core 2 Duo X7900 processor (2.8GHz) with support for overclocking to 3.2GHz (Bin+2) and Blu Ray disc.
