China-based laptop maker ThunderRobot is launching a new PC console. IT home — This looks like a copycat of Alienware’s Steam machine from a few years ago. Dubbed MIX, the console will feature the latest CPU and GPU hardware from Intel and Nvidia, including the 13th Gen Core CPU and RTX 4060. The new console will launch on July 21st, presumably for the Chinese market.
You probably haven’t heard of ThundeRobot, but the name is hugely popular in Asia and is China’s third largest consumer supplier of notebooks and gaming peripherals. The company shares many similarities with Asus and Razer and sells its own custom branded gaming notebooks, gaming monitors, keyboards, mice, monitors and game controllers.
The console released by Thunderobot is a very compact gaming device that is nearly 60% smaller than the Xbox Series S. The exact specs of the new console weren’t mentioned, but Thunderobot has confirmed that the console will feature one or more of Intel’s new features. A 13th Gen Raptor Lake HX-series mobile CPU and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4060 — this could be the mobile version, or it could be the full-blown desktop version. we don’t know.
The console may look familiar, but its design language is strikingly similar to the Steam Machine Alienware built years ago, when Steam Machine still existed. The ThundeRobot console definitely looks more modern, but the matte black finish and front-right triangular indentation are suspiciously similar to Alienware’s console, as if the developer was directly inspired by his Alienware console PC. It seems (it is possible). (It also helps that the logo on the ThunderRobot helmet looks nearly identical to the Alienware logo.)
Either way, this console is nicely finished and should suit just about any gaming setup.
The ultra-compact design of this console is arguably the biggest highlight of this device, allowing gamers to play PC games even in tight spaces such as dorm rooms and RVs. With a size of just 1.7 liters, it looks like a giant console when compared to popular consoles like the Series S, but the extremely small size is definitely compensated for by the integration of mobile components. If ThundeRobot had taken a larger design similar to, say, the Series S, it could have used desktop parts with significantly better performance.
According to IT Home, the price is expected to be around 6000 yuan, or about $830. The console will launch in China on July 21st in just a few days, but we don’t expect it to launch in the US anytime soon.
