As consoles become more like personal computers with their patches and their upgrades, so too do PCs become more like consoles, with more people using control pads and hooking them up to TVs than ever before.
Alienware sees a market in this, with the launch of the X51, a small PC that looks, and is designed to act, as much like a console as a computer.
On the inside, it's of course a PC. The base model, with a Core i3, 4GB RAM and GT545 should be able to handle Battlefield 3 at close to full settings. You can then upgrade as you fancy.
But the casing itself is small, and designed specifically to be slung either vertically or horizontally under a TV set.
With Steam launching its "Big Picture" mode later this year, and more and more console games coming to PC with better graphics and control pad support, this might not be as stupid an idea as it first sounds.
UPDATE - Got the full specs from Alienware.
Intel Core i5 Dual Core (standard) and Intel Core i7 Quad Core Processor Options
· Intel H61 Express Chipset Architecture
· Mini-ITX Motherboard
· Powerful NVIDIA Graphics Card Options
o 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 545iii (Standard)
o 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 555iii
· Configure with up to 8GB of DDR3 Memoryiii (4GB Standard); 2x 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Slots
· Fast 7,200RPM 1TB Hard Driveiv
· Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
· Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (Standard) or optional Blu-ray Disc Reader
· Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with Waves MAXX Audio Software
· Integrated 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Integrated 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless LAN (standard)
· USB 2.0 (6x); USB 3.0 (2x); Microphone In; Headphone/Speaker Out; HDMI 1.4 Output; RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet; Front, Rear and Center Speaker Ports; SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK); SPDIF Digital Output (Coax)
· Alienware 240 Watt Power Supply (Standard) or optional 330 Watt Power Supply
· Dual-orientation tower system dimensions: h: 13.5" (343mm) x w: 3.74" (95mm) x d: 12.52" (318mm)
· Starting Weight: 12.1 lbs. (5.49 Kg.)