Well, Dell did try hard to reinvent itself, moving away from the cheap uninspiring PC box maker it was, and spending billions at it.
Not only does the OS bring in billions in profits, it provides users with a familiar interface, whether it is on their PC, personal digital assistant, set-top box, Tablet PC or cell phone.
Obviously most console titles are not yet being downloaded, but it does cut out practically the entire PC market which rarely buys box copies of games.
FORBES: The Ten Best Selling Games of the 2012 - Industry Down 22%
Why not push digital music and video stored on a PC or set-top box with a hard drive to any TV or stereo system in the house?
Valve, best known for the Half-Life, Left4Dead and the Steam online game store has long been known to be working on a console or set-top box that puts PC-based titles onto a TV.
"Many consumers today are looking for a way to enjoy Internet video on their TVs but they don't want to have to connect their PC or buy a separate box to make that happen, " said Norm Bogen, Vice President of Digital Entertainment Research at In-Stat.
ENGADGET: DivX unveils its new form as online video-to-TV enabler
That means he doesn't put much stock in all the hype at the Consumer Electronics Show around the almighty trend of convergence: systems that can shuttle your movies, songs and photos from the Internet to the set-top box to the PC and back without calling an IT specialist.
The fewer steps a consumer must take -- from opening the box to running a PC--the better, Whalley says.
The device will let consumers take TV shows recorded to their PC, Tivo or Replay TV box on the go with them.
Eliminating the need for a PC or a separate, dedicated box under the television, DivX TV represents a true step forward in connected entertainment.
ENGADGET: DivX unveils its new form as online video-to-TV enabler
The above image is the Dark Souls 2 box art for the PC version of the game, which will be available the same day as the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
Orders drop from the Internet right to the factory floor, where Dell can assemble and box a custom-configured PC in less than four hours.
When you want to shift the viewing experience from your PC to your HDTV, the Boxee Box by D-Link automatically imports your account, bringing your favorite TV shows, apps, and friends with you.
ENGADGET: Boxee Box ditches NVIDIA's Tegra 2 for Intel CE4100, pre-orders start today at $199
If that box is a Windows-based PC, Microsoft has nothing to worry about.
Wheel out of the box, drivers installed on the PC, pedals on the floor, held firmly in place by their considerable heft (11lbs), and everything connected to the PC, we started with iRacing.
ENGADGET: Fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel and Clubsport pedals review
The theoretical Steam Box could be a terrific way to transform PC gaming, and I think the stars are aligning for just this sort of move.
Late last year, Intel quietly introduced the Next Unit of Computing ( NUC): a miniature, barebones desktop PC that represents a modern take on the traditional beige box.
Each computer you want to network needs its own HomePlug box, with an Ethernet or USB cable running to the PC and a power plug connected to the wall.
Iomega prides itself on providing total solutions, which is why all of the new Iomega USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives come complete out of the box with 256-bit hardware encryption built-in (PC only), as well as the cables required to enjoy your drive right away, whether your desktop or laptop has USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 ports.
ENGADGET: Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices
That's why later this year, some PC makers will introduce lines of desktop machines that depart from the commonplace beige box.
Teusink demonstrated at the Hack In The Box talk how he could run a Metasploit exploit on the victim PC with just a few keystrokes to remotely hijack the machine.
Overlooking the fact that Max Payne was released for PC, PS3 and Xbox, while Diablo 3 is PC only, GfK does not track digital downloads of the game, only box copies.
With touch-screen functionality on a fully capable machine with a proper amount of on-board storage that will be able to smoothly run Microsoft Office applications out of the box, Windows 8 promises to be an exciting transition for dedicated PC users, while offering the best of both worlds for tablet users.
You can't get a truly hot-rodded box from this outfit, but you can get a special Doom 3 PC to fully experience the hit game.
Consumers are able to use this solution right out of the box and begin saving their digital files by simply connecting it to their PC.
ENGADGET: Toshiba unveils 2TB Canvio Basics and Special Edition portable drives
While we've seen some exotic PC mods in our time, most of those still dutifully stuff all the computer parts into a box, hiding them from the outside world.
ENGADGET: Project Inverted turns a gaming PC inside-out with hand-made casing
Users will be able to watch the Freewire service on their PC, laptop or Apple Mac as well as through televisions with the help of a set-top box.
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