At a glance, I wouldn't blame you for assuming this is Nintendo's beloved handheld. Forgive me for over-emphasizing the likeness, but I mean, look at it!

What may not be immediately obvious is the size difference. The Concept UFO isn't huge, but it's definitely wider and beefier than the Switch. It's still fairly comfortable to hold (at least, for shorter sessions), but it is approximately half again the size of the Switch. I should add that the colored lighting here in the display area is making it look quite blue, but the actual device chassis is white.

The bigger body size not only gets you a larger screen, a must for plenty of PC games, but it is likely necessary for the components inside the system. Make no mistake: This device is running Windows and acting, generally, like a full PC. In my hands-on time, I saw the development team navigate to a full-on Windows 10 desktop, and they told me you could theoretically browse the web and do other PC tasks here.

For gaming, though, Alienware built a software launcher that acts as a library for all of your games across various clients. This interface makes it easy to launch everything from one space (and do so on a screen much smaller than what you'd use with most computers).

Unfortunately, I can't specify what those components are. Given that this is not a retail-ready product (and if it will ever get that far, who can say), Alienware was not willing to disclose what parts were inside. The screen was solid visually, but I can't confirm the resolution, either. I suspect, like the Switch, it's a fairly low resolution, which is actually pretty acceptable for the panel size. On closer inspection on most games, I think the settings were tuned toward the lower side. Character models in Mortal Kombat 11, for instance, had fuzzy edges, so perhaps all anti-aliasing was turned off.

That said, the games on the whole looked pretty good, so I'm not sure the visuals were dialed all the way down. It was impressive to play games on the Concept UFO, and I can absolutely say they worked and ran smoothly. The idea of a Switch-like device that can run PC games is pretty tantalizing, so I certainly understand why Alienware is experimenting with this idea. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery.

With no information on specs or development/materials cost, any guess at the price would be just that: a guess. Alienware was tight-lipped on this front but happy to take suggestions! I can only speculate that it would perhaps settle in the high-end console range, like the cost of an Xbox One or PS4, but it could easily be hundreds more considering the miniaturization, the built-in screen, and it being a full-fledged PC taken into account.

Now, about those controllers. A button on the rear of each side handle allows you to pull the controller off the body. (Again, stop me if you've heard this one before.) They come off easily enough, and can be snapped back on just as easily. It's less of a sliding track action than the Switch's method, but it works similarly. You can see a before-and-after here, with the controller attached to the base system (above), and then (below) to the separate handle grip.

Once the controllers have been removed from the main body, you can attach them to a separate grip, where they slot in the same way as they do to the base system. I should note that the controllers were not yet working when removed from the chassis, so the remote play was only for show.

Attached to the main body, the controllers felt pretty responsive, and I liked the action on the sticks. The ringed LEDs are also a nice touch on a visual level, and they can be used as an indicator for different actions (presumably including battery life).

This shot is just for show, since the controllers weren't working remotely, but it demonstrates the idea. A sturdy rear kickstand that runs the width of the device holds it up for gaming this way. Like a laptop or a Nintendo Switch outside of your home, this is a good setup to play with people gathered around, or on the go if you have a surface like a table or airplane tray to play on.

What the Concept UFO did not have was some sort of docking solution. With the Switch, you drop the device into an included dock to automatically display onto your larger screen of choice, say a TV, via an HDMI cable. It's very possible Alienware would make such a docking solution if this becomes a real product, or might have one in the works. But the Concept UFO still can connect to a screen without one. A USB-C port on the top of the device allows you to project the device's screen onto another display, as shown here. I could certainly hear the device's internal fans cranking hard to keep this going.

Nonetheless, this is an incredibly intriguing experiment from Alienware. I hope it hits the market in some form, and it's an indication that Alienware feels mobile gaming is the future. If such a device doesn't come from the company, I bet another will make the jump, since the idea is so appealing, and proven from Nintendo's mobile console. Obvious Switch parallels aside, this would be an interesting product to watch on the market, and I'd be very curious about the price if it comes to fruition. Check back for any future updates, and stay tuned for all of our CES 2020 coverage.