Origin Reveals Gaming PC & Console Hybrid, Big O, at CES 2020
Origin PC unveiled the Big O today at CES 2020, a gaming PC and console hybrid that will look to smoothly integrate the two platforms together in 2020 and will be available for purchase starting today. Origin PC is a custom computer building company that was recently acquired by Corsair, and is often cited as one of the better broadly-available builders while also maintaining a heavy presence within the esports scene, particularly on the collegiate level.
While the PC platform for gaming has long been considered the optimal configuration for consumers who want the maximum amount of power and performance from their device, there is a growing feeling that the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft will challenge that notion more seriously than the current gen ever did. Sony's PlayStation 5 is frequently cited as possessing a ground-breaking SSD that will reduce load times so much it might outstrip well-built gaming PCs, while the Microsoft Xbox Series X was unveiled towards the end of 2019 and even looks more like a PC rig than any console has before. Even before the Origin PC announcement, it's already felt like 2020 would see the PC and console platforms begin to cross over into each other in more meaningful ways.
Origin PC is looking to accelerate that process with the Big O, however. Revealed earlier today during CES 2020, the Big O is a hybrid gaming desktop that combines a PC with a gaming console, with configurations starting at $2499 USD. The Big O will use the same dual-chamber design of the Corsair Crystal Series 280x to fit both PC components and console hardware. Customers can currently select between a PlayStation 4 Pro or an Xbox One S All-Digital Edition as a console placed inside the Big O.
It's certainly a ground-breaking move for Origin PC, which will offer the first commercially widespread set-up like the Big O. However, the move also comes at a truly bizarre time, as it essentially offers a cutting edge PC for an increased price so that gamers can also have consoles that will be obsolete, or last-gen, by the end of 2020. While the set up itself is an appealing one now, it will quickly be out-stripped by the next-gen arriving in the same year.
While it's possible Origin PC is already prepared to offer the next-gen consoles in a similar setup, it also remains unclear if that will be desirable. With the next-gen consoles already more closely resembling PCs in terms of power, performance, and hardware specs overall - and with cloud-based gaming a continued topic of discussion that could invalidate what consumers currently know about console and PC dynamics - it might not be necessary to own a gaming PC and a console in the near future. Still, it's a hybridization of two platforms that many gamers already actively participate in at the same time, so the Origin PC Big O could very well be a hot seller in 2020, even though that feels like it will be difficult to predict heading into a year that's tagged for a lot of change to the industry as a whole.