Alienware
Portal
How Can We Create Immersion
in the Future of Gaming?
Partnered* with Alienware to conceptualize a gaming console for 2035.
4 Weeks | 150 Hours | 2025
Skills | User Research, User Experience, Iteration, Ergonomics
Software | Solidworks, Keyshot, Adobe Suite
VR isn’t the answer. Why?
The frontier of immersion in gaming usually points to VR. But it’s an incomplete solution.
Physical
Eye Strain
Extended VR usage has been documented to cause strain and blurry vision. Not really ideal considering people can game for hours on end.
Social Isolation
VR games are very rarely multiplayer. Even if they are it's not the same as playing split screen on a couch. The social setting is a big draw for many casual gamers.
Game Dev Nightmare
VR games are hard to make, plain and simple. They cost high in development and often don't reach the same reception as PC or console games.
Conducting Market Research and User Interviews
Discovering emerging trends in technology and societal behavior through in-depth market research and user interviews.
Design Criteria
Freedom
How can we prioritize ease of use?
Community
How do we encourage and facilitate virtual and physical social interaction?
Connection
How do we fully immerse the player?
Exploring Concept Directions Defining Immersion
Ideated multiple directions to address flexibility and inclusivity, establishing the foundation for future-focused design.
Recording User Scenarios to Validate Prototype Interaction
Built physical models to test user experience. Acted out and recorded short scenarios to validate design concepts.
Defining a Tech Stack for Immersive Gaming
Identified a specific hardware and software framework through research and scenario testing. This configuration addresses VR limitations to enable immersive gameplay.
Ultrasound
Haptics
Ultrasound
Haptics
Projection
Mapping
Projection
Mapping
Controller
Tracked
Gesture
Inputs
Controller
Tracked
Gesture
Inputs
Iterating Touch Points via CAD and 3D Printing
Refined physical interfaces through digital modeling and 3D printing. Validated ergonomic refinements via continuous scenario testing.
Designing the Console Around Controller
Prioritized the primary user interface to define the system's form. Established a cohesive aesthetic for both docked and handheld configurations.
Projecting a Decade of Gaming Evolution
Alienware Portal is an all-in-one gaming console, designed to bring the game world into our own.
This concept is an educated imagining of what gaming could look like a decade from today.
Integrating Ultrasound Haptics into Wearable Controllers
Integrated ultrasound haptics, accelerometers, and proximity sensors into wearable controllers. This simulates physical resistance and textures during gameplay.
Applying Surface Textures to Integrate Brand Identity
The Morph Rings use texture to push both functionality and the Alienware brand language.
User Programmable Gesture Inputs
Similar to button mapping, Morph Rings allow you to map your own gestures to button inputs. Slash downwards for a light attack, or swing up for a heavy. Pull back to notch an arrow, or bring up both hands to peer down iron sights.
Incorporating Cinematic Sci-Fi Influence into Console Form
Integrated design elements from the Alienware brand story and the Dune films. This approach translates cinematic aesthetics into the physical console geometry.
Integrating AI-Driven Projection for Environmental Feedback
The console provides real-time visual cues for in-game status and environmental changes through projection mapping.
Validating System Performance Through Final User Scenarios
MEMS microphones and motion sensors detect audio cues and movement patterns. An aluminum heat sink manages thermal output while establishing a premium weight and presence.
Validating System Performance Through Final User Scenarios
MEMS microphones and motion sensors detect audio cues and movement patterns. An aluminum heat sink manages thermal output while establishing a premium weight and presence.
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