ASUS Eee PC desktop finally revealed?

We've all been waiting to see what ASUS's Eee PC desktop would turn out to look like, and HotHardware is claiming these shots are the real deal. Yeah, we know, it's a bit reminiscent of a certain motion-sensing game console, but besides these kind of grainy photos we've still got almost nothing to go by. Yet!

[shawnmos @ Mar 29th 2008 2:59AM]

Doesn't a desktop kind of defeat the purpose?

[v3xx @ Mar 29th 2008 3:06AM]

regardless SEXY SEXY SEXY. doesn't seem stable though.

[v3xx @ Mar 29th 2008 3:09AM]

plus i can see someone adding this to a tv set up. my dad wants a cheapo desktop for internet and e-mail.

[Totalfixation @ Mar 29th 2008 6:07AM]

I don't know, I think it does defeat the purpose, but I'm sure many would like a nice small looking desktop PC. For the purpose of elegance, desk space, and also connecting a monitor to a laptop is not as appealing to the eye as this Eee PC desktop .

[Kasi Viswanath @ Mar 29th 2008 7:54AM]

Anything sexy can't be "i"Stable! This is a fact. Looks are deceptive!

But, Asus may be an exception. I trust them :-)

[Bob @ Mar 29th 2008 8:11AM]

What if... You bought this and put it in your pocket, then hooked up a virtual keyboard (those gloves that can tell what letter you are typing) and then get a pair of glasses that can have video projected on them and a bluetooth stereo headset. Then you would have a UPC, ultra personal computer, because nobody could see what you are looking at. Then you wouldn't have to worry about offending anyone when you are looking at your "favorite websites." ;-)

[ScareyJ @ Mar 29th 2008 8:17AM]

I'm guessing in the corporate world where virtualization is blooming, this will fill the void of lite terminal computers that can do some local computing. On the consumer side, it would be great in the kitchen or plug and play machines for the less aggressive users (older generation, libraries, schools, etc)

[Austin @ Mar 29th 2008 9:00AM]

No, it doesn't. Why? A lot of households pay a lot and get good bandwidth, but have maybe 1 or 2 actual power users in the home. A cheapie like this allows the non-power-users a computer without a resident power user, with which to check their facebook and email, check their balance on online banking, watch the latest homestar cartoon, listen to pandora, and play endlessly on neopets.

And on the plus side for us power users, not only does it get them out of our hair, it gives them their special own place to foolishly download smiley central away from our friggin partition. Viva La Eee!

So yes, I can see the market for this. just not for the typical engadget reader as much. Although heck, who knows, if this thing runs for less than 450 I might buy it and make a little mini-desk next to mine so people can keep me company.

[Deputy Doffoos @ Mar 29th 2008 12:51PM]

Its A WII ffs!

[Drew @ Mar 29th 2008 3:02AM]

That's not a desktop, it's a dekstop!

[wzcx @ Mar 29th 2008 4:00AM]

wat

[Miles @ Mar 29th 2008 5:02AM]

That's not a desktop... it's a spoon.

[Maestro @ Mar 29th 2008 8:41AM]

That's clearly a moon and not a space station...

[Sukhminder @ Mar 29th 2008 9:44AM]

Looks like someone's played knifey-spooney before

[helloUser @ Mar 29th 2008 3:02AM]

Looks more like a clash between a mac mini and a wii.

I like it though.

[Johnny @ Mar 29th 2008 3:06AM]

Just what I was thinking.

[SimonRichards @ Mar 29th 2008 3:23AM]

Mini Wii? ^.^

[Kaminix @ Mar 29th 2008 4:12AM]

Weee Mini

[Blackstar @ Mar 29th 2008 4:49AM]

A Winnii?

So, does that mean I can throw it at my TV or I can play Super Mario on OS X now?

[nh @ Mar 29th 2008 11:03AM]

I'm late to the party, but I can't be the only one to be thinking Wii PC... or is that too obvious?

[finnith @ Mar 29th 2008 11:41AM]

I thought it looked more like a combination of the Wii and the HP Blackbird case.

[B.C. @ Mar 31st 2008 8:07PM]

Hmmmm, how about the Eee WiiNii ??

[RichardBronosky @ Mar 31st 2008 4:49PM]

"doesn't seem stable though."

Don't jump to conclusions. Nothing has been said about this thing shipping with a microsoft OS. Give them the benefit of the doubt. It will most likely have the same Linux as the EEE portable. ;-)

[v3xx @ Mar 31st 2008 9:24PM]

mas puto i was talking about the ring at the bottom. rtfa.

[jessleone84 @ Mar 29th 2008 3:16AM]

That's a slick-looking desktop. I want, I want.

[retro77 @ Mar 29th 2008 3:18AM]

Nice! Asus is really turning out to be a company that produces stuff that people like. Kinda like that Cupertino place...except there's a slight difference...price is one...I just cant quite put my finger on the other one....

Oh and I just ordered my 7" Eee Lappy tonight! In black of course...ya ya ya of course I got the 8GB model....geez!

See ya all around! "Get out my way fruit!"

[turn.self.off @ Mar 29th 2008 5:57AM]

i suspect the word your looking for is fashion...

apple is fashionable, asus is geeky...

[retro77 @ Mar 29th 2008 10:38AM]

I like that....geeky. I can't say I'm fashionable because I dont fit into those clothes at the high end stores, nor are my eyes surrounded by makeup to cover up the rings from doing to much speed.

^^geeky^^

[Jeff Lewis @ Mar 29th 2008 6:36PM]

Geeky IS a kind of fashion.

Apple didn't invent fashion.

[Bani-Banan @ Mar 29th 2008 3:30AM]

As I said before, If I can put OS X 86 on that, I'd buy that before you even have time to fap at a /b/ picture.

Although, it's probably better than the Apple TV. I sure we can upgrade the hard drive. I doubt it'll include a 4GB SSD.

[Andrew Campbell @ Mar 29th 2008 3:48AM]

Tits or GTFO.

[ethana2 @ Mar 29th 2008 4:54AM]

OSX on x86 can go screw itself. The ****s at Apple are the reason more people use the GPLv3 than the BSD license.

As for us non-windows, non-mac users *dodges screwdriver*, our hardware support is better, and we have more games. ..not that you'd want to play them on a thing like the eee...

[Nathan @ Mar 29th 2008 2:32PM]

Oh get off your stupid *NIX /BSD box, no one gives TWO shits what OS you use.

NO ONES GIVES TWO SHITS about how using a niche operating system makes you feel happy in your pants, and superior to all those idiot Windows and Mac users who never have to compile software with a command line, or change settings with a terminal window.

"OMG I get to do things the hard way, on an OS no one cares about! *flex e-peen*!!!!"

Piss off! God!

[skulldriveshaft @ Mar 29th 2008 11:18PM]

@Nathan

Not all distros are created equal.

And calling *nix a niche operating system, is a little outdated now. I'm glad you can feel happy in your pants using Windows or OSX though.

Ubuntu, and a few others, have moved very far away from a command line compiling requirement. But, if you absolutely need it, it's still there.

Moving onto the headline though.

This could help relieve some pressure for EEE's, on second thought, probably not.

ASUS really has a massive glowing halo floating above their headquarters, and they're doing it with windows, and linux. Not many companies could do this, and I don't think many of those companies would even risk it like ASUS has.

For this year I'm going to be buying a handful of ASUS systems, the price points are very attractive.

Hope we see this in North America as soon as possible. I'm also waiting for their widescreen HDTV LCD's that come integrated with a computer.

[Nathan @ Mar 30th 2008 5:01AM]

So a *NIX OS is not niche anymore you say? Mainstream now is it? Let's exclude any UNIX desktops and focus on just Linux.

Well, first let's go ahead and check some market share numbers for February 2008 real quick:

Of computers that browse the internet
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8
91.58% are Windows based
7.46% are Apple OSes (not including iPhone @ 0.14%)

little quick math and...
that is 99.04% of internet browsing desktop operating systems.
Linux (any distro thereof) adds 0.65% to the pie

Now, let's look at the definition of a niche market:
www.stealingshare.com/terminology.asp
"Not mass marketed. Marketed to a smaller group of consumers who share a specific need/desire that is not a universal consumer expectation."

So, now, given that less than 1% of internet users do so with a Linux desktop system, and given that I have provided the definition of niche, tell me again how my assumption is outdated.

[Baller @ Apr 6th 2008 9:42PM]

Nathan is the fuckin' man.

[k99goran @ Mar 31st 2008 7:46AM]

"Linux (any distro thereof) adds 0.65% to the pie"
"Not mass marketed. Marketed to a smaller group of consumers who share a specific need/desire that is not a universal consumer expectation."

A product can be marketed to a large group of consumers and still command a small overall market share.

This would be the case of products that either don't meet the targeted market's demands or has just been introduced to a slow moving market. I think many Linux distributions would fit into the latter category. Even if you were to make an operating system that could compete with Windows on all fronts it would take a long time before the market would shift.

[brickwood @ Mar 29th 2008 3:53AM]

looks to me like a fake, fan-made rendering.

[ethana2 @ Mar 29th 2008 4:55AM]

2.46 is almost out! ...anybody want to see the eee desktop... with hair?

[Eh @ Mar 29th 2008 3:58AM]

It didnt remind me of a wii at all, my first thought was a modem or some kind of wireless base station

[peshue @ Mar 29th 2008 4:20AM]

If it's real I hope you can take the base off and lay it sideways. I'd seriously getting my parents one of these so I can take back my desktop someday.

[ianzhere @ Mar 29th 2008 4:35AM]

Where is the DVD slot?

[ethana2 @ Mar 29th 2008 4:58AM]

I like seeing less of optical drives. Perhaps eventually proprietary software developers will catch on... *coughnocdhackscough*

[josh @ Mar 29th 2008 12:01PM]

"I like seeing less of optical drives. Perhaps eventually proprietary software developers will catch on... *coughnocdhackscough*"

Yes, well it does sort of kill its market as a single pc household device without an optical drive. Last I checked, most programs were distributed on CD/DVD still even if they don't need the disc after installation. It also kills it as any sort of HTPC device, since it won't play DVDs (of course the fact that it has rock bottom prices also suggests that there will be other corners cut that kill it as an HTPC).

Also, if you think this is going to have any impact on software distribution and practices I think you are mistaken. It may sell reasonably well, but Asus isn't about to get the market influence that Dell or HP could swing, and even they don't have a great deal of say with regards to the software industry.

[thegreatino @ Mar 29th 2008 3:33PM]

top loading slot perhaps?

[BigD145 @ Mar 29th 2008 4:14PM]

If Windows actually had simple network CD/DVD drive sharing, I wouldn't care about a lack of a drive.

[RichardBronosky @ Mar 31st 2008 6:28PM]

"of course the fact that it has rock bottom prices also suggests that there will be other corners cut that kill it as an HTPC"

Actually, what is killing HTPCs is A) lack of Linux support for GPU assisted video decoding, and B) the insane resources required for microsoft OSes and HD encryption schemes. You cannot buy a video card from NewEgg that is not powerful enough for 1080i decoding. They can all do it. But, the only people interested in helping Linux users utilize this power in the GPU is Intel. And they only manufacture chipsets for use on board. Intel has not yet got the problem solved, but they have some amazing developers like Keith Packard working on it and will no doubt be the first the allow Linux users build low power fanless HD HTPCs.

It's very sad that the VIA Unichrome Pro II chipsets should be able to drive HTPCs, but they don't have any interest in supporting Linux, nor do they accompany CPUs needed for microsoft's disasters.

[RichardBronosky @ Mar 31st 2008 6:35PM]

Actually, it looks like the entire face, where the power button is located, could fold down. There is clearly and groove surrounding the whole thing. We have no reference for scale, but it's feasible that a hinged door could expose a slim drive ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010100005+1036508673&Subcategory=5 ) and a card reader.

[Valgas @ Mar 29th 2008 4:39AM]

Wiiiiiiiiii desktop.

[ethana2 @ Mar 29th 2008 4:56AM]

'cept x86 instead of ppc+arm, and with probably 8 to 16 times as much RAM.

Plus, you know, you own it.