So far we have chatted with the heads of Falcon Northwest, MAINGEAR and Velocity Micro in our interview series with the creators behind high end and gaming PCs. Today we continue the series with a chat with Kevin Wasielewski, the CEO and co-founder of ORIGIN PC. Formed three years ago by former members of Alienware, the company has generated a reputation for creating some of the fastest and best looking PC rigs around.
First, ORIGIN PC has been in business for a little while now, but you guys have secured a reputation for taking gaming PCs to the extreme with exclusive designs like the Big O, which merges a PC with Xbox 360 hardware. What would you say is the philosophy behind ORIGIN PC's business?
Our philosophy at ORIGIN PC is to provide our customers with the best PC experience possible. From the purchase experience, to the quality building process, to our first rate support. We want every single aspect to be their best PC experience ever received. We strive to deliver the most innovative designs, build the best quality machines with the most options, and back it all up with industry leading first rate support.
You recently launched a small 11 inch gaming PC notebook, the EON 11-S. Why did the company want to bring this kind of notebook to the market?
The EON11-S delivers an amazing amount of performance in a compact, lightweight package. We literally fell in love with it while testing it and we had to bring it to market. One weekend using this product and you will fall in love with it too. It is perfect for anyone looking for a great gaming experience that they can bring with them when traveling, in school, or moving from place to place.
Are we going to see any more outrageous designs such as the Big O from ORIGIN PC in the future?
But of course! We are always working on new innovations. Stay tuned this year!
Some people have said they can make their own PCs cheaper and have them be as powerful as those made by companies such as ORIGIN PC. What is your argument to convince those people to purchase one of your desktops or notebooks?
If you have the time, experience, knowledge, and resources to build your own PC, then that is a great option. If you are looking for a company to build you something custom with the exact parts you desire, with the highest performance, and backed by 24/7 support performed in house by real gamers and hardware enthusiasts then ORIGIN PC is your best option. ORIGIN PC as a brand name has been around since 2009, but keep in mind our staff has been building custom PCs professionally since the 1990’s with our experience at Alienware. We have direct relationships with all component manufactures and we test new components before they are released. With our experience, relationships, resources, support structure, and passion, we believe we build the best PCs possible.
Let's talk about the future of hardware in desktop and notebook PCs. Where do you see hardware such as graphics cards, hard drives, displays and memory going in the next couple of years?
That is a lot of different areas to cover in one question. :) We see hardware continuing to evolve at a rapid pace and delivering more performance while consuming less power. There will be some exciting new displays providing amazing user experiences. Glasses free 3D, touch screen laptops, and hand gestures to control everything is the near future. Minority report type of interaction is closer to reality than ever before.
We see a lot of reports about the "death of the PC" due to the smartphone and tablet industry. Why do you think the hardcore PC hardware market is still going to be around even with the rise of both of these products?
You and I have both heard the cries of the death of the PC gaming and the death of the PC for as long as we can remember. Smartphones and tablets are incredibly powerful and user friendly. PCs will benefit from those products and evolve to improve the PC experience. PCs are not going anywhere for the simple fact that no matter how powerful tablets become, the PC will ALWAYS be more powerful offering a better gaming experience and a more productive work environment.
We have also seen the beginnings of the cloud-based PC game service. Do you think that if this becomes popular it could mean that there will be less of a need for high end PCs for playing games?
This is another area where our response is actually the opposite. We love consoles, tablets, smartphones, and cloud based gaming. Why? First, because we are gamers ourselves and we play games on any and all platforms. Second, because the more people that get into gaming casually, the more people that will look for an even better gaming experience, and that is when they find ORIGIN PC and PC gaming. Gaming on a high end desktop at 2500 x 1600 resolution with all graphical effects maxed out is just plain beautiful and nothing else compares.
Windows 8 is, without a doubt, the biggest change for Microsoft's operating system since it began. What is your personal opinion on Windows 8 and how it will affect the PC industry?
I can’t answer that fully since Windows 8 is not final, but I would like to give the readers my personal feedback so far. When I first heard and saw Windows 8 I thought it was a huge mistake. Now that I have actually used it, it works very well and I enjoy the new interface. I do hope that users have the option to choose their interface, including going back to the “Classic Windows 7” if you will. We believe in giving customer the most possible options.
Does ORIGIN PC have any plans to release any gaming PC products that will use Windows 8's touch screen interface, such as a notebook or tablet-slate device?
Absolutely. Unfortunately I don’t have much more of an answer though because I don’t have a timeframe to provide or any specifics. Sorry, but you are setting me up with questions that I can’t spill the beans on! :)
How do you feel about Microsoft entering the PC hardware market with the Surface?
Extremely surprised. I love the competitiveness and the options for consumers, but I fully expected Microsoft to allow other manufactures to build Windows based tablets. That being said I am still looking forward to the final product and can’t wait for its release.
Finally, is there anything else you wish to say about ORIGIN PC and its plans for the future?
Tomorrow we are going to do the same thing we do every day. Try to take over the world! :) I’d like to say thanks for reaching out to us John, and thanks to all your readers for their interest in ORIGIN PC. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter and don’t be shy to ask us any questions or give us any feedback. We love to hear from the community. My personal twitter account is below.
Shameless plugs:
@originpc (company account)
@originpcceo (my personal account)
We would like to thank Kevin for answering our questions
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