This week on the channel +72K views this week

Retro Tech Dad revisits Alienware's tiny Steam Machine-era PC

Rob's older Alpha R1 review explores a CPU swap, Bazzite, PC gaming and emulation.

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Retro Tech Dad Story of October 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

This $150 PC Still Kicks Butt

Retro Tech Dad sits at the smaller end of this gadget-channel group by subscribers, but landed in the middle for weekly views, without posting anything new. PositivePressure had the group's busiest viewing week; Rob's was closer in scale to New Record Day and EEVblog2.

The main attraction is a small computer he once owned. "This $150 PC Still Kicks Butt" revisits the Alienware Alpha R1, a compact machine tied to the original Steam Machine vision. Its aging Haswell processor and custom Nvidia graphics make this a rather different gaming proposition from a shiny new handheld. Rob's chapter list takes it through cleanup, a CPU swap and an ominously labeled "OH NO" before moving to Bazzite, PC games and emulation. The review has reached roughly 238,000 views and supplies more than half the channel's current daily viewing.

There is newer hardware to explore, too. "The Z Fold 8 Might Be My Favorite Android Gaming Device" tests the folding-phone idea across Android games, emulation, PC gaming and streaming. "The Retroid Pocket NOVA is Out of This World" takes the more hands-on route, including button and D-pad swaps alongside its gaming tests.

The subscriber count was unchanged over the week, and daily viewing is running at about a quarter of its usual pace. For the moment, the old Alienware is doing the most work on a channel equally willing to open up a handheld and revisit a PC from its owner's past.

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