Xtreamer Ultra

Latest update on 2011/10/14 - [ Conclusion ]

It was last year in 2010, a few weeks before the CeBIT took place when I first heard about a PC based device by Xtreamer, focusing on media entertainment. Finally, almost two years after the release of their first device (Xtreamer MK1) in 2009, I received their new baby on June 7th: the Xtreamer Ultra. An HTPC which - tradition calls for it - created a lot of buzz after its first official announcement around this year's CeBIT. You may wonder why, since it was just another Intel Atom + Nvidia ION2 "Nettop" among all those others which have been announced and showcased at CeBIT, CES and suchlikes everywhere else, all the years before. The answer is easy... Xtreamer once again planned to throw a device on the market with an aggressive price tag that will make you think once again: "Why pay more?"

At the time of its announcement there was no official price known yet. How much money could Xtreamer charge you while trying to be more attractive than the competition? Comparable "Barebones" were sold from 150 € and complete HTPCs changed hands for 200 to 500 €. From cheap China toys to higher end models with Blu-ray drives there were many options you could choose from. One day, as part of the Xtreamer Deals, the Ultra got its first announced price: 200 € was the estimated value for the deal and from then on, the avalanche couldn't be stopped. Famous tech blogs spread the news and lots of other blogs followed immediately writing that Xtreamer is about to offer a fully equipped HTPC for the price of a barebone. Eventually due to various reasons the price settled at 249 €, not including shipping (35 €) and VAT, which differes from country to country.

This second video shows what else you could do with your Xtreamer Ultra: Motion Gaming! Even if you're not interested, the cute lady in the video is already worth watching it. Anyone has her name please? :) an AIWI serial number can be found on a sticker at the bottom of the Ultra and you can use your existing smartphone as an AIWI motion controller for instance!

So what else can you expect for round about 350 €? I'll try to give you all information you need to know about this little monster in my following review. If you got any suggestions on what I should test, feel free to leave a comment here or write to me via e-mail: reviews (at) mavvy.net