Origin’s ‘Big O’ PC-Console Hybrid Is Brilliant – But Too Late to the Party

Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:28 PM

By Thomas Bardwell

Origin's Big O PC-Console Hybrid Is Brilliant, but Too Late to the Party, Xbox One, PS4

The Big O would have been an epic gaming device - four years ago. | Source: Origin PC

Origin PC unveils BIG O at CES 2020.
Hybrid gaming desktop featuring either a PS4 Pro or Xbox One S.
Timing is a little off given arrival of next-generation consoles later this year.

While the meme-worthy and callow debate over whether PC or consoles take the crown as the best platform to play games, Origin PC is merging the best of both worlds.

Origin PC unveiled the BIG O hybrid gaming desktop at the all-things-tech CES 2020 event currently gracing the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas.

Origin PC’s Big O Gaming PC-Console Hybrid

The BIG O, purportedly the “the ultimate entertainment and content creation machine,” is a gaming PC with either a PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One S fitted into the rig.

what's wrong with the Origin PC Big O PC-console hybrid, xbox one, ps4 — The BIG O has either a PlayStation 4 Pro or an Xbox One S fitted into the rig. | Source: Origin PC

Packed into a custom modified Corsair Crystal Series case, the console sits in an adjacent chamber side by side with the PC.

The console hasn’t just been slapped onto a PC, either. Origin PC has taken it apart and engineered it into the case to the point that the console is playable through the PC via an Elgato capture card for single-screen play.

Of course, there’s also the option to link either the PS4 Pro or Xbox One to a TV. You can even cross-play with someone using the same BIG O.

While the consoles’ specifications are fixed, Origin PC isn’t skimping on the PC side, and build options abound.

Processor options run from the Intel’s beefy Core i9-9900K and AMD’s equally powerful Ryzen 9 3950X down to Intel Core i5 and Ryzen 5 3600 options. There are 17 motherboard models to choose from and up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. The same options extend to the graphic cards running from an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super to a GeForce RTX Titan.

Origin's Big O PC-Console Hybrid Is Brilliant, but Too Late to the Party — The BIG O doesn’t skimp on the PC half of the PC-console hybrid. | Source: Origin PC

Origin PC is also throwing in some customization options for both systems, namely the possibility of adding in an optional SSD for either the PC or console, or both should you be that way inclined. Or more pertinently, should your wallet allow it.

If that wasn’t enough, Origin PC lets you customize the case with a plethora of HD UV printing, laser etchings, and color schemes.

Origin PC’s Timing Couldn’t Have Been Much Worse

Origin PC may have missed the opportunity window for a gaming solution that isn’t all that outlandish. Hopping from a PC to a console can be tedious, not to speak of the space constraints. The BIG O plugs that gap nicely.

It’s a mighty shame. Sadly, there’s little sense in forking out over $2,000 this close to the next generation.

With Sony and Microsoft on the home stretch to the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I’m not sure there’s enough demand for a PC packing consoles that will soon be virtually obsolete.