Intel's Compute Stick is a $149 Chromecast-sized PC

At CES this week, Intel announced that the Compute Stick—the company's $149 Chromecast-sized PC—will launch in March.

The Compute Stick is a great little piece of hardware. Like other streaming-stick machines, like the Chromecast, the Compute Stick plugs into an HDMI port on a TV or monitor. But instead of simply bringing streaming or smart-TV features, the Compute Stick packs a full PC experience.

The stick is powered by a Atom Z3735F processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB storage. In other words, enough for a basic Windows install, but not much else. There's also a microSD card slot for further storage expansion, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

In addition to the $149 Windows version, a lower-powered (1GB RAM, 8GB storage) Linux option will also be available for $89.

As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware. He also headed up the buying guides, picking the best peripherals and components to spend your hard-earned money on. He can usually be found playing Overwatch, Apex Legends, or more likely, with his cats. He is now IGN's resident tech editor and PC hardware expert.