Posted on March 9, 2013, Ian Miles Cheong Xi3′s Piston Steambox Now Available For Pre-Order
Valve has big plans to take on the console gaming market, and it’s doing so through the release of the Steam Box–a computer with a tiny form factor.
The Piston is the size of a grapefruit and was first announced at CES this past January.
Xi3′s Piston, which is unofficially the first Steam Box, is being heavily financed by Valve—which is developing its own Steam Box in-house—is set to launch this holiday season in late 2013. The Piston carries a starting price of $1,000 and its makers are currently accepting preorders with a $100 discount offer for those who place their orders before March 18.
“Clearly, the computer/video gaming market is huge, both in the personal computer and traditional console markets,” Xi3 CEO Jason Sullivan said. “That being said, we believe there is a crying need for a machine that captures the best of both worlds, with the upgradeability of computer gaming rigs and the design and form factor of consoles. We believe our Piston Consoles do exactly that-deliver the beauty and small size of consoles with the upgradeability of computers.”