Valve's new PC plays PC games! But the best part? It only costs as much as a PC.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030479/xi3-takes-orders-for-piston-steam-box-at-sub-1000-prices.html

If Xi3's Piston is any indication, PC-based game consoles that run Steam and other services won't come cheap.

The Piston, a modular gaming PC that's small enough to hold in your hand, will cost $1000 and up when it ships near the end of this year. Xi3 is now taking pre-orders on its Website, with a $100 discount on all configurations for anyone who orders by March 17.

The base configuration includes a 3.2 GHz quad-core processor (Engadget says it's an AMD A10), 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid state drive. A 256 GB solid state drive costs another $340, and a 512 GB drive costs $750 extra. The Piston prototype we saw in January included 12 USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 2 mini-DisplayPort connectors, and an HDMI/DisplayPort combination jack.

Xi3 revealed the Piston during CES in January, but didn't provide many specifics. The device has been referred to as a “Steam box,” because Valve, maker of the Steam PC gaming service, has invested in Xi3 to help bring the Piston to market.

Strangely, though, Xi3's press release doesn't mention Steam at all. And in a demo at SXSW Interactive, Xi3 showed off its own customizable user interface for playing games, watching video and accessing the computer. As a video on Polygon shows, Steam is just one of several services that users can choose from, including Gaikai and EA's Origin. Although Steam will likely be popular with anyone who purchases a Piston, it doesn't seem to be the device's main focus.

The main advantage of the Piston over a typical PC in the living room will be its small size, while the capability to upgrade the hardware over time could it more attractive than a traditional game console.

Keep in mind, though, that between now and the holidays, Valve may ship its own Steam Box, based on Linux, and other PC makers could try to get in on the trend as well. And of course, if you're getting impatient, you can always build your own Steam box just the way you like it.

[Great Rumbler]

Sign me up for two!

[Human Snorenado]

It's like they don't even think htpcs are a thing 

 

[archnemesis]

I honestly don't see the point of this thing unless you live in a tiny concept apartment.

[Sho Nuff]

I do not understand

What is the GPU

[archnemesis]

You can't fit a dedicated GPU card in that tiny box. If the rumored AMD A10 is true then it has the CPU and the GPU on the same chip.

[cool breeze]

entire thing's a wad of misinformation

[archie4208]

Where are the hats?

[Phoenix Dark]

It also works as a dehumidifier

[D3RANG3D]

It doesn't have 8GB of GDDR5

 

[chronovore]

Strangely, though, Xi3's press release doesn't mention Steam at all.
(...)
Keep in mind, though, that between now and the holidays, Valve may ship its own Steam Box

There's nothing strange about it. IT'S A PC. It's not the "Steam Box" any more than my wife's underpowered Dell is; it can run Steam just as any other PC can.

NON-HYPE.

[mjemirzian]

For 1k you could build a very powerful desktop PC. Who do they think this is going to sell to?

[chronovore]

For 1k you could build a very powerful desktop PC. Who do they think this is going to sell to?

Steam fans who don't read press announcements thoroughly.

[Dickie Dee]

This is just so terrible.

[pilonv1]

For 1k you could build a very powerful desktop PC. Who do they think this is going to sell to?

I did that 1 month ago

[Diunx]

You can't fit a dedicated GPU card in that tiny box. If the rumored AMD A10 is true then it has the CPU and the GPU on the same chip.

 

[Cormacaroni]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/12/piston-steambox-gets-p-ssed-on-by-valve/#more-145388

Valve has disavowed any involvement with this POS so we can stop dumping on Gaben

[Great Rumbler]

I never did understand why everybody kept talking about this thing like it was being developed by Valve.

[Stoney Mason]

Or maybe Valve is just trying to distance themselves from it after the fact after they've seen the poor reaction to it.

But whatever. I'm still waiting to see the official Valve boxes that run like the next gen consoles and see how much they cost relative to them because I'm still quite skeptical of that.

Xi3, the company behind the $1,000 Piston Steam box, has shed some light on its relationship with Valve after the latter apparently attempted to distance itself from the product today.




Vlave’s Doug Lombardi said earlier today that Valve has “no involvement” with the Piston, which conflicted with earlier reports of an investment and the two companies’ recent cross-promotional efforts.

“We reaffirm the fact that we received an investment from Valve Corporation (as we previously disclosed during the 2013 International CES trade show), and we did so with Valve’s written permission,” Xi3 CEO Jason A. Sullivan said in a statement published on Kotaku.

“Second, we were asked to build a product specifically for Valve, and both companies showcased this product – the Piston Console -in their respective booths at CES 2013.”

Sullivan said he met with Valve boss Gabe Newell at CES, and was asked not to disclose any additional information about their “relationship”, but that Xi3 needs to sort out a few things.

The executive said Piston is not the “official” SteamBox, but also noted that “just because Valve may not ‘currently’ have any ‘involvement with any product of [Xi3]‘s doesn’t mean that such involvement won’t exist in the future”.

This mysterious statement aside, Sullivan said Piston will be able to access Steam regardless of any relationship with Valve, as well as many other gaming an entertainment platforms. “Which is more than what Valve apparently has planned for its official SteamBox,” he added.

Piston, he explained, is a modular computer, “that can run any operating system or application designed to run on an x86-based 64-bit computer”.

“To be clear, the Piston Console will ship initially with a Windows operating system specifically because that’s where the vast bulk of game software and computer gamers are today. That said, the Piston Console can also run Linux (and other operating systems), which means it can support the Linux-version of Steam.

“Contrary to Valve’s vision, Xi3 believes that the way to take this to market today is to do so with a Windows OS at the core, coupled with the ability to not just get to one platform/store for games, but to get access to all game stores/platforms. Studios should have the option to go through Steam if they choose or to go direct to the end-user if they so choose. That will be the difference between Piston and other Steam boxes. You’ll be able to access Steam if you choose, but you’ll also be able to access other platforms as well-all through the Piston Console.”

Despite the hefty price tag of $1,000, Xi3 has been “amazed” at the amount of pre-orders it has received, and Sullivan said the company may not be able to meet demand at launch during the 2013 holiday period.

“In closing, what Valve does or doesn’t do with its SteamBox will be up to them. So Gabe, it’s up to you. The ball is in your court,” he concluded.

The Piston is the first of several expected Steam boxes, with Valve indicating its support for an open market of competing devices. As mentioned above, there will, however, be an official SteamBox, made by Valve itself.

[benjipwns]

This mysterious statement aside, Sullivan said Piston will be able to access Steam regardless of any relationship with Valve, as well as many other gaming an entertainment platforms. “Which is more than what Valve apparently has planned for its official SteamBox,” he added.

Piston, he explained, is a modular computer, “that can run any operating system or application designed to run on an x86-based 64-bit computer”.

The future is here!

[Fifstar]

Or maybe Valve is just trying to distance themselves from it after the fact after they've seen the poor reaction to it.

Weren't the precursors of this avaible before the Steambox was officially anounced. Seems more like they tried to hop on the bandwagon when Valve spoke more concretly about the steambox.

[benjipwns]

I think they had a failed Kickstarter and then Valve gave them money in some form.

When they showed those Pistons earlier, Valve was real cagey about saying "this isn't the Steambox" but not trying to kill these guys stuff.

I kinda wonder if Valve did some investing to get them (among many others) going and has since not been impressed with their capabilities so went elsewhere with Steambox.