Items tagged with Piston
A few years ago, you may have assumed that Xi3 was just a fad. But yet, here we are at another CES, and the company is making news once more. It came to fame by producing modular, low-cost computers that can be applied just about anywhere, from schools to small businesses to even Steam Machines. This year, Xi3 is touting its largest booth ever at CES (nearly 3x larger than prior shows), where it'll feature the Modular Computer line as well as the Steam-based PISTON Console. More than half of the booth "will focus on the business side of computing, leading off with a full-size mock-up of the "Patient Room of the Future" that features Xi3's new Near-Edge microSERV3R. Additionally, Xi3's in-booth...
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The face of home gaming is changing drastically this year, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 both slated to make their U.S. debuts prior to the holidays. But what about the oddball from Xi3? After being teased a few days ago, the company has spilled the beans on the Piston's impending release. The Piston console will be available for purchase beginning on Black Friday: November 29, 2013. Why should you mark your calendar? Well, for one, the Piston is going to be even more advanced than what was initially announced. Storage capacity has been doubled, and its Ethernet controller has been optimized for gameplay traffic. It'll also ship with pre-loaded titles to get you gaming right away. Built...
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Valve earlier this week announced there will be several so-called "Steam Machines" in 2014, the official name for what the media was calling Steam Box. These Steam Machines are intended to run Valve's Linux-based SteamOS, and it's Valve's hope that users will interact with these machines using an official Steam Controller, the last of Valve's three big announcements. Where does all this leave third party players like Xi3 Corporation? While Valve has built a prototype Steam Machine, the real intent here is for third party manufacturers to take its blueprint and run with their own customized designs. Xi3 Corporation has shown considerable interest all along, and for a period of time, it was even...
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It's not a question of if there's a Steambox on the horizon, but when and for how much. How does right now and under $1,000 float your boat? Xi3 Corporation is now accepting pre-orders for its "Piston Console" PC, otherwise known as the Steambox, or at least one version of it (with Valve playing it coy, it's entirely possible other PC makers might build their own versions of the Steambox). The Piston starts at $1,000 though there's a $100 discount for anyone who places a pre-order between now and the end of SXSW 2013, which concludes on Sunday, March 17th. Xi3 is expecting these things to sell like hotcakes. "Given the amount of awards, media attention and gamer interest the Piston Console has...
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Earlier, we came across a hot item about Valve and their rumored Steam Box gaming console. Word came out that modular PC maker Xi3 was Valve’s hardware partner on the project and was showing off the result, a beautifully designed computer called the Piston. However, when we eagerly scooted over to Valve’s booth here at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, they told us that the story simply was not true. According to Valve, there are several--potential--hardware partners, and in fact that’s pretty much all Valve’s booth is for at CES; press wasn’t allowed in. When we pushed a bit for more details, Valve’s representative was polite but firm: We were unable to enter the booth...
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