Xi3 Launches Pre-orders for Piston 'Steambox' Console

Back in January, Xi3 teased a dainty little PC it called the Piston. The Piston caused quite a stir at CES 2013 in Las Vegas as it was pegged to be Valve Software's upcoming (unofficial) Steam Box. Well, this week brings us yet more news of the Piston, as the modular computer is now up for pre-order.

Xi3 this past weekend announced that pre-orders for the Piston would kick off at South by Southwest in Austin. The list price of Xi3's Piston console PC starts at $999.99 but those that place their order during SXSW will get a $100 discount off the list price. In case you were unaware, SXSW does not end until Sunday, so there's plenty of time to talk yourself into buying one of these early Steam Boxes.

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"Given the amount of awards, media attention and gamer interest the Piston Console has generated since it was unveiled at CES 2013 in January, we've become seriously concerned that we will not be able to meet the demand for Piston Consoles this year," said Jason A. Sullivan, founder, president and CEO of Xi3 Corporation. "That's why we have decided to begin accepting pre-orders on our Piston Console, beginning today with the start of the SXSW Gaming Expo. Gaming Expo attendees will also get the benefit of being the first to see the Piston Console in action."

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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.

31 Comments Comment from the forums

g00fysmiley

cool for the size... but need more specs before deciding if a good deal, cwould have to compare to a $900 pc which is a tall bar to reach,doesn't have to beat them, just be withing a reasonable amoutn of the performance
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hakesterman

I'm afraid that is a tough sale, too high a price tag for an entry level PC. Too many unknowns....
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fonzy

"The list price of Xi3's Piston console PC starts at $999.99"

It's way to expensive even with a $100 discount, don't see this lasting very long unless they cut the price in half.
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Immoral Medic

I would like to point out that no one in their right mind would purchase this for $1k. Maybe half, but at that price, you could build a beast machine. If you buy it for its size or for "aesthetics" then go for it. Just know the performance you get is a complete ripoff.
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godfather666

other gaming websites said the CPU was really a quad-core AMD APU.

In other words, there's no dedicated graphics card.

In other words, this really expensive for what you get.
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uhh3000

I think my $1050 pc might be a little more worth it.
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goodguy713

If they cant compete with game consoles on price you might as well ignore it .. im rooting for steam box but if this is there attempt at being afforable or trying to make its way into the living room at this price you might as well build your own htpc or try to sell it to the ( i Sheep ) because you can easily make a computer for way less and will preform better .. just saying .. there isnt even any specs on the gpu
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downhill911

So essentially you are getting a PC in small box and then what? Wait?
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kettu

According to xi3 website it seems the CPU is this one:
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-R-Series%20R-464L%20-%20RE464LDEC44HJE.html
source: http://xi3.com/buy_now-piston.php

That's actually 2.3GHz quad-core not a 3.2. Pretty shady marketing. I've seen one tech site make any kind of notice of that little fact. Either most sites are oblivious to elementary factual accuracy or they just don't care.
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bustapr

this is likely the top tier model and just might come with a high end laptop GPU. remember these are mainly VERY low power gaming pcs. if you take a high end gaming laptop(lets just take for example the alienware laptop with i7 and 7970m/680m), remove the screen, chassis, battery, and 3rd party mobo. add in propietary chassis, mobo, and low power PSU. its fairly easy to reach the $999 price point and make a profit. also this would be an amazing LAN party solution.
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