For the past several years we’ve heard rumors that Valve will be getting into the hardware business to create a dedicated Steam-based console in order to compete in the living room gaming market. The rumors got stronger during 2012 especially with the launch of Windows 8, as analysts believe valve will try and counter Microsoft’s new “closed-garden” environment.
Yesterday at CES 2013, those rumors became reality when Xi3, a computer architecture company, unveiled the “Piston”, a very small PC device which can fit in the palm of your hand – and it seems Valve has directly invested in this project.
Xi3 calls the Piston a modular computer, due to the fact that its components can be easily swapped, slide and be changed in a very different fashion from the PCs we know today. The video below demonstrates this modularity:
A key feature of this system is the three-piece motherboard, each stands vertically to the other and is connected by a special port. As the motherboard is a primary factor in a PC’s overall size, this change enables Xi3 to build a much smaller device.
Spec wise, not much in known at this stage. Engadget reports that the Piston packs a quad-core APU chip made by AMD and up to 1TB of storage, but nothing else of note. The decision to go with an APU (accelerated processing unit, generally a name giving to types of processing chips that contain both a CPU and graphic processing capabilities) is a strange one, which is likely brought on by size restrictions. The future will tell if the APU can pack the same punch as a full-on dedicated GPU, although it can probably beat anything that the Xbox 360 and PS3 can currently do.
Valve has said that the Piston will be one of several different devices to be released in the near future which are based around Steam and its “new” Big Screen mode. It is unclear if the company is directly involved in each of those projects, or are just supporting 3rd Party hardware manufacturers.
Either way, it is an exciting time for gamers everywhere. New consoles (like the Ouya, which has already shipped to some developers) are rapidly popping up and expanding our definition of gaming. Personally, I don’t see myself getting into any other system when I have a library of over 200 PC titles, so those new Steam boxes are just the right thing for me (also, my gaming rig is connected directly to my 32” LCD, so I don’t really need it…).
I’d like to hear from you guys what do you think about those developments, and what is your favorite console to game on.