Xi3's Piston—the first unofficial Steam Box console—will launch this holiday at a starting price of $1,000, the hardware manufacturer announced today.


If you preorder it before March 18, you'll get a $100 discount.

The Piston is the first PC designed specifically to play games in your living room using Steam's Big Picture mode. Valve is helping finance the machine, although the Steam makers are developing their own Steam Box that will also be released this year, according to Valve boss Gabe Newell.


"Clearly, the computer/video gaming market is huge, both in the personal computer and traditional console markets," Xi3 CEO Jason Sullivan said in a press release. "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."