More than maybe any console successor, the rumored Steambox by Valve has been high on the “Must Prove” list. A box built to run Steam games on the big, bad HDTV plenty of us play our Halo on. A non-console console meant to put Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo on point, to reinvigorate the game sector. A box meant to bring in the non-PC playing fans that either don’t have the gumption to upgrade or just don’t know where to start. A prototype that dropped at CES!

Codenamed “Piston”, the unit fits right in your hand and is being co-developed by Valve and PC maker Xi3. Under the hood is expected to live up to a terabyte of RAM and completely modular, upgradeable components. The display Piston at CES is reported to house an “IO board boasting one ethernet port, 1/8″ audio in/out, SPDIF optical audio, four USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports (with one dedicated to keyboard input), four eSATA ports, two Mini Display Port ports and one DisplayPort/HDMI port.” Not much is known about pricing or release date, although the company does make a mini form factor PC like the Piston that runs about $999. That’s a bit pricey though, especially compared to home consoles.

About time, huh geeks?

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