Xi3 showed off its prototype unit - code-named Piston - to Polygon, based on the X7A model detailed in the Kickstarter. The unit features four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, two Mini Display Port ports and one DisplayPort/HDMI port. The X7A model was previously listed as a 3.2 GHz quad-core 64-bit, x86-based processor, integrated with up to 384 graphics shader cores, and 8GB of DDR3 RAM.
We’ll come out with our own and we’ll sell it to consumers by ourselves. That’ll be a Linux box, [and] if you want to install Windows you can. We’re not going to make it hard. This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination.
the Steam Box will be designed to work across multiple screens in the home using networking standards like Miracast, ideally allowing users to effortlessly transition between rooms and monitors to enjoy gaming and other content.
Das ist aber nicht das Xi3 Ding.
This development-stage computer was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. Piston is designed specifically to support Steam and its Big Picture mode for TVs. But Valve's role was described by Xi3 as only an investor in Xi3, nothing more. Were this the fabled Steam Box, wouldn't Valve be shouting about it?