Valve has unveiled a new set top box for home entertainment users to access thousands of gaming titles with their new product, codenamed, “Piston”.
Valve, one of the most well regarding video game developers in the world has finally announced a new set top box to allow gamers to play steam games on their televisions.
Valve dubbed the new product, “Piston” which was unveiled today at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. Valve has also worked in collaboration with Xi3 Corporation, to implement the product in the home, in which rumours of this announcement had surfaced during the past month.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for Xi3,” said Jason Sullivan, founder and chief executive of Xi3, in a statement.
“This new development stage product will allow users to take full-advantage of their large high-definition TV displays for an amazing computer game experience. As a result, this new system could provide access to thousands of gaming titles through an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand.”
Xi3 also announced today it has received an investment from Valve Corporation. Xi3 are more widely known as a modular design company for PC hardware, and it appears that with Valve’s investment in Xi3 they have a guaranteed long term partner if the “Piston” proves to be a success.
This announcement should be a huge hit with gamers, as Valve is one of the most successful video gaming developers famous for the Half Life series, as well as more recent successes with the Left 4 Dead, Portal and Team Fortress series. As aforementioned, Steam has a vast library, holding thousands of titles, which will further enhance competition with the rumoured arrival of the Xbox 720 and Playstation 4, and could gain a signifcant hold on the already competitive gaming market.
There are many questions that will be thrown at Valve in the coming days, but what’s hot on your lips? Will the “Piston” be a success or a complete and utter flop? Are you excited for this announcement? And if so, what games are you most looking forward to on the “Piston”?
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.