In January 2012, at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2013, gamers were treated to a potential fusion of a gaming PC and a console in the form of the Piston.

Escapist Magazine reports that this device is backed by Valve, which has investments in Xi3, the PC maker. In addition, specifications on its prototype, supposedly Xi3's X7a, which already features a 3.2 GhZ,1TB of SSD storage, a quad-core CPY, and 8GB of RAM.

"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," said Xi3 President and CEO Jason Sullivan to Escapist Magazine. "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."

New developments for the Piston

Infinity Ward, developer of Call of Duty, is said to be tapped as the developer of the Valve-backed Piston mini-PC, according to Gamespot.

On the developer's official Facebook page, the prototype photo captioned with "game development" has been causing a buzz.

In terms of price, there are still no reports or final says, but Escapist Magazine reports that Xi3's X7a is pegged to sell at $999, and given the advancements made for the Piston, price can be anyone's guess at this point.

Piston's potential

Since its unveiling, some of the Piston's advantages includes an optimisation for Steam's HDTV-friendly Big Picture mode, supposedly now the first Steam Box. In addition, it can also support LAN party computer gaming for high-definition screens, according to Edge-Online.

The endpoint is to provide a one-stop for thousands of game titles, adding the capabilities that a PC provides, but one that can fit neatly in your hand.

In the meantime, the plans for Piston do seem to be an appealing idea, if it really were to be the true Steam Box. We'll be keeping watch for any word from Infinity Ward for any progress on this project.