FUTURE PISTONS. Xi3's computers are small in comparison to other types of computers, making the Piston an intriguing concept. Photo from http://xi3.com/

MANILA, Philippines - It's long been heralded as a rumor: the "Steam Box," a console that allows users to play the games they own on the Steam content delivery system without needing to use their computer. It seems the truth behind the "Steam Box" is stranger, and far more awesome, to learn.

Valve, the company behind Steam and numerous video games, and Xi3, a miniature PC maker, have teamed up to show off a computer video game system they're calling the "Piston" at the 2013 Computer Electronics Show (CES). According to a report from Polygon, Xi3 representatives said the Piston would be modeled after the X7A line of Xi3 computers, though they did not reveal the hardware that will be on the system.

Polygon's report noted that the Piston sported an "IO board boasting one ethernet port, 1/8" audio in/out, SPDIF optical audio, 4 USB 3.0 ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports (with one dedicated to keyboard input), 4 eSATAp ports, two Mini Display Port ports and one DisplayPort/HDMI port."

According to David Politis, Xi3's chief marketing officer, the Piston would get up to 1TB of internal storage, which may mean that future Piston models may have different storage sizes. It would also have modular component updates, including optional RAM and CPU upgrades.

Additional information regarding the Piston will most likely become available once CES opens up, so gamers reading this will want to watch out for more information. - Rappler.com