Xi3 Piston priced at $1000

The Xi3 Piston, backed by Valve, will arrive this holiday priced at $1000.

The microcomputer serves as a dedicated ‘Steam Box’ and was unveiled at CES earlier this year.

Customers that pre-order the Piston will save $100 and be included in the delivery window for its 2013 holiday season dispatch. This offer is available until the close of SXSW on Sunday, March 17th.

“Clearly, the computer/video gaming market is huge, both in the personal computer and traditional console markets,” said Xi3 Corporation CEO Jason A. Sullivan.

“That being said, we believe there is a crying need for a machine that captures the best of both worlds, with the upgradeability of computer gaming rigs and the design and form factor of consoles. We believe our Piston consoles do exactly that – deliver the beauty and small size of consoles with the upgradeability of computers.”

Piston’s specifications know so far include 8GB RAM and a 3.2Ghz Quad Core (R464) processor.

The console is available in three SSDs: internal 128GB, internal 256GB and internal 512GB.

The Xi3 Piston can be pre-order from its official website.