Home Gaming The Xi3 Piston will be upgradeable

The Xi3 Piston will be upgradeable

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We are Valve. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated into the fleshiness of Gabe Newell.

There’s no denying that the Xi3 is going to cost quite a bit of cash on launch. Over 9000 smiling Randelas to be exact. Still, for that price, you should get more than a small living room console with which to play games at resolutions higher than 320×480 (MY PC SUCKS!). Oh wait you will actually, because the Xi3 will space for upgrades.

Speaking to Siliconera, Chief marketing officer David Politis said that the Xi3 Piston would be “readily updatable, upgradeable and modifiable”. Which is why besides some cosmetic features for upgrading the exterior, the device will also feature modular boards for the eventual hardware upgrade.

Here’s a list of parts that users can replace on the Piston:

  • RAM
  • The APU, which happens to be socketed into place, not soldered
  • The processor board
  • Primary I/O board
  • Secondary I/O board

“As new technologies are introduced into the marketplace (USB, eSATA, video standards/ports, etc), we will evaluate these, and as we feel appropriate, we will create new Boards that will be available for purchase by our customers. This also holds true for new RAM and APUs,” Politis said.

“We may also allow other companies to create their own I/O Boards (if the opportunity makes sense to all involved).”

Sounds pretty decent, and even with my extremely limited knowledge of hardware, the idea of having a powerhouse PC that can be modified later down the line, is kind of intriguing. While numerous PC fans prepare to throw rocks at me and shout “WE’VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR YEARS YOU DAMN PILLOCK!”, you can see the new trailer for the device below as well.

Last Updated: March 12, 2013

16 Comments

  1. Ok, it’s pretty cool to be able to upgrade, but isn’t it a bit ridiculous to ask so much to start with and then you still need to spend even more?

    I know one does it with a PC, but at least when I spend a lot on my PC it already is very powerful to start off with?

    Reply

  2. Melasco

    March 12, 2013 at 11:24

    Depending on what the upgrade parts will cost, it makes the high price “slightly” more attractive… Now it’s more like “There is no way in hell” compared to the previous “Are you f@cked in the head?”… Dunno guys, I don’t see the pro’s yet at that price….

    The big issue is, if it can be upgraded, you’ll probably have to….

    Reply

    • Draco Lusus

      March 12, 2013 at 13:00

      yeah, every 12 months…

      Reply

  3. Admiral Chief Erwin

    March 12, 2013 at 11:27

    Yup, milk it baby, milk milk milk der randelas

    Reply

  4. Yolanda Green

    March 12, 2013 at 11:33

    So basically, you have to pay over 9k for a rig with a Quad Core and then spend some more money on other things to make it close to a decent mid-range PC. No thanks. I’d like to play my games on better graphics settings than the minimum required specs for a PC would give. Why would you upgrade the already 8GB RAM, it’s not really the RAM that needs upgrading…

    Reply

  5. RitterBruder

    March 12, 2013 at 11:37

    why can’t I stop laughing at the word Randelas !!!

    Reply

  6. Edwin le Roux

    March 12, 2013 at 11:39

    Why don’t you just built your own “console”.
    Built a small gaming rig + get a XBOX 360 controller. Put Steam on, Go Big Picture.

    BAM! You have your own console. With more power and cheaper.

    EDIT: However, it will not be so small.

    Reply

    • ALKi1234

      March 12, 2013 at 14:23

      How much Randelas???

      Reply

  7. Anon A Mouse

    March 12, 2013 at 11:43

    Still thanks but no thanks. They’ll have a monopoly on the upgrade parts anyway so they can charge what they like and you’ll have to buy it or sit with something that’s not going to work with the new games / features, if at all.

    Reply

  8. FoxOneZA

    March 12, 2013 at 12:03

    R9k gets you a real PC that won’t cost another R9k to upgrade

    Reply

  9. umar bastra

    March 12, 2013 at 12:20

    it’s over 9000 ????

    Reply

  10. James Brawn

    March 12, 2013 at 12:22

    I was unsure but then I saw the ZEBRA skin. I’m sold. WANT WANT WANT. (sarcasm off).

    Reply

  11. umar bastra

    March 12, 2013 at 12:28

    WTF is up with ditch gaming disks once and for all. arrogant son’s of b**ches. speak of disks as if it’s a bad thing

    Reply

  12. umar bastra

    March 12, 2013 at 12:28

    WTF is up with ditch gaming disks once and for all. arrogant son’s of b**ches. speak of disks as if it’s a bad thing

    Reply

  13. Red Worked

    March 12, 2013 at 21:02

    Erm… 3D rendering the freaking thing next to a 3D can of coke to show how small it is… lmao. Reminds me of noticing how a lot of ads for washing powder show how it desolves dirt with special effects to try prove how well it works… fail.

    Reply

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