News - Xi3 Piston Steam Box price set high at $1000, due Xmas 2013

[scaryjim]

... what's to stop me getting bits and throwing together a mini-ITX box that has a similar spec for less than half the price, and putting Ubuntu+Steam4Linux on it?

Nothing, but then no-one's trying to stop you doing that. They're offering an alternative for people who wouldn't fancy speccing such a box and building it themselves. Sure, it's overpriced, but apple have proved that with the right marketing people will buy overpriced, underspecified computers and think they're getting a good deal. Whether Xi3 can get away with it is another matter: only time will tell (although I think we can all have a pretty good guess )...

[Platinum]

Is it April already?

[Wozza63]

384 cores is a GT640, bloody hell, for a $1000, a normal PC will get you at least GTX660Ti

[kingpotnoodle]

Xi3 really is just massive over-engineering, there is a point at which reduced size just becomes a pointless exercise, it could be a little bigger but a whole lot cheaper. The low end hardware is in the disposable segment yet they modularise everything... it's just never going to be popular when you could buy 2+ larger machines with similar specs for the same price, most people have more space than money! Small size can command some premium, but not $999.

[shaithis]

Didn't valve say they wanted these to be so cheap people would upgrade to the newest model every year?????

[Obscurity]

I'd expect the forthcoming Valve branded ones to be more competitively priced.
Lets be honest here, we're talking about the company that literally runs down the halls with success as a result of each and every business venture they attempt.
I don't think they'll mess up their console.

[crossy]

They're offering an alternative for people who wouldn't fancy speccing such a box and building it themselves. Sure, it's overpriced, but apple have proved that with the right marketing people will buy overpriced, underspecified computers and think they're getting a good deal. .

That's kind of my point - if the Xi3 is $1000 and someone with a "name" - e.g. Lenovo, Dell, HP come in with the same performance for <$500 (which folks seem to say is doable) then I suggest that Joe Public will wonder how come the box from someone with no name to speak of is twice the price (or more).
All that's needed is for one of the big makers to come on board (and to be honest this sounds like a bleedin' godsend for Acer, or dare I say it Sony - and I know the latter is unlikely because of the PS4). Actually I'm kind of surprised that one of the existing Linux system manufacturers hasn't come forward - e.g. System76 have the "Wild Dog Performance" (https://www.system76.com/desktops/model/wilp9) that'd eat the Xi3 for breakfast and still leave you with $150 change
Or there's the "Sable Complete" AIO - okay the video performance isn't going to be good - but then again I'm getting the distinct impression that the Xi3 isn't a ball of fire in that department either - and that's only $750.
Both of these are already running Ubuntu, so all System76 need to do is put on one package and do a tiny bit of tweaking to give a Xi3 competitor.

Didn't valve say they wanted these to be so cheap people would upgrade to the newest model every year?????

I can't see how this is going to be possible unless the Steam Box itself is either so cheap as to be next to useless, or upgradable. If it's the former then it's up against the Ouya, but if the latter then I'm even more interested - an upgradable console would be a very courageous product.

[genkifd]

1k forget it what a rip

[cptwhite_uk]

Do they think we're stupid or something? They're not trying to sell this to an un-educated market. This is the PC gaming community, who often build their own PCs, or a least know where to go to get a well specced pre-built gaming rig. This is going to obsolutely bomb at that price. $600 tops is what they should've been aiming at for the base model!

[crossy]

Do they think we're stupid or something? They're not trying to sell this to an un-educated market. This is the PC gaming community, who often build their own PCs, or a least know where to go to get a well specced pre-built gaming rig. This is going to obsolutely bomb at that price. $600 tops is what they should've been aiming at for the base model!

Good point - but isn't it actually WORSE than that - they're not only trying to sell to PC gamers, but also ones that (initially at least) are also "penguin herders" (Linux geeks). Xi3 ... prepare to be derisively showed with cold pizza, empty Jolt cans, and old Ubuntu CD's!

[george1979]

Jesus wept... $1k for an under-specced PC with an OS they don't need to pay a license for?
I hope the people working for them find a new job quickly...

[TTrSquared]

That will be £1000 for us boys, guess what it looks like trash.

[OilSheikh]

Faaaiiiiiiiillllllll

[jonny4288]

looking at this, im baffled, i feel like i should take a full sized atx machine put it through a car crusher to make a small compact box then sell it for 1k :/ ... dragons den watch this space.

[Ulti]

You know it's bad VFM when even Apple products seem more sensibly priced.

[kingpotnoodle]

Haha too true, makes Mac Mini look like a steal and the Mini despite its aluminium overload that won't match your other AV gear is a much better looking product.