Valve disassociates itself from xi3

Valve declared it's not working on any current projects with Piston creator Xi3. Speaking to Eurogamer, Valve's Doug Lombardi said his company "began some exploratory work with Xi3 last year, but currently has no involvement in any product of theirs."

Alongside the Piston's reveal earlier this year, the device designed specifically with Steam support in mind, Xi3 announced Valve had invested in the PC company, which may in part be what Lombardi referred to in his statement. However, Valve later made it clear Xi3's Piston is not its own much-anticipated Steam Box, of which boss Gabe Newell said Valve aims to have prototypes for customer evaluation in the next three to four months.

As for Xi3's $999 Piston, the shiny miniature box is available for pre-order now, with the device expected to ship "in time for" the holiday season this year.