The Steam Box is Now Available on Pre Order, if You Don't Mind Spending $1.000

It’s no secret that Valve, the creator of hit games like Half-Life and the Steam PC download service, is planning a push into the living room with its own line of Steam Box consoles, gaming PCs with the footprints of an Xbox or PlayStation that sit quietly under your telly. Now, the very first Steam Box is up for pre-order – but it’ll cost you a cool $999.99 (£670).

The Piston gaming PC turned heads at the CES expo back in January: not just because it was a tiny, customisable gaming rig, but because Valve had invested in the company behind it, Xi3, as part of its plans. You can nowpre-order the Xi3 Piston, which will ship in time for Christmas, from the company’s website.

For that four digit pricetag, you get a machine powered by a 3.2GHz processor and 8GB of memory, and packing a speedy 128GB of solid state storage that can play all of your games on a TV using Steam’s Big Picture mode.

That’s an eye watering amount for gaming console alternative (it’s unlikely Sony would try and charge that much for the PS4, for instance), but it is also a full PC that can jump online and play whatever video you like – no need to wait around for apps. You can also bet that this is only the start: expect many more Steam Box designs to come, with much lower pricetags.

Would you pay that much for a tiny gaming rig? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below! [GadgetShow]

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The Wii Mini Makes it's Way to The UK

Nintendo has revealed that the Wii Mini will be hitting UK store shelves on 22nd March. The console is a redesigned – and cheaper – version of the original Wii, which has sold almost 100 million units worldwide since its launch in 2006.

The system features a top-loading disc tray and comes in a fetching black and red colour scheme. You also get a cool red Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo, which makes a welcome change from the white variants we’re so accustomed to. Although it’s dubbed the Wii Mini, in reality it’s not actually that much smaller than its forerunner.

However, the real catch is that the Wii Mini has no online functionality at all, which means you can’t play online games and you won’t have access to the hundreds of Virtual Console and WiiWare titles that have been released over the years. Another downside is the removal of backwards compatibility with Nintendo’s GameCube software – that means no Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker for you, chum.

No price has been confirmed yet, but in Canada – where the console was launched late last year – it sold for $99, which equates to just over 60 quid. Not bad for a starter system, but you might want to check out second-hand Wii deals before placing your preorder.

Are you such a Nintendo nut that you’ll be picking this console up, regardless of its shortcomings? Post a comment to let us know. [GadgetShow]

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PS4 Price Revealed as Announcement Date Gets Closer

2013 is set to serve as the arena for the next-gen console battles, and although we’re still at relative rumor stage and thus can only make assumptions, a report from Japan suggests the PlayStation 4 will arrive with a price point of around $430, which coincides with one of the previous reports published back in January. Japanese site the AsahiShimbun seems convinced the console will cost around 40,000 Yen, which equates to about $428 at the current exchange, and although the cost is more an indication than a guarantee, suggests Sony will be pricing its next-gen console much reasonably than it did its current one.

The launch of the PlayStation 3 back in 2006 was a year following the Xbox 360, and it’s fair to say Sony priced itself out the market considerably with its 60,000 Yen initial cost. As a result, gamers poured to Microsoft’s offering, and a combination of the pricing and other factors has since seen the Xbox 360 overtake its rival to the summit of the console market.

In a sense, this is the first real inkling we have as to how much the PlayStation 4 might cost. At $428 or thereabouts, consumer are more likely to make the purchase, and with Microsoft also purportedly bringing the Xbox 720 at some point this year, it’s vitally important for Sony to give current PlayStation users a reason to remain loyal when they decide to upgrade their hardware.

The cheapest PlayStation 3 variant now coats 24,980 Yen in Japan and $269 in the US, and although age (and the imminent arrival of its successor) are both contributing factors to its current low price, it’s fair to say a ~$400 cost at launch for a PlayStation 4 would be gratefully received.

Further to the Japanese report, other reports have also chimed into the PS4 debate by claiming the announcement of the next-gen PlayStation console. The reports suggest an announcement of the PlayStation 4 on February 20th, and although it’s certainly not the first report to suggest this month will see the showcasing of the console, it only serves to corroborate such a notion.

In addition to offering an ETA, it is also being said that Sony will team up with Gaikai to infuse cloud technology into its next-gen entertainment system. The gaming service, which Sony paid a cool $380 million for last year, could be a key component in the PlayStation 4′s introduction into the gaming world, and we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any updates on this story. [RedmondPie]

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