Following reports yesterday where Valve distanced themselves from Xi3's Piston - often dubbed the unofficial Steam Box - the company has reaffirmed Valve's involvement in the project.
Yesterday Valve's Doug Lombardi said in a statement that was obtained by Kotaku: "Valve began some exploratory work with Xi3 last year, but currently has no involvement in any product of theirs."
In response to that claim Xi3 released the following statement, indicating that Valve were not only involved in the project, company founder and president Jason A. Sullivan reaffirms that they helped fund it:
"We reaffirm the fact that we received an investment from Valve Corporation (as we previously disclosed during the 2013 International CES trade show), and we did so with Valve's written permission. Second, we were asked to build a product specifically for Valve, and both companies showcased this product-the Piston Console-in their respective booths at CES 2013.
Then, during a meeting with Valve at CES, Gabe Newell personally asked me that we not disclose additional information about our relationship with Valve. We have honored that request and will continue to do so."
The Piston is now available for pre-orders: for those feeling brave there's a $100 discount if you order before March 17.