Even all-in-one systems are getting a new look.

Windows 8 is giving birth to all kinds of new designs, especially in mobile, where notebooks and tablets are blending into hybrid devices that can function as either one. But it's not only laptops and slates that are starting to look different. Intel is reportedly pushing PC makers to build adaptive all-in-one systems with internal batteries so that users can tote them from place to place.

A rift may be forming between Piston Console maker Xi3 and Valve.

A partially transparent veil of secrecy hangs over Xi3's pint-sized Piston Console. When first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, some surmised it was the official Steam Box, though Xi3 never came out and said it. And now that Xi3 is taking pre-orders, there's still no mention of it being a Steam Box, though it's clearly intended for living room gaming using Steam's Big Picture mode. Xi3 released a statement today that adds a little insight into its relationship with Valve, and also hints that things aren't as rosy between the two as previously thought.

The G24 is available in a number of different designs.

ECS is a company we don't hear a lot about these days, but lest anyone forget it's still around, ECS today announced its new G24 touch-based all-in-one (AIO) PC. It has an edge-to-edge 23.6-inch multi-touch panel with a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) display resolution, HDMI input for connecting Blu-ray players and game consoles, and an interchangeable mini-ITX motherboard.

Now that Windows 8 is here, don't be surprised to see companies pimping new all-in-one (AIO) desktops with fancy touchscreen displays. Even boutique builders are getting in on the action. Enter Velocity Micro, a system builder based out of Virginia, which today announced its new Edgo AIO PC. Fully configurable on the inside, Velocity Micro says it also paid attention to the outside, culminating in a "rare combination of aesthetics and power."