what you should Know
- A newly discovered Microsoft patent has given us a closer look at the canceled Xbox Keystone streaming console.
- The device is designed to sit under a TV and stream games via Xbox Game Pass.
- Keystone was canceled after Microsoft failed to reasonably evaluate it.
Back in 2021, Microsoft announced that it was working on a dedicated streaming device for Xbox Game Pass. This device was later revealed to be codenamed Keystone, which takes the form of a streaming box that will sit under your TV, cost a fraction of the price of a normal Xbox, and allow you to play Xbox games through the cloud.
Unfortunately, it appears that Microsoft has since abandoned plans to ship the Xbox Keystone due to an inability to lower the price to a level that makes sense for customers. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer claimed that the device was supposed to cost around $99 or $129, but the company was unable to achieve that.
That means we never got a chance to see what the Xbox Keystone looks like. The closest we got was in a photo posted by Phil Spencer that happened to include a front view of the Xbox Keystone unit on a shelf. That’s as much as we’ve ever seen from the console, that is.
Thanks to a patent discovered by Windows Central, we can finally get a closer look at the box that Microsoft has built internally. First, the patent reveals that the console was shaped like an even square with a round shape on top, similar to the black circular air vent on the Xbox Series S. The front of the box featured an Xbox power button and a USB port.
There were three additional gates at the rear; HDMI, Ethernet and Power. The right side of the console appeared to have an Xbox controller pairing button, and the underside featured a circular “Hello from Seattle” sign that featured the console, much like the Xbox Series X.
This patent was filed in June 2022, which was around the time the first details about the Xbox Keystone were revealed. Unfortunately, the Xbox Keystone in this specific form is unlikely to ever see the light of day, but at least we now know what it would have looked like.
We still don’t know much about what’s powering things under the hood, including what kind of operating system or firmware it’s running. Was this a fully fleshed out Xbox OS with local game support removed? Or was something lighter running with an Xbox Game Pass app on top? We don’t know right now and probably never will.
Keystone is gone, but Microsoft isn’t giving up on the cloud
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Microsoft has given up on its Xbox keystone console, at least for now, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on the cloud.
The biggest barriers to the cloud right now revolve around the business model. Running cloud game servers 24/7 is incredibly expensive, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $15 a month doesn’t cover the cost on its own. At least in theory, in-game purchases and direct game purchases would help improve the business model to some extent, but watchdog companies like Apple and Google are working hard to prevent this business model from growing. Microsoft is known to be working on its own mobile game store for Android and iOS, but I have absolutely no idea how they’re going to get people to download it. It won’t appear on Android and iOS by default like cloud gaming, and mobile audiences expect ease of access as their north star.
A console like the Keystone would help overcome this, but as my colleague Zac Bowden noted above, Microsoft has failed to bring the price down. People would expect a device that could only play streaming games to cost around $99, and that was Keystone’s goal, but demand for components (fueled by the artificial intelligence gold rush) is keeping computing component prices unusually high.
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Instead of a dedicated device, Microsoft told me in LA for the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 that they see huge growth with TV apps, like those included by default in the Samsung TV Gaming Hub. I’ve heard that Microsoft is experimenting with making PC cloud gaming available through Xbox Cloud Gaming as well, which would increase the catalog. Microsoft is also known to be working on allowing players to bring their existing game libraries to the cloud and purchase cloud games to own, pending discussions with third-party publishers and license holders.
The cloud may be an add-on today, but it’s important that Microsoft keeps its foot in the door in this space. One day, cloud gaming may be indistinguishable from local playback, and platforms like NVIDIA GeForce Now prove that the technology is completely and utterly viable. Xbox Cloud Gaming has some catching up to do on the technical side, but there’s no reason to think they won’t be able to in the future.
