Patent Reveals Design of Microsoft’s Canceled Xbox Keystone
In 2021, Microsoft Xbox announced that they were developing a streaming device codenamed Keystone. This device is designed to stream games from an Xbox console or play cloud games. At that time, it made a brief appearance in Phil Spencer’s office. However, it has not been officially released until now.
Recently, Windows Central uncovered a patent submitted by Microsoft in June 2022, which describes the design of Keystone, giving us a detailed glimpse of it.
Keystone’s design resembles the Xbox Series S, but it is smaller and thinner. Its body is primarily white, with a black protruding circular area on top, presumably for ventilation. The front panel features an Xbox button, a USB-A button, and the controller pairing button is located on the right side.
The device’s rear interface has significantly fewer ports compared to standalone consoles, featuring only RJ45, HDMI, and power connections. The bottom of the device reflects the style of the Xbox Series X: a large disc with a line through the center, and text on both ends of the line, including “Xbox” and “Hello from Seattle.” The disc’s perimeter is densely packed with ventilation holes.
Phil Spencer has indicated that Keystone’s price should be between $99 and $129. Windows Central speculates that this price point might be the primary reason for its delayed release: Microsoft may be struggling to keep Keystone’s price that low.
While we may not have more detailed information about Keystone’s processor, operating system, or other specifications, there are still many upcoming Xbox devices to look forward to, such as the rumored Xbox handheld console.
