The patent for Keystone, the Xbox streaming device, reveals its design

In 2021 Microsoft announced that it was working on a gaming device in streaming known under the code name Keystone. The invention was never officially presented, its launch is not planned and it has only been glimpsed in videos recorded in the office of Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Now we can get a good idea of ​​its design thanks to the fact that Windows Central has found the patent.

As you can see in the images, the Xbox Keystone features a square-shaped design, with the Xbox name and logo at the top left and a circle in the center reminiscent of the black vent on the Xbox Series S. In On the front we find the power button with the Xbox symbol and a USB-A port, while on the back there are three additional ports: HDMI, Ethernet and power. On one of the sides there is a button that could be the one to pair the controller. Finally, at the bottom there is a circular plaque with the message Hello from Seattle, the same one that appears on other Xbox devices.

This patent was registered in June 2022, a year before Microsoft confirmed that it was working on a device streaming. In October 2020, Spencer had already talked about the possibility of bringing the game to televisions with some type of hardware. Microsoft’s goal with Keystone was to offer Game Pass cloud gaming through “a device on streaming standalone that will connect to a TV or monitor, and if you have a strong internet connection you will be able to stream your Xbox experience.”

The last thing we heard about Keystone is that Microsoft decided not to go ahead with the release because it was “more expensive than we wanted when we built it.” The company had hoped to sell the hardware with a controller for between $99 and $129, but that didn’t happen. As of now, it seems there’s no intention of resuming the project and instead has opted to release an app that serves the same purpose. Microsoft Gaming is working on different forms of hardware, but the only thing that’s certain is that a new console is on the list.