Xbox Cloud Gaming plans are changing, but Microsoft is definitely developing the Keystone dongle
If you’re constantly browsing the internet to find an Xbox Series X available for purchase, you’ll know that, like Sony with its PS5, Microsoft has struggled to keep up with demand. But it looks like that won’t be a problem with the next generation of Xbox games, because you may not need a console at all.
That’s not to say there won’t be another Xbox – we’re expecting mid-life updates for consoles from Microsoft and Sony, most likely next year. But Microsoft is investing heavily in cloud gaming, and that includes a dongle that will turn any TV into a Xbox Series Xor something like that.
In accordance with Windows Central, Microsoft’s dongle is codenamed “Keystone” and is a “modernized HDMI streaming device that runs Xbox Game Pass and its cloud gaming service.” However, a Microsoft spokesperson told the website that while Keystone is real and a priority for Microsoft, they need a little more time before it’s ready to be sold.
WHAT WILL THE XBOX KEYSTONE DEVICE BE CAPABLE OF?
According to Microsoft, the vision of cloud gaming is that people can play the titles they want, when they want, on the devices they want. And, as part of that is Keystone, which “could be plugged into any TV or monitor, no console required.”
I’ve been playing Xbox Cloud Gaming for quite some time and I’m pretty impressed with it. Although it doesn’t offer the kind of performance and visual quality that a serious gamer might expect, it’s still pretty good. And by the time Keystone comes out, at any time, the networks we’re connected to will be better, too.
The idea behind Keystone is sound, but it seems that the hardware wasn’t working the way Microsoft wanted it to; the firm has “made the decision to discard the current version of the Keystone device” in favor of a new approach. That means it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see it any time soon, let alone be able to buy it.
But with Microsoft still committed and perhaps also developing smart TV apps for the Xbox service, it’s clear that the gaming genius wants to reach many more gamers than the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X have so far. More gaming for more people without spending too much sounds like a great plan, to me.
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