In March, a Microsoft archive datamine revealed a mysterious project codenamed ‘Keystone’, which eventually led to a report about Xbox’s plans to release a streaming device next year.
Now, in a statement to Windows Central, Microsoft has officially confirmed that ‘Keystone’ is the game streaming device it has been working on for the past year:
“Our vision for Xbox Cloud Gaming is unwavering, our goal is to enable people to play the games they want, on the devices they want, anywhere they want. As announced last year, we are working on a game streaming device, codenamed Keystone, that can be connected to any TV or monitor without the need for a console.”
It has also apparently made a “decision to step away” from the current iteration of the device and will regroup with a “new approach” – allowing it to deliver its vision of Xbox Cloud Gaming worldwide:
“As part of any technical journey, we are constantly evaluating our efforts, reviewing our learnings and ensuring that we are adding value to our customers. We have made the decision to abandon the current iteration of the Keystone device. lessons learned and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more gamers around the world in the future.”
According to Windows Central, the device may eventually run on a sort of “lean” Windows or Xbox operating system. The exact timeline of the device also remains unclear, so you shouldn’t expect to see it in the immediate future.
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