This is how Xbox Keystone would have looked if it had been released

Have you ever considered the Xbox Keystone, the cloud streaming console that never came to our living rooms? It seems there’s a little more to its story, and with a fresh Microsoft patent discovered by Windows Central, we now have some insight into what could have been.

This device was created for your TV, providing access to Xbox Game Pass games without needing an expensive typical game console. Still, even if the idea was good, Keystone got put on hold because of difficulties with its price. Microsoft hoped to find a perfect range from $99 to $129, but they couldn’t manage the figures.

Keystone’s design was different from what we have seen in Xbox consoles. It had a square shape with a circular vent on the top, reminding us of the design of the Xbox Series S but having its unique style.

The front part had an Xbox power button and USB-A port that we are familiar with, while at the backside, you could see HDMI, Ethernet, and power ports. At the bottom, a special “Hello from Seattle” plate gave a personal touch.

Yet, as much as this patent reveal could have sparked hope for a Keystone comeback, the sad truth is that Keystone, in its current state of knowledge and speculation, will likely remain an interesting piece of Xbox history.

It’s important to understand that we don’t have any definitive information about its internals or operating system. Speculation is rife on whether it ran a full Xbox OS or something more streamlined for cloud gaming.

However, this does not mean that Microsoft is retreating from the cloud gaming field. No way. The technology titan continues to put significant resources into Xbox Cloud Gaming and is finding fresh methods for delivering games to players without requiring any physical equipment.

The difficulty is dealing with the cost of cloud servers and the competition within app stores. Microsoft’s plans involve setting up a mobile gaming store, but their strategy for gaining users isn’t unclear.

Instead of Keystone, Microsoft is having a good outcome with Xbox Cloud Gaming on places such as Samsung TVs and trying out PC cloud games to widen its service range.

The future for cloud gaming seems very positive, as technologies like NVIDIA GeForce Now pave the path ahead. This shows that getting top-notch gaming experiences through the cloud is possible and unavoidable in the future.

Hence, even if we never hold an Xbox Keystone, the concept of cloud gaming keeps developing. Microsoft’s voyage into the cloud is not finished yet—who can say? Perhaps soon, they will come up with another major innovation.

You can read the patent here.