Details of Microsoft's canceled Xbox cloud console revealed in new patent

Xbox cloud console, codenamed Keystone scrapped and now offers a glimpse in new hardware

Microsoft had plans to launch a dedicated Xbox cloud console, codenamed Keystone, which would have provided access to Xbox games via the Xbox Cloud Gaming service. The device resembled a miniature Xbox Series S, but the project was ultimately scrapped. A recent patent, however, offers a glimpse of what Keystone might have looked like.

Spotted by Windows Central, the patent shows Keystone featuring an HDMI port, ethernet, and a power connector. The front of the device included an Xbox button, a controller pairing button, and a USB-A port. The console also had a circular "Hello from Seattle" plate at its base, similar to the Xbox Series X design.

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Filed in 2022, the patent is attributed to Chris Kujawski, a principal designer at Microsoft, who also led the design for the Xbox Series S and X consoles.

Microsoft first announced plans for an Xbox streaming device in 2021 but canceled Keystone due to cost concerns. “It was more expensive than we wanted it to be when we actually built it out with the hardware that we had inside,” Xbox chief Phil Spencer told The Verge in 2022. The company decided to focus on developing a smart TV streaming app instead.

In 2022, Spencer revealed the Keystone prototype on his office shelf, and the official Xbox account on X referred to it as an “old prototype.” Microsoft has since launched the Xbox TV app, available on 2022 and newer Samsung TVs and monitors, which supports streaming games at 1080p and up to 60fps from Xbox Cloud Gaming.