Roughly three years ago, Microsoft announced it was working on a device designed to stream games only through the cloud. The device, known only under its codename Project Keystone, would eventually be canceled, with no proper look beyond being spotted on Phil Spencer's shelf in late 2022. However, a new patent gives fans a better look at Xbox's canned cloud gaming console.
Spotted by Windows Central, a new patent on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website reveals that a patent was filed in June 2022. As you can see from the image gallery below, Project Keystone would have been a small box-shaped design. The circular shape on the top and bottom of the patent implies it would have had vents similar to the one found on the front of the Xbox Series S console. The front of the patent displays two buttons — the Xbox power button on the far left and a USB-A port on the opposite end.
Additional images show that on the right side, there was a Bluetooth pairing button to pair a Bluetooth controller to the device. Project Keystone's rear showed one Ethernet port, one HDMI port, and a port to plug in the power cable.
Project Keystone's patent reveals that Chris Kujawski invented the device. Kujawski, a Principal Designer and Creative Director at Microsoft, was also the lead designer of the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles and the Xbox Adaptive and Xbox Elite controllers.
In an interview with The Verge in late November, Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed that Project Keystone was put on the back burner because it was too expensive to make. Spencer explained to the outlet that Microsoft was hoping to sell the device at an affordable price as a more entry-level starting point for those not looking to spend $299 on an Xbox Series S.
"I don't want to announce pricing specifically, but I think you've got to be $129, $99, somewhere in there for that to make sense in my view," Spencer said at the time.
While Project Keystone never saw the light of day, the initial idea, which was to allow players to stream Xbox games on the cloud through TV or monitor without any additional hardware, lives on through the Xbox TV App, which eventually made its way onto newer Samsung smart TVs and gaming monitors, such as the Samsung Odyssey Ark.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
