Rewrite this title for a blog post. Remove any site names from it The title is: This 100% Cloud Xbox Console Was Canceled By Microsoft. Now We Know All Its Secrets

The secret console

In 2021, Microsoft announced that it was working on a machine entirely focused on Xbox Game Pass. Then called “Keystone”, the device was presented as a small box to be placed near the screen, like a television box, allowing you to play the brand's games via the cloud. The company's primary desire was then to offer said device for around 100 or 130 dollars, a fraction of the price of a console. Unfortunately, the project was quickly abandoned, particularly given the impossibility of ensuring such sales prices.

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A cancellation which never made it possible to view the famous box… Until today! Indeed, it is thanks to the investigators of Windows Central that it was possible to unearth a patent allowing us to finally have an overview of the Keystone project. This then appeared as a square box with a circle on top, similar to that visible on an Xbox Series S. Equipped with USB, HDMI and Ethernet ports, the machine also appeared to feature an Xbox controller pairing button, in addition to a support plate, similar to that of the Xbox Series

Cloud

If Xbox has shelved the Keystone project, however, it is far from having abandoned the cloud. Its biggest obstacle currently remains its economic model. By definition, this way of playing requires the operation of dedicated servers 24/7, i.e. an extremely expensive operation. In fact, according to Windows Central journalists, Microsoft declared, during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, that it was continuing to experiment with this concept. In particular by studying the possibility for players to import their games library into the cloud and make those purchased directly available in the cloud on all of the manufacturer's machines.

If today the practice of cloud gaming is still somewhat overlooked, platforms like NVIDIA GeForce Now prove that this technology is indeed viable. So, if Xbox has some catching up to do on the subject, everything seems to point towards its future dazzling foray into the field. To be continued!