Microsoft: Xbox recreation streaming console is “years away”

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has revealed that the corporate’s Xbox recreation streaming console is now “years away.” Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference yesterday, Spencer mentioned the Xbox recreation streaming gadget, Keystone, that we noticed seem on his shelf just lately.

“Keystone was the codename of something we were incubating internally, which was … a streaming console, so there’s no local gameplay, low-cost, plug it into a TV, and you’d be able to stream Xbox games,” mentioned Spencer. “In the late spring, we pivoted to working with Samsung. We put an app on Samsung TVs that let you play Xbox games, and I still have the prototype; it sits on the shelf behind my computer.”

While Keystone was a prototype, Microsoft did initially announce final yr that it was planning to launch this Xbox streaming gadget. But it’s now not coming anytime quickly. “Will we do a streaming device at some point? I suspect we will, but I think it’s years away,” says Spencer.

It’s not clear precisely why Microsoft has pivoted away from a devoted Xbox streaming console, however it may very well be associated to the scale. Keystone seems to be like a good smaller model of the Xbox Series S, however shoppers at the moment are used to gadgets just like the Chromecast which can be basically dongles that hang around of an HDMI port. Microsoft was all the time cautious to explain Keystone as a “streaming device” slightly than a stick, however many had been nonetheless anticipating a devoted streaming stick as an alternative.

Microsoft nonetheless has some work to do on Xbox Cloud Gaming itself earlier than it’s totally prepared for TVs, too. While the corporate has managed to launch an Xbox TV app on Samsung TVs, it solely helps streaming video games at 1080p at as much as 60fps. Rival companies like Google Stadia (RIP) and Nvidia’s GeForce Now each supply 4K streaming to TVs.