Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer needed to congratulate Fallout on Monday for 25 years of… yadda yadda, however what’s that? Up there on the highest shelf, might it’s? An Xbox streaming field?

Spencer was supposedly posting to congratulate Fallout for its host of fantastic video games (Fallouts 1, 2, and New Vegas) and mediocre post-apocalyptic romps (every thing else, don’t @ me), however eagle-eyed Microsoft fanatics noticed one thing else. In an image of Spencer’s shelf, there was a small gadget that would very nicely be Xbox’s first-party foray into streaming {hardware}.

The final we heard of the Xbox streaming stick, codenamed “Keystone,” Xbox was going again to the drafting board. Now, it looks as if the stick format is perhaps on the best way out.

This gadget appears to be extra like a brief bar or field that might hook up with a TV via an HDMI port. We reached out to Microsoft and Xbox for remark, and the corporate pointed to the official Xbox Twitter, which claimed it was simply an “old prototype.”

Spencer’s authentic tweet nonetheless stays up, so even when the leak was unintentional, it appears honest to say Microsoft is having fun with the free buzz. Spencer is thought for hiding Easter eggs on his shelf. He initially leaked the Xbox Series S on a livestream.

That hasn’t dissuaded any of the hypothesis, nevertheless. One of the Verge’s senior editors, Tom Warren, claimed that what’s within the picture is “100%” the Keystone gadget. Warren beforehand wrote for WinRumors, which targeted on Microsoft information, so he does have some claim to say that, based on sources accustomed to Microsoft’s plans, the workforce continues to be engaged on its streaming gadget.

Warren’s tweet hit earlier than the Xbox workforce’s reply concerning the gadget being a prototype, to which Warren replied “wink wink, nudge nudge.”

Microsoft has confirmed the identify “Keystone” pertains to its streaming endeavors and has talked about its plans to convey to market a tool that makes use of the Xbox Game Pass subscription program completely. When the firm sassist it was going to “pivot away from the current iteration of the Keystone device,” that was amongst rumors that it needed to launch its new gadget inside a 12 months. Even with the revelation that the gadget nonetheless appears to be in improvement, we’re skeptical that Xbox will hit that timeline.

Your common streaming sticks, like Roku gadgets or Chromecast dongles, are fairly ubiquitous, so going box-sized may additionally unencumber some house on a TV’s crowded HDMI ports. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate additionally contains entry to media aside from video games, together with some TV and flicks. Eschewing the stick design for a miniature field might additionally give it entry to an ethernet port and probably extra USB connections, which might be very helpful for charging controllers. Though some firms have been making forays into hardware-less sport streaming, with the tip of Google Stadia, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what Microsoft does in another way to make cloud gaming actually stick this time.