Will Microsoft end up launching its Xbox key dedicated to multimedia and cloud gaming? The firm gives news of the project.
This is a long-term project. Since October 2020, we officially know that Microsoft is still working on an Xbox device allowing access to Xbox Cloud Gaming from any television. The idea would be to follow what Google was offering at the launch of Google Stadia, its cloud gaming service, with Chromecast Ultra. A low-cost product in HDMI to connect to your TV to transform it into a device capable of accessing cloud gaming.
A long-standing project
It is said to be a long-term project, because in reality, Microsoft has been working on this idea since the debut of the Xbox One in 2013. At the time, Xbox Cloud Gaming did not yet exist (even though Microsoft was working already on it) and the idea is above all to allow access to films, series and music purchased on the Xbox multimedia service. The brand then dreamed of being a future competitor to Netflix and Spotify.
Since then, the project has evolved, and Microsoft has publicly provided new information following revelations from the Windows Central site. We now have a code name, the Keystone project.
In recent months, the project has been talked about a lot. In June 2021, a few days before its big Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Microsoft started talking about it publicly without an interview as part of the expansion of Xbox Game Pass to new screens. The idea was talked about again in May 2022 when Microsoft presented Xbox Everywhere, its new strategy to put Xbox Cloud Gaming in everyone’s mind. A few days later, it was the turn of VentureBeat and journalist Jeff Grubb to write a dedicated article.
The product is not ready and has evolved
This time it is Windows Central which informs us that the project is called Keystone. The site mentions the appearance of this codename in a list of Microsoft’s operating systems alongside other Xbox systems.
XBOX KEYSTONE pic.twitter.com/warAwisfKh
— Tero Alhonen?? (@teroalhonen) March 9, 2022
Despite this very long project, Microsoft is not yet ready to announce its product. A brand manager officially confirmed this to Windows Central.
As with any technical project, we are constantly evaluating our efforts, reviewing our learnings and ensuring that we are delivering value to our customers. We have made the decision to move away from the current iteration of the Keystone device. We will learn from our experience and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to more gamers around the world in the future.
We therefore understand that Microsoft has decided to review the characteristics of the device and has postponed its date of placing on the market. According to journalist Jez Corden, we shouldn’t expect to discover this Keystone project for a little while, and “certainly not at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022″. To bring water to its mill, we can indeed say that Microsoft has chosen for several years to dedicate these ” showcase to demonstrations of video games from its many studios. The firm prefers to make its “services” announcements outside of its showcase. In 2021, she had chosen to do them a few days before the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. We can wonder if she has planned to renew this experience, with or without Keystone to reveal.
According to journalist Tom Warrenalso specializing in Microsoft topics, it should not necessarily be understood from this official statement that the product would be “ canceled or scheduled for a long time “. The two sources are therefore in disagreement of interpretation on this point. If Microsoft is to talk about this project again soon, we can assume that the firm will take advantage of the excitement around the ÉTÉJV, the name sometimes given to summer conferences in video games, since the death of E3.
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