IT Home November 1st, Microsoft revealed that its cloud game streaming host (called "Keystone") is still "a few years away" before it becomes a reality. Microsoft Games CEO Phil Spencer said at a live technical conference on Wall Street Journal that the company is developing an Xbox game streaming device that allows users to play Xbox games without downloading. This is a cheap plug-and-play device, but it has been put on hold.
Phil Spencer further pointed out that this decision was made in late spring this year, as Microsoft will shift its focus to the development of Gaming Hub in partnership with Samsung . Samsung's high-end TVs are equipped with the Gaming Hub feature, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, allowing users to play Xbox games smoothly through the cloud. Phil Spencer said Microsoft may still make Xbox streaming devices in the future, but it will take several years to actually reach users’ hands.
Microsoft Xbox Keystone was revealed last year and plans to launch the device soon, but it doesn't arrive anytime soon. IT Home learned that in a picture released by Phil Spencer, the Keystone was placed on the shelf at the back, and the size was very small, looking like the Xbox Series S reduced version of .
Since users can now use plug-and-play devices such as Google Chromecast, Microsoft describes Keystone as a streaming device, not a TV stick. Although Microsoft has successfully launched the Xbox TV app on Samsung TV, it only supports streaming games at 1080p@60fps.
Both support 4K game streaming compared to its competitors such as Google Stadia (will stop operating) and Nvidia GeForce NOW. Therefore, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do on Xbox cloud gaming to prepare for the TV community.
