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One of the options that is being considered for the future is that video games are distributed as a service through Cloud Gaming. The console based on Xbox Cloud Gaming that is part of the project known as Keystone, returns to the scene at a time when the digitalization of Microsoft's hardware offering is being addressed. The registration of a patent would have shown that This option could be present on Xbox, although in principle it had been ruled out due to its costs.
The information would come through Insider Gaming, which would have exposed some images of the prototype of this hardware that would be linked to offering the gaming experience through Cloud Gaming, or streaming. The objective of this product was to offer minimal cost hardware, aimed at exploiting the Xbox Game Pass offer through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
New details of the Keystone project confirm that the console based on Xbox Cloud Gaming has not been abandoned
And it is not something that sounds new to us, but it had been left as an option that did not seem a priority. New evidence, such as the digital model of Xbox Series Abandonment of the physical format has always been a pending task for Microsoft, but the need of the market has stopped that option. And although at first we find a discarded prototype, considering it does not seem unlikely given that its efficiency would be to take a cut from the subscription to which the user would be subscribed.
But the situation with this hardware idea for Cloud Gaming is at a similar moment to the service itself. The emergence of Cloud Gaming seems to be something that is being analyzed as an alternative, but not as a reality right now. It sounds like one of the future alternatives, given the service offering and the variable hardware renewal needs, which would be ruled out in the future. The option of a device that is around 100-130 dollars and allow everyone to play Game Pass games via streaming, It is an idea that arises from that future business model that some companies manage.
The device seen in the leak would reveal new details of the Keystone project, the console based on Xbox Cloud Gaming would be a small device, which could even be treated as something that can be transported anywhere. You would only need a television and an internet connection to enjoy the gaming experience offered through Xbox Cloud Gaming. In addition, one of Xbox's objectives is to make the games purchased through this service playable. In this way, the option would be full and could be a candidate to replace the use of the traditional console.
The prototype shown shows the basics. A HDMI port to connect to a television, a Ethernet port for internet connection, the power supply and a single USB which could be used to charge the controller. We would have to go back to the information that was given in 2022 to address this model that, presumably, would have failed in its approach. But we may have had the wrong idea about the concept of failure, although it may be something that is being delayed in the face of a more digital future and less dependent on the performance of local hardware.
![The console based on Xbox Cloud Gaming returns to the scene after new details of the Keystone project are revealed in the registration of patent 142 xCloud Xbox Cloud Gaming](https://www.somosxbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/xCloud-Xbox-Cloud-Gaming-150x150.png)
They continue to improve the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, when they add new games with keyboard and mouse support
we arexbox.com
There are times when ideas arrive too soon, and Cloud Gaming may still not be an alternative that replaces the current model of consoles or hardware for playing. But looking to the future, SmartTVs, mobile devices and these types of devices, They can be an alternative or the trend that the market will have due to its low cost and simplicity. When will be the time when the console based on Xbox Cloud Gaming can be a real alternative?