Xbox Keystone: Phil Spencer may have revealed an ‘old prototype’ of Microsoft’s streaming device in development

It is no secret that Microsoft has been working on an Xbox device focused on game streaming. The company has not provided an update about the project (codenamed Keystone) for months, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have posted a subtle teaser recently.

Spencer congratulated Bethesda for the 25th anniversary of the “Fallout” series in a Twitter post earlier this week. The Microsoft gaming chief shared a photo of his office shelves, where several pieces of memorabilia are displayed, including a couple of Vault Boy figurines.

Shortly after the post was published, though, eagle-eyed fans and gaming journalists spotted an interesting item placed in the center of the topmost shelf. It sits beside an Xbox controller and appears to be a compact set-top box with what looks like the Xbox logo on one side and a USB port on the other end. It did not take long before people started speculating that it could be the elusive Xbox Keystone streaming device.

It is not surprising that Spencer has not addressed the Keystone-related replies to his Twitter post. But the official Xbox page chimed in with a coy response, “Now what did we say about putting old prototypes on your shelf boss.” While Xbox did not confirm anything in its own post, it seems like a clear giveaway that fans have guessed correctly.

It is worth noting that in Xbox’s response to Spencer’s Twitter post, the company hinted that the device on display is an “old prototype.” This seems to line up with Microsoft’s previous statement about exploring new iterations of the Keystone streaming device.

Microsoft acknowledged the existence of project Keystone earlier this year. “We have made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration of the Keystone device,” the company told Windows Central. “We will take our learnings and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more players around the world in the future.”

The company has been pushing hard to expand its reach in the gaming industry through the Game Pass subscription and its cloud streaming service. So despite the lack of updates about the Keystone project, Microsoft is still highly expected to launch a separate Xbox device dedicated to streaming video games. But it remains to be seen when Microsoft will unveil the final iteration of the Keystone streaming hardware.

Photo by Louis-Philippe Poitras (@lppoitras) from Unsplash