Microsoft’s ‘Keystone’ cloud streaming device may take on the Apple TV in the future

At one point in the past, Microsoft was putting a lot of the company’s eggs on a future focused almost entirely on streaming entertainment. So much so that one of its previous video game consoles, the Xbox One, was practically kneecapped right out of the gate because of Microsoft’s vision for the future. Things didn’t pan out that way, though, and now, with the Xbox Series S and Series X, Microsoft’s back on track. But that doesn’t mean the company has given up on that particular dream.

And it turns out we might not be all that far off from seeing a real product. That’s according to a recent report from Windows Central, which states that Microsoft is still hard at work on a cloud streaming device. This means it’s not a successor to the Xbox Series S or Series X (yet), but rather just one more product for the category lineup.

And while Microsoft will be focusing on streaming content, from a range of different services, it will also allow for folks who like to play video games to do just that, too. Basically, it will give them access to Xbox Cloud Gaming, so they can play console-level games, without needing an entire video game console to do it. So, theoretically, one would imagine those folks would save some money when compared to buying one of those consoles versus this streaming device.

Microsoft has confirmed it is indeed working on the project, and that it’s codenamed “Keystone” at the moment. One would imagine it won’t retain that name by the time it becomes a real product people can buy.

The report is relatively light on details, which makes sense. However, a Microsoft spokesperson did confirm that the gaming division at Microsoft is committed to bringing a “low-cost hardware” to market at some point in the future. The spokesperson went on to add that the future cloud streaming device will be basically universal, able to connect to any TV or monitor and bring streaming (both video and gaming) to the people.

The report says that Microsoft has been working on this streaming device, which would technically be a competitor to the Apple TV 4K, for a few years now at least. However, as for when it might launch, that remains a mystery at this point.

And this is where we’ll also add that word on the street is that Apple is working on a less expensive Apple TV streaming device, too. This has been a long time coming, to be frank, and it would barely fall in the category of “better late than never.” Apple’s been sleeping on this for quite some time, so here’s to hoping a less expensive Apple TV does see the light of day.

So, who’s buying a low-cost Microsoft cloud streaming device?