
Xbox has been pretty public with its console codenames in the past. Durango became the Xbox One, Project Scarlett eventually materialised as Xbox Series X, hell, Microsoft even named the launch Xbox One X after its codename: Project Scorpio. Is ' Project Keystone' next?
In a Microsoft file datamine by Twitter user Tero Alhonen, 'PRODUCT_XBOX_KEYSTONE' was discovered. Nothing else was found on the 'product', however, its place within the datamined files is very interesting.
Basically, Keystone sits right underneath Durango and Scarlett among the files, two other Xbox console codenames that — as previously mentioned — turned out to be real Xbox systems. Could Keystone relate to the next Xbox?
Who knows at this point. You might think it's a little early to start talking about new Xbox systems, but development often begins right after a new console launch. There could also be another 'Xbox Series' line in the works too, as the naming convention suggests there may be more Series' to come.
Is this the early workings of a new Xbox console, or pure coincidence? Let us know your thoughts.
[source twitter.com]
Comments (37)
I had always assumed that the clue was in the name "series".
i.e. there may be a series of X models, a series of S models.
I know nothing about nothing though...
Or maybe it's just as slightly fixed version of the xbox series X.
Not as interesting but more realistic.
I have this theory that there will be a mid-gen refresh a couple of years down the line. But instead of pushing for 8K or such stuff it will strongly increase ray-tracing performance and enable games to use RT much more strongly. It can truly transform the look of the games and improve them.
Keystone is the all digital series x..
..or maybe ms just really likes Keystone beer and this is the series x with the keystone skin🤣
I haven’t even got my hands on a series X yet. I don’t want here anything about new condoles for at least five years!
I think they're gonna do a system that's just for streaming Game Pass xcloud games once the service is outta beta.
A hdmi KEY kinda thing, like the Stadia but with good games.
@BrilliantBill Interesting theory. I too think 8k is a stretch, performance improvements seem more likely.
I could see a physical Series S-level system, or maybe a digital X-level system. Time will tell!
People getting too much worked up about this, for sure is that Gamepass TV Dongle that we were hearing about some time ago
@PhhhCough ya know keystone is the exact same as Coors but with the mountains on the can oriented in a different way and cheaper price... seriously look it up Keystone is Coors just with a lower price....
@Blessed_Koz 🤔I definitely will
Doesn’t the Series generation need to start churning out some hits before it goes to the next generation? Hardware is fine for the Series, but we need more Microsoft gems
Midcycle refresh, the Series X One
Yeah most likely it's a series refresh of some sort. A digital only series X would be cool
I'm guessing we'll see a Digital X in the next year or so and an X Pro a year or so after.
@lolwhatno good call, I hope it’s a $400 dollar digital series X.
Or a $500 dollar series X with 2TB storage. As you can tell I have no need for my disk based Series X. I haven’t bought a disk since early 360 years. I bought the digital PS5 and it’s a steal at $400 only thing lacking was more storage. 668GB was a odd amount.
My money is on the Series 2, but my heart is on a Series H(ybrid).
Let's hope for a Xbox Series P, where P stands for Portable.
@edusoares https://static0.gamerantimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/xbox-series-x-lockhart-mockup.jpg
This 😄
I think it'll either be a streaming stick or Kinect 3.0. XB1 native Xbox Game Studios support is coming to a close (only As Dusk Falls, Grounded leaving early access and DLC/updates for already released games left) so streaming will be the most common way people will access future XGS studios games.
I do think there's a small chance it's a Kinect 3.0 though as Microsoft keeps talking about preserving games yet a load of XB1 games can't be played on Series X|S because there's no Kinect support.
@Agnostic they'll probably make it even more confusing & release a slimmer series X & call it the series XS
It's hard to get excited over a codeword with zero context. It could be anything, it could be nothing.
@Would_you_kindly XS360
It's an OS component.
My 2 guesses;
1. The rumoured xCloud streaming stick for TVs
2. A discless Series X console
I hope it's a white digital only series x 😃
@Rural-Bandit Oh hey, nice to see you here! I'm the opposite though, until I get access to y'alls insane internet speed (my 3mbps internet says hi), I'm sticking with physical discs.
At some point Microsoft will launch a £99 streaming stick bundled with a controller and 3 months of Gamepass. Its probably that.
Assuming the codename was chosen for a reason, a keystone is the important middle wedge in an arch that keeps bridges strong.
So I think people predicting a cheap streaming device are probably on the money. This is probably Phil Spencer's masterplan and it hinges on attracting a huge number of subscribers via an affordable device.
My thought was this would be the rumoured streaming stick.
As in it would be the "key" to unlocking game pass to the masses.
Next consoles:
Series S2
Series X2
@lolwhatno I don’t blame you one bit buddy. If I had slower internet, I would also do disk. But at 400MBPS I can download a game quicker than I can leave my house and drive to a store to buy the disk. Good thing is we have options for everyone. Disk, download or subscription service.
@Rural-Bandit
It is not just about speed. More and more isp's are adding data limits so physical can be better for them people. I had ATT and they have data limits. I had to keep Direct tv because I got unlimited data with their tv package and internet. . Without it I am way over the data limits which would be really expensive. I recently switch to fiber and it has no limits for now but that can change.
@shred5 yeah I agree you are absolutely right. Caps can be a issue for certain people. I have 400MBPS with no data caps. Unlimited which is nice. But I don’t overly download that much to begin with. Physical media to me seems like a wasted resources, from plastic to driving to buy it or having it shipped in the mail. I have space for the cases, but choose to not. Then half the game and patches are just downloaded anyways. Most physical games these days is just a part of the game with a plastic case. I mean I’m not trying to knock it for who enjoys them. I’m glad it’s there for the people that need or prefer it. I just like turning on my console and all my games being right there and sorted the way I want them. I haven’t bought a disk since the early 360 days. So I have a large digital collection Across the big 3.
@Rural-Bandit
I hear you. Another reason I like physical is I buy used and trade allot in when done. I am not one who has to have a game when it launches so I buy a lot of used games. I got horizons Zero Dawn for like 15.00 and about the same for Red Dead Redemption II both games I never played before. I do have a Xbox S though and just for game pass and to play with another friend. I have a pretty large backlog of games to play. Physical disk will eventually go away than there is only one place to buy games for on each console. .
@shred5 makes sense, I can’t buy used obviously, but I do want for a lot of digital sales. Aaa effect collection for $23 this week.
There’s a lot of really great digital sales if gamers will wait. Same with the physical copies. There’s a handful of titles I will not wait a day for tho and download at full price day 1. But for the most part I get a decent amount of stuff when they have sales.
"Keystone" is the internal Xbox codename for Xbox Series Go, their forthcoming portable. In terms of specs, it's basically mildly overclocked Durango with a maximum resolution of 900p - ironic in a way because so many Durango-era games only ever reached 900p on the OG Xbox One. Where it will get interesting is that the screen itself is roughly Nintendo Switch-sized, giving the impression that it's slightly higher resolution than either both the Switch and Steam Deck.
@Rural-Bandit Exactly, happy gaming m8!
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