Xbox Stream Box: the future of Microsoft’s console?

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xbox 1 1000x600.jpg
xbox 1 1000x600.jpg

Yes, I know, Xbox Stream Box is a horrible and redundant name. Moreover, if it were finally true that Microsoft works on this device, since at the moment it is a rumor, one of the first decisions they should make in Redmond is to choose a different name. Just with that change, this hypothetical device would already earn a few points. However, and beyond that, at least a priori it seems like a very interesting proposal.

And, as its name suggests, Xbox Stream Box would be a device that would allow streaming from a console so that it can be used remotely. But where does this rumor come from? The truth is that it is not something new, it has already been talked about before, but this time the Twitter user Post Up has posted a tweet with images and a screenshot of a website that shows information about this hypothetical device.

In the image (which according to the text corresponds to a prototype made in January, currently its design would be different), as well as in the accompanying text, we see a small device with a USB-A connector on the front and an HDMI, an ethernet port and a USB-C (probably for food) in the back. In addition, the Xbox Stream Box would also have cwireless onectivity, so much Wifi for your network connection, such as Bluetooth to connect controllers, keyboards and mice.

Its operation, as you may have already deduced, would be very simple. You just have to connect the Xbox Stream Box to the TV via HDMI, to the Internet either via cable or WiFi and log in with your Xbox account. In this way you would already have remote access to your console and, in this way, you could activate it to play the games you have installed on it. A very comfortable solution if, for example, you have the console in the living room but you want to play in the bedroom.

👀 The Xbox Stream box is coming! pic.twitter.com/t3NY0QnCcu

– Post Up (@PostUp_bbb) July 31, 2021

Now, the really interesting thing about this supposed device is that the Xbox Stream Box would also be able to connect to xCloud, Microsoft’s cloud gaming service. And this is what, as I say, gives a very interesting twist to everything, since like Stadia already does with the Chromecast and its remote, it allows you to turn any television into a console. With the difference, of course, that Xbox Game Pass has much more pull than Stadia’s monthly subscription service.

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This way, Microsoft could be starting to anticipate what the next generation of consoles could look like or, in case it’s still a bit early, next. Businesses have already made it very clear that they prefer subscription models to one-time purchases, and Game Pass is the perfect example of this. And on the other hand, we know that Microsoft has to adjust the price of their consoles so much, that in the end, on many occasions they do not generate profits or, in some cases, even pose losses. A model in which the intelligence is in the cloud and the access device is an Xbox Stream Box seems to make a lot of sense.

We will still have to wait to see if this Xbox Stream Box is confirmed or, on the contrary, it is just the fruit of someone’s imagination. According to the text, Microsoft’s plans are for it to go on sale before the end of the year, so we have a few months to see if Microsoft is really working on this device. Something that, pending confirmation, would seem like a great success on your part.