Microsoft set-top 'Xbox TV' plans in question - Report

Microsoft's rumored plans for an "Xbox TV" set-top streaming device are reportedly in question.

Sources speaking with the Wall Street Journal (via Polygon) have indicated that the Xbox maker has created designs for a "simple" non-gaming set-top device that will stream video and "other entertainment options."

However, Microsoft is reportedly not sure how or if it will move forward with the device.

The unnamed sources said the Xbox TV device has gone through "several" design iterations, including "recent" prototypes that operated with Microsoft's Kinect technology.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal and to GameSpot.

Microsoft's overall ambition is to create "common experiences" between multiple products, the sources said, similar to the ecosystem in which Apple's various products exist.

The company has begun to lay the groundwork for this initiative by telling its development teams to write applications using recently developed coding standards. The goal of this effort is to simplify the process by which developers can create programs for various devices, whether it be an Xbox, a smartphone, or a PC, the sources said.

The supposed Xbox TV device was first spoken of last year, when multiple sources told The Verge that this Xbox-branded set-top box would be released in 2013 running on a modified version of Windows 8. It is rumored to be a "low cost" alternative to the next Xbox and will support casual games, but not "full" Xbox titles.

Microsoft is widely believed to formally unveil its next Xbox during an intimate event at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on May 21.

This announcement will "mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV, and entertainment." The event will be streamed through Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and Spike TV in the United States and Canada.