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Asha Sharma: Next Xbox Project Name: "Helix" - Will 'lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games'




his is a summary of my Xbox Developer Summit keynote address, delivered March 11 at the 2026 Game Developer Conference

Summary

  • Our team is deep in development on our next generation Xbox console, Project Helix. We are pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation in partnership with AMD, using FSR Next to power what comes next.
  • Starting in April, Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows in select markets. It brings a familiar Xbox experience to players while keeping the flexibility and openness of Windows.
  • For developers, the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now spans more than 1,500 games, creating a powerful opportunity to reach players seamlessly across console and Windows.
The characters, worlds, and stories from developers from across the world have shaped every stage of Xbox's evolution, what's possible and where we go next. As we celebrate 25 years of Xbox this year, I want to give a special thank you to the developers, past and present, who have helped define Xbox's legacy, including the more than 5,000 developers around the world currently building for Xbox.

We're continuing to push innovation for our next 25 years with our team hard at work on our next-generation first-party console: Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming.

As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.

It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.

I'm excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.

And, we're committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come. As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we'll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.

As games increasingly span devices, we're breaking down the barriers between console and PC games for more seamless cross-device play, and we're making the Xbox experience consistent across screens. This also gives developers a simpler, more unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs.

We're taking everything we've learned about building a leading gaming OS and bringing it directly into Windows for both players and developers. After debuting an early version with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, today I'm excited to share that we are bringing the same innovation to Windows 11 with Xbox mode that begins rolling out in April, starting with select markets. Xbox mode lets players seamlessly switch between productivity and play, with a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.

Xbox has an incredible lineup of game releases this year, from the return of iconic first-party franchises like Halo and Gears of War, to major titles from our partners across the globe, alongside bold creativity from independent developers like Beethoven & Dinosaur's Mixtape, or Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss.

Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts. Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forward, the time you've invested stays with you, and you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 games, and 500 development teams have already shipped games with Xbox Play Anywhere.

This is just the start of the next generation and the next 25 years of Xbox, and we can't wait to share more later this year. As we listen, learn, and build in partnership with the industry and the community, we'd like to thank you for being part of the journey and making gaming so unique and enduring.
 
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Xbox mode. Does that mean they are giving up on the Full Screen Experience name? I've always hated that.
Xbox mode sounds ok. Big Picture Mode was already taken by Steam.
 
IntentionalPun said:
It's hard for me to say anything Microsoft writes on a slide "speaks volumes" because they play fast and loose with terms. They already have Windows handhelds, so that doesn't really mean much to me.

They could be doing the dev-kit thing because "Xbox" now means "games for Windows Store" and they want to encourage that, and will shift all of their support resources currently designed for getting people to release on Xbox over to releasing on Windows Store (rebranded as XBox, but those games would/should be available on any device running Windows 11+ at least.) They also want to encourage devs to target their hardware specs.

Steam Deck for instance has dev kits. It's not a console it's a PC.

What is a "next-gen Xbox" to Microsoft? That's the question that they need to answer.

- Something that is running Windows for "next-gen" but boots XS games in a BC mode?
- Something that is running Windows only for PC versions of games but can boot games in BC mode or in next-gen console mode?
- Something else?
Click to expand...
I don't know what it means for Microsoft, nor what anyone else wants it to mean... But if the treatment, logistics, and infrastructure they dedicate to Helix is the same as, or practically the same as, what's done with a traditional console... That alone certainly doesn't make it "just a PC" 🤷

So, if you then play and have a console-like experience... I wonder what the reason is for making such a fuss about the semantics of "PC or console."
 
news.xbox.com

From GDC: Building the Next Generation of Xbox - Xbox Wire

Xbox is deep in development on the next generation Xbox console, Project Helix. Find out more from our keynote at the 2026 Game Developer Conference.
news.xbox.com news.xbox.com

This is a summary of my Xbox Developer Summit keynote address, delivered March 11 at the 2026 Game Developer Conference

Summary

  • Our team is deep in development on our next generation Xbox console, Project Helix. We are pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation in partnership with AMD, using FSR Next to power what comes next.
  • Starting in April, Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows in select markets. It brings a familiar Xbox experience to players while keeping the flexibility and openness of Windows.
  • For developers, the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now spans more than 1,500 games, creating a powerful opportunity to reach players seamlessly across console and Windows.

The characters, worlds, and stories from developers from across the world have shaped every stage of Xbox's evolution, what's possible and where we go next. As we celebrate 25 years of Xbox this year, I want to give a special thank you to the developers, past and present, who have helped define Xbox's legacy, including the more than 5,000 developers around the world currently building for Xbox.

We're continuing to push innovation for our next 25 years with our team hard at work on our next-generation first-party console: Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming.

As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.

It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.

I'm excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.

And, we're committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come. As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we'll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.

As games increasingly span devices, we're breaking down the barriers between console and PC games for more seamless cross-device play, and we're making the Xbox experience consistent across screens. This also gives developers a simpler, more unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs.

We're taking everything we've learned about building a leading gaming OS and bringing it directly into Windows for both players and developers. After debuting an early version with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, today I'm excited to share that we are bringing the same innovation to Windows 11 with Xbox mode that begins rolling out in April, starting with select markets. Xbox mode lets players seamlessly switch between productivity and play, with a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.

Xbox has an incredible lineup of game releases this year, from the return of iconic first-party franchises like Halo and Gears of War, to major titles from our partners across the globe, alongside bold creativity from independent developers like Beethoven & Dinosaur's Mixtape, or Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss.

Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts. Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forward, the time you've invested stays with you, and you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 games, and 500 development teams have already shipped games with Xbox Play Anywhere.

This is just the start of the next generation and the next 25 years of Xbox, and we can't wait to share more later this year. As we listen, learn, and build in partnership with the industry and the community, we'd like to thank you for being part of the journey and making gaming so unique and enduring.
Click to expand...
 
"Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts"

= Steam
 
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Interesting to note that AMD are working with both Sony and Microsoft for FSR development.

Can this three prong approach topple Nvidia's DLSS ?
 
Magic Carpet said:
Xbox mode. Does that mean they are giving up on the Full Screen Experience name? I've always hated that.
Xbox mode sounds ok. Big Picture Mode was already taken by Steam.
Click to expand...
Brilliant IF they do this. Essentially the console ui/fsm becomes Xbox for all windows devices and msft can sell pcs. Xbox will just be a noticeable gaming name thus well played.
 
So in short it's a reference AMD-locked PC with SOFTWARE BC layer and 2028 AMD tech that will be commonplace when this thing will be finally ready to hit the consumer market.

They are totally dropping out of hardware, but thanks for Xbox emulation on Win 11, methinks.
 
Woody337 said:
The worst part about this is that no games will be made for it, they will all be developed for PC and they will happen tp play on this. After a while this will not run anything at reasonable settings at all, especially if you cant upgrade it like a normal PC.
Click to expand...

Given that the PS5 is going to be the baseline (if not even worse given the PS6 handheld)... Magnus will be fine for years. All you need is the default settings to be reasonable, which if it sells well enough, developers should bother to do.
 
HeisenbergFX4 said:
Yeah
Click to expand...
EibZHcksgmpaEZO6.gif
 
HeisenbergFX4 said:



his is a summary of my Xbox Developer Summit keynote address, delivered March 11 at the 2026 Game Developer Conference

Summary

  • Our team is deep in development on our next generation Xbox console, Project Helix. We are pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation in partnership with AMD, using FSR Next to power what comes next.
  • Starting in April, Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows in select markets. It brings a familiar Xbox experience to players while keeping the flexibility and openness of Windows.
  • For developers, the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now spans more than 1,500 games, creating a powerful opportunity to reach players seamlessly across console and Windows.
The characters, worlds, and stories from developers from across the world have shaped every stage of Xbox's evolution, what's possible and where we go next. As we celebrate 25 years of Xbox this year, I want to give a special thank you to the developers, past and present, who have helped define Xbox's legacy, including the more than 5,000 developers around the world currently building for Xbox.

We're continuing to push innovation for our next 25 years with our team hard at work on our next-generation first-party console: Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming.

As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.

It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.

I'm excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.

And, we're committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come. As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we'll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.

As games increasingly span devices, we're breaking down the barriers between console and PC games for more seamless cross-device play, and we're making the Xbox experience consistent across screens. This also gives developers a simpler, more unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs.

We're taking everything we've learned about building a leading gaming OS and bringing it directly into Windows for both players and developers. After debuting an early version with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, today I'm excited to share that we are bringing the same innovation to Windows 11 with Xbox mode that begins rolling out in April, starting with select markets. Xbox mode lets players seamlessly switch between productivity and play, with a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.

Xbox has an incredible lineup of game releases this year, from the return of iconic first-party franchises like Halo and Gears of War, to major titles from our partners across the globe, alongside bold creativity from independent developers like Beethoven & Dinosaur's Mixtape, or Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss.

Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts. Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forward, the time you've invested stays with you, and you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 games, and 500 development teams have
Click to expand...

HeisenbergFX4 said:



his is a summary of my Xbox Developer Summit keynote address, delivered March 11 at the 2026 Game Developer Conference

Summary

  • Our team is deep in development on our next generation Xbox console, Project Helix. We are pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation in partnership with AMD, using FSR Next to power what comes next.
  • Starting in April, Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows in select markets. It brings a familiar Xbox experience to players while keeping the flexibility and openness of Windows.
  • For developers, the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now spans more than 1,500 games, creating a powerful opportunity to reach players seamlessly across console and Windows.
The characters, worlds, and stories from developers from across the world have shaped every stage of Xbox's evolution, what's possible and where we go next. As we celebrate 25 years of Xbox this year, I want to give a special thank you to the developers, past and present, who have helped define Xbox's legacy, including the more than 5,000 developers around the world currently building for Xbox.

We're continuing to push innovation for our next 25 years with our team hard at work on our next-generation first-party console: Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming.

As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.

It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.

I'm excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.

And, we're committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come. As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we'll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.

As games increasingly span devices, we're breaking down the barriers between console and PC games for more seamless cross-device play, and we're making the Xbox experience consistent across screens. This also gives developers a simpler, more unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs.

We're taking everything we've learned about building a leading gaming OS and bringing it directly into Windows for both players and developers. After debuting an early version with the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, today I'm excited to share that we are bringing the same innovation to Windows 11 with Xbox mode that begins rolling out in April, starting with select markets. Xbox mode lets players seamlessly switch between productivity and play, with a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.

Xbox has an incredible lineup of game releases this year, from the return of iconic first-party franchises like Halo and Gears of War, to major titles from our partners across the globe, alongside bold creativity from independent developers like Beethoven & Dinosaur's Mixtape, or Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss.

Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts. Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forward, the time you've invested stays with you, and you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 games, and 500 development teams have already shipped games with Xbox Play Anywhere.

This is just the start of the next generation and the next 25 years of Xbox, and we can't wait to share more later this year. As we listen, learn, and build in partnership with the industry and the community, we'd like to thank you for being part of the journey and making gaming so unique and enduring.
Click to expand...

The way they treat and mention Project Helix is the same as in any past launch of a new traditional console.

The key point is that they never link PC with Helix and treat them as separate entities. This might not mean anything, but it's noteworthy and connects with what you and K KeplerL2 argued when you were talking about "console" in describing Magnus.
 
Last edited:
Darsxx82 said:
I don't know what it means for Microsoft, nor what anyone else wants it to mean... But if the treatment, logistics, and infrastructure they dedicate to Helix is the same as, or practically the same as, what's done with a traditional console... That alone certainly doesn't make it "just a PC" 🤷

So, if you then play and have a console-like experience... I wonder what the reason is for making such a fuss about the semantics of "PC or console."
Click to expand...
Well if it has the ability to have hardware level BC with existing Xbox console games then it's not "just a PC" anyways, and they basically have said exactly that. Although weirdly enough they are being vague on that part here.
 
Topher said:
Interesting they say "alpha hardware" vs "dev kits"
Click to expand...
It's normal to ship prototype hardware that "emulates" the capabilities they anticipate for the final hardware when the technology isn't finished. The final DevKits would arrive later (with the Xbox Series X, they arrived en masse months before launch, and only first-party developers had them beforehand).

What this news suggests is that the chances of its release not being in 2027 but in 2028 are increasing.
 
IntentionalPun said:
Well if it has the ability to have hardware level BC with existing Xbox console games then it's not "just a PC" anyways, and they basically have said exactly that. Although weirdly enough they are being vague on that part here.
Click to expand...

Because it can do retrogaming of old consoles?

You don't need this thing to do that.

Doesn't seem like much of a selling point if you don't give a shit about PC/Windows
 
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IntentionalPun said:
It's hard for me to say anything Microsoft writes on a slide "speaks volumes" because they play fast and loose with terms. They already have Windows handhelds, so that doesn't really mean much to me.

They could be doing the dev-kit thing because "Xbox" now means "games for Windows Store" and they want to encourage that, and will shift all of their support resources currently designed for getting people to release on Xbox over to releasing on Windows Store (rebranded as XBox, but those games would/should be available on any device running Windows 11+ at least.) They also want to encourage devs to target their hardware specs.

Steam Deck for instance has dev kits. It's not a console it's a PC.

What is a "next-gen Xbox" to Microsoft? That's the question that they need to answer.

- Something that is running Windows for "next-gen" but boots XS games in a BC mode?
- Something that is running Windows only for PC versions of games but can boot games in BC mode or in next-gen console mode?
- Something else?
Click to expand...
I feel the same way about their terminology.

For instance, today I learned that basically switching from making consoles to PC's is innovation as long as an emulator is baked in. :rolleyes:
 
adamsapple said:
Ok, whatever your reason was, the PS5 wasn't just "to fork out $500 to play games they can play now on their current hardware at no additional cost"

now, was it?

🤔
Click to expand...

No, but that's not the point

The only difference between a OEM PC and this turd, is that it can play old games from old consoles

Most of those games are gonna be ported to PC by MS probably without the need to buy them again

Xbox hasn't had a true exclusive in like 13 years

Tell me the last game that runs on Xbox that doesn't run on PC...

I'll listen
 
Darsxx82 said:
The way they treat and mention Project Helix is the same as in any past launch of a new traditional console.

The key point is that they never link PC with Helix and treat them as separate entities. This might not mean anything, but it's noteworthy and connects with what you and K KeplerL2 argued when you were talking about "console" in describing Magnus.
Click to expand...

That's because it essentially is the same. The hardware planning and design approach is basically no different.

Any difference will be on the software end and I suspect even there you not be booting straight to full Windows. It will still be a custom UI.

I wouldn't be surprised if the PC aspect works similar to how Geforce Now UI works. In that you connect to and sync various accounts(Steam, Epic etc) and it will pull those games into your library but you might not necessarily have access to the stores directly on the Xbox.
 
MisterXDTV said:
No, but that's not the point

The only difference between a OEM PC and this turd, is that it can play old games from old consoles

Most of those games are gonna be ported to PC by MS probably without the need to buy them again

Xbox hasn't had a true exclusive in like 13 years

Tell me the last game that runs on Xbox that doesn't run on PC...

I'll listen
Click to expand...


I think we all know MS does all releases on PC, they've been doing that for over a decade now so there's nothing surprising or new there.

But anyway, as others have already pointed out to you, this is not an off-market PC, that wouldn't need a custom SoC.

You keep changing your arguments from price to whether it's a pc to exclusives every other post.
 
MisterXDTV said:
No, but that's not the point

The only difference between a OEM PC and this turd, is that it can play old games from old consoles

Most of those games are gonna be ported to PC by MS probably without the need to buy them again

Xbox hasn't had a true exclusive in like 13 years

Tell me the last game that runs on Xbox that doesn't run on PC...

I'll listen
Click to expand...
It wouldn't just play Microsoft's games but 3rd parties.

Games people bought on Xbox that weren't Play Anywhere and have no PC license.

Bringing your large library forward to whatever MS is doing with Helix is a huge selling point.

If you don't have an Xbox Library, not so much.
 
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