Xbox Project Helix Officially Tipped As Next-Gen Console, Will “Play Your Xbox and PC Games”

There has been a lot of talk about the future of the Xbox gaming brand since it was announced that Phil Spencer would be stepping down as head of Microsoft’s gaming business. The new CEO of Xbox, Asha Sharma, has previously defended against a barrage of this skepticism, revealing that she has in mind a “return to Xbox,” and with new posts on X by both Xbox and Sharma, she confirmed that part of this return does indeed include a hardware launch. The next-gen Xbox is called Project Helix, and although neither Sharma nor Xbox itself has revealed much more about the next-gen console than the logo and project name, Sharma also hinted that more information may be revealed at GDC, which is slated to take place on March 9-13.

The next-gen Xbox has long been rumored, with recent rumors claiming that it will be a hybrid device, bridging the gap between a living room console and a PC—perhaps in response to the recent rise of devices like the Steam Deck and the pressure of the upcoming Steam Machine—and Sharma more or less hints at this in her post, stating that “Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games.” This isn’t the first time Sharma has spoken about the next-gen Xbox hardware platform, having mentioned it in a recent interview as a key part of the brand’s future. . Speculation about Sharma’s leadership of Xbox has also veered into deep skepticism, largely resulting from Sharma’s history as CEO of Microsoft’s CoreAI platform and her willingness to use AI in the gaming industry, even if she claims that she will not tolerate AI slop.