It’s official – the next hardware device from Xbox won’t just play console games, but will also be capable of playing PC games too.
That’s according to Xbox’s brand new CEO Asha Sharma, who teased the company’s next console on social media ahead of the weekend. Although the next console doesn’t have a name just yet, it’s currently going by the codename ‘Project Helix’.
“Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games,” Sharma says in a social media post, which also shared a logo for the upcoming project.
Until now, consoles like the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 have all only played games specifically ported to their hardware architectures. However, it appears that Microsoft is heading in a new direction with the next Xbox adopting more of a PC approach in its design.
We saw a glimpse of this with last year’s Xbox ROG Ally X, a portable PC concept in partnership with Asus. The handheld runs a custom version of Windows 11 with the ‘Xbox Fullscreen Experience’ shuttering unneeded background processes to put gaming front and centre.
Crucially, this operating system allows for alternative PC marketplaces to be installed on the console, including the likes of Steam and Epic Games. If Microsoft is set to use the same software on Project Helix, it could be that we see PC gaming libraries instantly available on the new hardware.
Microsoft’s move does also explain why Sony is moving away from releasing its games on PC. It was learned last week that the likes of Ghost of Yotei, Saros and Marvel’s Wolverine likely won’t see the light of day on PC going forward, potentially brought about by Xbox’s plans to incorporate PC storefronts into Project Helix.
There’s no word yet on when Project Helix will see the light of day. AMD’s CEO, Lisa Su, said earlier this year that it’s working with Microsoft to provide the next console’s hardware architecture and that it’s gearing up for a 2027 launch.
However, with the ongoing DRAM crisis, this date could very easily be pushed back. Sony is reportedly considering delaying the PlayStation 6 as far back as 2028 or 2029, so Microsoft could follow suit if supply lines don’t improve.
Early reports from VGC are suggesting this new Xbox console could cost anywhere between $800 and $1,200 with Microsoft targeting more of a ‘premium’ market.
Would you buy a new Xbox if it could play PC games?
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