While it's nowhere near a release, it appears that Microsoft and Xbox are increasingly opening up about their next-gen console, codenamed Project Helix. Fans should keep all expectations in check as talk now may not always equal reality later, and by no means is it talk to push or sell Xbox consoles to consumers. Instead, the latest news is focused on developers.
While rumors of the next Xbox console have been sparse in recent months, the first public acknowledgment of Project Helix by Xbox and Microsoft came in early March by new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma following the recent retirement of Phil Spencer. Sharma claimed that the Project Helix console “will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games”. Sharma also confirmed that Project Helix will be discussed at this month's Game Developers Conference, or GDC 2026.
You might be able to play Marvel's Spider-Man or God of War Ragnarok on next-gen Xbox
As Xbox shifts its hardware strategy, many gamers feel left behind, but there could be at least one strong, if bizarre, advantage.
The key word here is developers, as this is more technical talk than selling points on the next-gen Xbox. Xbox Next-Gen VP Jason Ronald went through some of the improvements that were made to the console as shown below. Moore's Law is Dead previously reported that the Xbox console could cost $1,000 — not a direct message from Xbox or Microsoft — but it would be a huge step forward from a technical standpoint.
First Xbox Project Helix specs
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Powered by AMD's own SOC
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Designed for the next generation of DirectX
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Next-generation raytracing performance and capabilities
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GPU direct execution of graph work
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AMD FSR Next & Project Helix
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Built for the next generation of neural rendering
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Next generation ML upscaling
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The next generation of multi-frame ML
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Next generation beam regeneration for RT and track tracking
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Deep texture compression
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Neural texture compression
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DirectStorage and zstd
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Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Start
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
The technical language won't mean much to the lay consumer, where perhaps the most alarming message is the advertised price. Moore's Law is Dead stated that the Xbox could easily cost $1,000, but it wouldn't cost more than $1,500, and while the price may come down somehow, the recent and ongoing RAM crisis is expected to affect the cost and release of this Xbox. Neither Microsoft nor Xbox have yet said anything about specific pricing decisions or memory shortages.
Aside from the technical stuff, Ronald said that alpha devkits for Project Helix will be available to developers starting in 2027. This doesn't lock Project Helix out of the 2027 release window, but it does mean that developers will have a short amount of time (if at all) to optimize for the new console. However, given that Helix will run games for Xbox and PC, it's unclear how much of a role it plays in the console's launch. Rumors and industry chatter suggest that both Project Helix and the PS6 will be released in 2027, though there are plenty of naysayers. Of course, there is plenty of time in between. Other key details from the Xbox GDC keynotes include the game's preservation team announcing that classic games will be released later this year “to be played in completely new ways” and a new Xbox experience coming to Windows 11 in April 2026.
The latter makes sense because before the release of Project Helix, it seems likely that Microsoft and Xbox are going to tear down the wall between Xbox and PC. That doesn't mean there will never be more Xbox exclusives, as fans asked for Sharma to return shortly after her appointment, but it's unclear how or if that fits into the CEO's vision for Xbox's future. Right now, nothing is known about its PS6 competitor, nor has anything been officially confirmed regarding PS6 or Project Helix release windows. Fans may learn more at the end of this year or early next year, especially if 2027 is in the works.
