Next-gen Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, will play PC games

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has confirmed its next-gen console, codenamed Project Helix, will play both Xbox and PC games.

In a post on social media, Sharma said Team Xbox had discussed its “commitment to the return of Xbox” with its future console, which will “lead in performance.”

After her appointment last month, Sharma emphasised a commitment to console and hardware under her leadership. “We’re going to keep meeting players where they are,” she said.

“I am committed to ‘returning to Xbox,’ and that starts with console, that starts with hardware. We also know there are a lot of players who aren’t on console or our hardware, and I want to deliver great games to them too.”

Sharma said a return to Xbox exclusives wasn’t “off the table” either. “Right now, I need to learn, candidly. About the ‘why’ of these decisions, what we were optimising for, and what the data says about the Xbox strategy today.”

Earlier this week, reports suggested that Sony is also revising its own multi-platform strategy by scaling back PC ports for PlayStation exclusives.

Last October, former Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed its next-gen hardware was in development, and that it was “looking at prototyping [and] designing.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also hinted that PC games would be available on the console.

“We built a console because we wanted to build a better PC, which could then perform for gaming,” said Nadella. “I want to revisit some of that conventional wisdom. But at the end of the day, console has an experience that is unparalleled.

Xbox entered a multi-year agreement with AMD last June to power its next-gen console. “Together with AMD, we’re advancing the state of art in gaming silicon to deliver the next generation of graphics innovation,” said Bond.

Bond stepped down as Xbox president last month, alongside Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer who has entered retirement. We recently spoke to a range of leaders from across the industry to share their insights and memories of Spencer’s tenure at Xbox.