Xbox unveils first tech details of its next generation console, codenamed Project Helix

Xbox has revealed limited technical details about its next console, codenamed Project Helix.

Addressing attendees at GDC Festival of Gaming, VP, Next Generation, Jason Ronald, confirmed “Helix” will deliver “high performance and provide the ultimate player-first experience,” and is “partnering closely with AMD to define the next generation of rendering and simulation.”

Game Developer reports that the console will be powered by a custom AMD-based SOC, co-designed to support the next generation of DirectX, “bringing intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline” and “deep texture compression.”

“We’ve reached some of the limitations of what’s possible with traditional rendering techniques, and if we want to continue advancing the state of the art, we have to invent brand new technology,” Ronald added, confirming the new system will offer “an order of magnitude leap” in ray tracing performance that provides “more realistic, immersive, and synamic worlds for players.”

“This is really designed for that next generation of neural rendering techniques,” he added. “Whether that’s neural materials. Whether that’s generated images. Or even if you think about things like the latest ML (machine learning) based upscaling techniques or super resolution techniques.”

Ronald confirmed that developers can expect to receive alpha versions of the hardware from 2027.

“There’s a ton of work that we can do on the hardware side. There’s a ton of work that we can do on the software side, but it’s also about how you take advantage of this as developers. And so when we talk about deep texture compression, that includes the latest neural texture compression techniques, but we’re also leaning in very heavily into Z standard as well.

“So, that is a capability that allows you to use the latest version of direct storage and be able to stream assets directly off of the storage drive and be much more sensitive in how you’re actually using memory, because you can actually stream it directly off of the SSD itself.”

Ronald added that Microsoft is “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.” This includes letting players access PC games on its hardware.

Earlier today, the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, committed to “always” investing in its video games business.

Speaking at an internal Q&A with new Xbox chief Asha Sharma, the executive said that the company is “long on gaming” but is open to seeing where it can “extend” this part of its business outside of traditional areas. Nadella also said that Xbox has to be “best-in-class” in this area.

The CEO also described video games as being one of its “main identities” as a company, along with being a platform, developer and ‘knowledge worker’ firm. Nadella pointed to the impact that video games have had on Microsoft and the broader technology sector in areas such as cloud, the Windows operating system and GPU-based servers.