Next Xbox confirmed – and it could play your PC games too

Microsoft has revealed the codename for its next Xbox console – and it hints at a future where the line between the best consoles and PC gaming could get a lot blurrier.

The company’s new gaming chief, Asha Sharma, confirmed that the upcoming machine is currently known as Project Helix, while also revealing a key detail about what it’ll bring to the table.

According to Sharma, the next Xbox will be capable of playing both Xbox and PC games, potentially turning it into something closer to a living-room gaming PC than a traditional console.

“Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games,” Sharma wrote in a post on X, adding that she plans to share more details with developers and partners at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) next week.

Exactly how that PC compatibility will work remains unclear. But there’s one potential development that I, and many other gamers, will be crossing everything for – if Microsoft unlocks access to PC stores like Steam or the Epic Games Store, it could massively expand the number of titles available on the platform overnight, providing a major advantage over its future PlayStation rival.

If this ends up being the case, it would mark a major shift from the traditional console model, where players are typically locked into a single digital store and ecosystem. It’s a big ask, mind, and I’m certainly not getting my hopes up at this very early stage. But there’s nothing wrong with dreaming.

The reveal of Project Helix comes at an interesting time for the Xbox. Microsoft has spent the past few years pushing its Game Pass subscription service and expanding its catalogue across multiple platforms, even bringing some formerly Xbox-exclusive games to rival consoles, much to the chagrin of die-hard Xbox fans.

As for when Project Helix might actually arrive, Microsoft hasn’t provided a release window yet. However, AMD previously suggested development on the next-generation Xbox hardware is making its way towards a potential 2027 launch, which would line up rather nicely with the typical seven-year console cycle.

For now, though, Project Helix remains firmly in the teaser stage. But if Microsoft really is building a hybrid Xbox that can run PC games as well as console titles, the next generation of gaming hardware could look very different from what we’re used to. Bring it on, I say.

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Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.