Xbox CEO Says Project Helix Includes a ‘Family of Devices’
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has clarified that Microsoft’s next-generation console Project Helix will be a “family of devices” rather than a single piece of hardware. The announcement represents a significant shift from the project’s March debut, which seemed to indicate one next-generation console with PC gaming capabilities.
When asked during a BBC News interview whether Helix would be a discless console, Sharma sidestepped the question and instead emphasized the multi-device nature of the initiative. This suggests Microsoft is pursuing a diversified hardware strategy with multiple configurations to serve different gaming needs and price points.
The announcement aligns with Microsoft’s broader technological partnerships. The company recently unveiled a “strategic multi-year partnership” with AMD focused on developing “a portfolio of devices,” indicating significant collaborative effort on Helix’s hardware foundation. Microsoft also announced a program enabling users to digitize their existing physical game collections, suggesting backward compatibility and cross-device functionality may be central to the new ecosystem.
The timing of these reveals comes amid significant organizational turbulence within Microsoft’s gaming division, which has undergone substantial layoffs affecting thousands of employees. Despite these internal challenges, Microsoft continues to communicate its strategic vision for next-generation gaming hardware, with plans to share additional details about Project Helix in the coming months.