Next Xbox Console (Project Helix)

[KenMasters]

I expect Magnus will be the more powerful and more expensive of the next gens 'consoles'

MS will want to preempt the inevitable PS6 Pro off the bat, even if if launches at a higher price point than PS.
They must just use the time to get us over the gamepass subs increase and focus on making it being perceived as a value proposition, again, by the masses. (not that it isn't).

The brand stalwarts are not the market they need to capture / grow.
For XBOTS / Ponies, we will get our console of choice, regardless.

I think going forward MS' direct competitor is Valve, not the console manufacturers. They want the Xbox app to be the de facto place for PC gamers to play rather than have SteamOS steal the PC market while also bringing their console loyalists over to PC through branded hardware and an as frictionless as possible app.

 

[AdrianH]

I think going forward MS' direct competitor is Valve, not the console manufacturers. They want the Xbox app to be the de facto place for PC gamers to play rather than have SteamOS steal the PC market while also bringing their console loyalists over to PC through branded hardware and an as frictionless as possible app.

I have been watching a few vids on the ROG Ally, there is a major feature missing, namely "Xbox backwards compatibility", and I no longer think the Xbox next console will be as close to a PC than we think.

This mainly affects XB and XB360 titles currently which obviously work on XB1 and XBS/X as they have OS code and architecture to run those games. PCs and ROGs can run these games if there was a Windows release, but short of that, console games will not run. Sure, there is xCloud which may cover some of these titles but many games are not on xCloud.

Maybe the new Magnus will be good enough to emulate XB and XB360 titles, but reading into this, there are also legal implications as many games have assets (music, voice acting, etc) and publisher agreements linked to XBox console hardware which can't just be allowed to be installed and run on Windows. For MS to allow PCs to run sort of backwards compatible emulation, they would need to renegotiates thousands of licenses to allow the games to install and run on Windows, and I can't see this happening. I would be extremely surprised if MS releases a new Xbox where backwards compatibility is "blocked" because it runs on WIndows and it a PC of sorts as this will block access to XB, XB360 and most likely XB1 console games.

Time will tell...

 

[KenMasters]

I have been watching a few vids on the ROG Ally, there is a major feature missing, namely "Xbox backwards compatibility", and I no longer think the Xbox next console will be as close to a PC than we think.

This mainly affects XB and XB360 titles currently which obviously work on XB1 and XBS/X as they have OS code and architecture to run those games. PCs and ROGs can run these games if there was a Windows release, but short of that, console games will not run. Sure, there is xCloud which may cover some of these titles but many games are not on xCloud.

Maybe the new Magnus will be good enough to emulate XB and XB360 titles, but reading into this, there are also legal implications as many games have assets (music, voice acting, etc) and publisher agreements linked to XBox console hardware which can't just be allowed to be installed and run on Windows. For MS to allow PCs to run sort of backwards compatible emulation, they would need to renegotiates thousands of licenses to allow the games to install and run on Windows, and I can't see this happening. I would be extremely surprised if MS releases a new Xbox where backwards compatibility is "blocked" because it runs on WIndows and it a PC of sorts as this will block access to XB, XB360 and most likely XB1 console games.

Time will tell...

Yea, it will be interesting. MS put out that ad for people to work on BC, which I assume was for this purpose:

"As a Principal Software Engineer in Xbox, you will coordinate across teams to define and implement the Xbox backward compatibility game security system to protect game assets while improving the experience for our customers. You will work with other experienced emulation engineers to deliver high quality solutions that not only protect game content but also improve the experience of installing compatible games. You will be a key contributor to the technology solutions developed to emulate legacy games on modern platforms"

We'll see what they manage to pull together. The ROG is the current test bed for what Xbox will be in the future, but the app will be coming for all Windows devices in 2026.

 

[noman]

The heat that those chips in the handhelds can get to, scare me. It's fine when its a chip with large cooling system in a case away from me...but in my hands.

Seen those horror stories about laptops and cellphones exploding!

 

[KenMasters]

Things are heating up on the hybrid PC front, I wonder if we're going to see any reactionary changes from MS:



Here's a thought, what if it launches with Half-Life 3?

 

[AdrianH]

Things are heating up on the hybrid PC front, I wonder if we're going to see any reactionary changes from MS:

I don't think much really.

The specs puts its performance between Xbox Series S and PS5. Also, Linus mentioned he spoke to Valve and they said "it will be priced more like a PC rather than a console" so likely costing more than consoles. It's also limited to HDMI2.0.

I am not sure who the audience is as it's not for PC gamers as they will already have more powerful PCs, it's not console gamers either unless you are on last gen still. I can see this being a secondary device if you have a XB or PS and want to play some PC specific games, but I struggle to believe this is something looking to be sold as a primary gaming device.

 

[KenMasters]

The specs puts its performance between Xbox Series S and PS5. .

They can put a more powerful box out if the feel the need around the time of the Xbox launch.

Also, Linus mentioned he spoke to Valve and they said "it will be priced more like a PC rather than a console" so likely costing more than consoles..

The same is true of the new Xbox, which given the spec, will be priced significantly higher than Valve's machine.

I am not sure who the audience is as it's not for PC gamers as they will already have more powerful PCs, it's not console gamers either unless you are on last gen still. I can see this being a secondary device if you have a XB or PS and want to play some PC specific games, but I struggle to believe this is something looking to be sold as a primary gaming device.

Is this not the same question I asked about the new Xbox? Both occupy the same space, but Valve's OS is the superior experience and its marketplace preferred - plus they've beaten MS to market.

 

[AdrianH]

They can put a more powerful box out if the feel the need around the time of the Xbox launch.

The same is true of the new Xbox, which given the spec, will be priced significantly higher than Valve's machine.

Is this not the same question I asked about the new Xbox? Both occupy the same space, but Valve's OS is the superior experience and its marketplace preferred - plus they've beaten MS to market.

I created a thread for the Steam Machine.

 

[AdrianH]

They can put a more powerful box out if the feel the need around the time of the Xbox launch.

The same is true of the new Xbox, which given the spec, will be priced significantly higher than Valve's machine.

Is this not the same question I asked about the new Xbox? Both occupy the same space, but Valve's OS is the superior experience and its marketplace preferred - plus they've beaten MS to market.

On the Xbox stuff though...

It's gonna be minimum $1000 on release I reckon. Memory chip prices are increasing substantially thanks to AI data centers. So even $1000 may be too little when it's released.

Having doing some reading over the last few weeks, it seems that it will have proper OS/hardware integrated console mode for playing console games natively including backwards compatibility. I do have some doubts about full backwards compatibility the XBox has now, and I think some games will only be available via xCloud for streaming.

The PC mode will be like the Xbox ROG Ally where you have an "Xbox" app that will free up Windows resources to deliver better performance. I don't believe this app will be used as the console mode though.

Ultimately I think the Xbox ROG Ally has given the impression what the next Xbox will be like, but I think unlike the Xbox Rog Ally that is a PC first and then a "console" aecond, the next Xbox will be a console first with ability to play PC games from different stores second.

 

[KenMasters]

On the Xbox stuff though...

It's gonna be minimum $1000 on release I reckon. Memory chip prices are increasing substantially thanks to AI data centers. So even $1000 may be too little when it's released.

Having doing some reading over the last few weeks, it seems that it will have proper OS/hardware integrated console mode for playing console games natively including backwards compatibility. I do have some doubts about full backwards compatibility the XBox has now, and I think some games will only be available via xCloud for streaming.

The PC mode will be like the Xbox ROG Ally where you have an "Xbox" app that will free up Windows resources to deliver better performance. I don't believe this app will be used as the console mode though.

Ultimately I think the Xbox ROG Ally has given the impression what the next Xbox will be like, but I think unlike the Xbox Rog Ally that is a PC first and then a "console" aecond, the next Xbox will be a console first with ability to play PC games from different stores second.

I think the ROG is exactly what the new Xbox is - there won't be two modes, just the Xbox app running on top of Windows. From my reading, the backwards compatibility they spoke of will be a feature of future AMD cards, exposed to any Windows 11 PC - not unique to the new Xbox.

EDIT:

"That’s why we’re investing in our next-generation hardware lineup — across console, handheld, PC, cloud, and accessories. I’m thrilled to share we’ve established a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer silicon across a portfolio of devices", "This is all about building you a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want — delivering you an Xbox experience not locked to a single store or tied to one device. That’s why we’re working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming".

Sarah Bond

 

[MarioAna]

I’m doubting if this next Xbox will even sell 10 million units. Competition coming from everywhere now and MS don’t seem to be particularly good at anything.

If that Steam Box is as easy to use as the deck and is likely to be less than half the price I can see a lot of disruption happening. Hell you might be able to get the Box and Deck bundle for the same price as what MS are going to offer.

 

[noman]

Competition coming from everywhere now and MS don’t seem to be particularly good at anything.

You have not taken staff layoffs / studio shuttering into consideration.

 

[AdrianH]

I think the ROG is exactly what the new Xbox is - there won't be two modes, just the Xbox app running on top of Windows. From my reading, the backwards compatibility they spoke of will be a feature of future AMD cards, exposed to any Windows 11 PC - not unique to the new Xbox.

Unlike the ROG, I doubt the next XBox will be running an Xbox app on top of Windows 11/12. I think it will be a Microsoft CorePC variant (Micrososft CorePC) with a console shell which will be an Xbox UI with controller interaction as we are used to, and also cater for all the Xbox features like backwards compatibility, quick resume, secure execution, anti-cheat, anti-piracy, etc. These features will remain in "Xbox mode" and work as expected on a console. Basically a console as we expect.

When you want to play PC games from stores like Epic and Steam, the store app will be launched like any other app on Xbox. You won't be opening a Start Menu or clicking an app on the desktop, you will open the app from the Xbox UI and choose the pc game to install. When launching the game, you will launch like any other game from the Xbox UI, but it will run in a PC shell. This PC shell will be very stripped down, it won't have a Windows desktop environment that we currently have, no file explorer, no start menu or taskbar, no regedit, no control panel. etc. It will have limited OS exposure and totally sandboxed. I really doubt you will be able to install games manually or from non-approved stores.

These are the two modes I am referring to, and why I think it's a console first with the option to play PC games. Visually, there is only an Xbox UI, but under the covers, there are two shells (modes). The Xbox shell, which has the UI and plays Xbox native games, and a PC shell only for playing PC games but with no UI and sandboxed.

 

[KenMasters]

We’ll see.

 

[AdrianH]

Sarah was questioned during the interview about how important hardware remains to Xbox in a future that's all about playing anywhere, and she insisted that it remains "absolutely core" to what the brand is doing right now:

"Hardware is absolutely core to everything we do at Xbox, because we know that our most valuable players, the people who love Xbox, love the hardware experience. And so that is why we're working on our next-generation hardware, it's going to be a powerful experience and one that also enables people to take their library with them."

The Xbox president then went on to highlight the value of playing your Xbox library across multiple devices, suggesting that the next generation of hardware will lean into this in even greater fashion:

"We know that while people want to play their library absolutely on console, they also want to be able to play it on PC or stream it around the cloud. And so the Xbox experience starts with the console, but then gives something to people that they can experience across all screens if they choose to, bringing their library, their community, their identity and the store with them everywhere they go."

Sarah Bond Insists Hardware Is 'Absolutely Core' To Xbox, Teases Powerful Next-Gen Console

"Hardware is absolutely core to everything we do at Xbox."

www.purexbox.com

 

[AdrianH]

It's official! Xbox has announced today that the next Xbox console has a codename of Project Helix, and as all the rumours had suggested, it will play both console and PC games when it launches in the future.

The news was revealed by new Xbox boss Asha Sharma on Twitter with the following statement:

Great start to the morning with Team Xbox, where we talked about our commitment to the return of Xbox including Project Helix, the code name for our next generation console. Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games. Looking forward to chatting about this more with partners and studios at my first GDC next week!

Previously, we'd heard rumours (primarily from Windows Central's Jez Corden) about how the next Xbox console would likely allow you to exit out to Windows and access the likes of Steam, the Epic Games Store and other storefronts to play PC games if you so desired, or you could just remain inside the console ecosystem like you can today on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Epic Games recently indicated an interest in allowing its storefront on the system, adding credibility to those rumours, and now it seems that's been set in stone.

There's still no release date yet for the new Xbox console, but AMD has previously mentioned how it's ready to support a release in 2027 if Microsoft and Xbox are ready. We'll have to wait a little bit longer to see if that comes to fruition.

As you can see, Sharma mentions how she'll be chatting to partners and studios about Project Helix at GDC next week, which is the annual Game Developers Conference. Team Xbox mentioned back in February about how their presence at the event would be geared around "building for what's next".

Xbox Announces New 'Project Helix' Console, Says It Will Play PC Games

"Great start to the morning with Team Xbox"

www.purexbox.com

 

[JoE]

Day 1 for you @AdrianH? I wish they would share more than just an announcement like this though. Rather keep quiet until you have something to show imo.

 

[KenMasters]

Day 1 for you @AdrianH? I wish they would share more than just an announcement like this though. Rather keep quiet until you have something to show imo.

Given the leadership change, they had to announce something to let people know things are still on track.

 

[AdrianH]

Day 1 for you @AdrianH? I wish they would share more than just an announcement like this though. Rather keep quiet until you have something to show imo.

Unlikely to be a day 1 purchase for me. I reckon it will be expensive, and I think it would be wise to wait for the first revision to ensure any issues have been ironed out. and probably wait for Prime Day or Black Friday.

 

[AdrianH]

We may have some details on he SoC and architecture shortly as rumours is that MS will provide some at Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2026, happening next week. GDC is historically where MS unveils developer‑facing architecture, not consumer marketing. So holding thumbs that we get some more juicy details on Project Helix