Project Helix will be a ‘family of devices,’ Xbox CEO confirms

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said that Microsoft’s next-generation console, dubbed ‘Project Helix’, will arrive in the form of ‘a family of devices’.

Sharma made the comment during a new interview with the BBC, in which she stated that the platform holder has “been hard at work on a great next generation and a great family of devices for Helix, and we’ll share more soon.”

Microsoft unveiled its plans for the next Xbox back at GDC in March, when it confirmed that its next-generation game console will run both “Xbox and PC games”, and arrive in developers’ hands starting next year.

It was the first time Microsoft had explicitly confirmed that its next console will be a hybrid PC device, though it had been expected for some time. Sharma’s latest statement suggests that Xbox could offer a range of Helix models, similar to Series S and X.

Later in the BBC interview, the executive stressed the need to offer affordability options at a time when the global surge in component costs is forcing consumer electronics companies to make unprecedented price increases.

“We will of course continue to push the boundaries of performance,” Sharna said. “We’ve talked about being able to not only play your console games, but also play your PC games on your console.

“I think in addition, the industry needs to start to innovate on affordability and efficiency. That is something that we have not had to do.

“But with the crisis that’s currently happening in hardware and components, it is absolutely something all of us need to be thinking about and innovating on and giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console.”

Microsoft recently announced it was raising the price of Xbox Series S and X by up to $150, and introducing new programs to help make its consoles more affordable, including Buy Now, Pay Later options through Microsoft Stores.

In June, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma suggested the platform holder was looking at ways to make Helix more affordable, saying: “I think we’ve reached a point where it will be hard to imagine that mass audiences can afford thousands of dollars to spend on a console generation.”