Xbox confirms its next console will run PC games and is codenamed ‘Project Helix’

Microsoft has confirmed that its next-generation games console is codenamed Project Helix, and that it will run both “Xbox and PC games”.

On Thursday, Microsoft’s gaming division shared a short teaser video on social media, revealing the Project Helix logo.

In a separate message, new gaming CEO Asha Sharma said she would be meeting with developers to discuss the new console at GDC next week.

“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,” she wrote.

“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!”

It’s the first time Microsoft has explicitly confirmed that its next console will be a hybrid PC device, though it’s been expected for some time.

In October, tech YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead posted a video showing what he claimed to be the main processor for the next Xbox console, stating that he believed Microsoft was positioning the next Xbox console to be a hybrid system capable of not only playing games on the Xbox Store, but also PC games on other stores.

Later that same month, former Xbox president Sarah Bond suggested the next Xbox console would share some of the “thinking” behind the Asus ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X handhelds, presumably preferring to its ability to access other stores.

“Well, I can tell you you’re right, that the next-gen console is going to be a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” Bond told Mashable. “You’re starting to see some of the thinking that we have in this handheld, but I don’t want to give it all away.”

It’s previously been claimed that Microsoft and Sony were aiming to launch their new console hardware in 2027. However, this window has since been put into doubt by the ongoing global surge in component prices, with some suggesting new consoles could be delayed to 2028 or 2029.