Project Helix: First Details on the New Xbox from GDC

Last week, Microsoft announced to the world Project Helix, the codename for the console that will succeed Xbox Series X|S. The announcement itself contained no further information, but from the words of Asha Sharmam, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, we had learned that it would be a powerful gaming system, capable of playing titles from both Xbox and PC; we would learn more at the Game Developers Conference, which is taking place these days in San Francisco.

New Details on Project Helix

At GDC, Microsoft confirmed that Project Helix will offer high performance and draw from Xbox and PC libraries, but there are also some new developments. The processor will be a custom AMD SoC, designed to work with the next generation of DirectX and FSR (AMD's AI upscaling), as well as to elevate the level of Ray and Path Tracing. Artificial intelligence will also be used for data compression and transmission, with Deep Texture Compression, DirectStorage, and Zstd technologies.

Project Helix in Developers' Hands from 2027

Also at GDC, Microsoft revealed that it will begin sending the first developer kits of the console to developers in 2027. These kits will consist of an alpha version of the hardware. Considering these premises, it will be quite some time before we see the actual console in stores. For more details, consult the Xbox blog.