Xbox Confirms 'Project Helix' Next-Gen Console Will Be a Family of Devices

Asha Sharma, the newly named CEO of Xbox, has confirmed that "Project Helix" is the code name for Xbox's next-generation console lineup — and that it will comprise a "great family of devices," indicating more than a single hardware release. Sharma made the remarks in an interview with BBC News at gamescom 2026, reported by The Verge on August 28 and elaborated on by Engadget on August 29.

The "family of devices" framing came in direct response to a question about whether the next Xbox will ship without a disc drive. Sharma did not answer the disc question directly, instead redirecting to the broader hardware lineup. Xbox plans to ship alpha versions — early prototype units — of the Project Helix console to developers starting next year, according to Engadget.

Sharma reiterated that Project Helix will be able to play both console and PC games, though it remains unclear whether every device in the lineup will support dual-library playback or whether that capability will be limited to specific models (referred to internally as SKUs, or stock-keeping units). She said Xbox will "continue to push the boundaries of performance" with Project Helix and will share more details about the devices soon. Separately, Sharma confirmed that Project Helix will focus on affordability amid rising costs, as reported by VGC.

The multi-device strategy was foreshadowed earlier in 2026. In an April 23 Xbox newsroom post titled "We Are XBOX," Project Helix was described as leading in performance and being able to play console and PC games. A subsequent June 10 post, "Next 100 Days: XBOX Reset," co-authored by Sharma and Matt, stated that Xbox needs a new business model and partnerships for hardware while remaining committed to Project Helix. The June post signals that Xbox leadership views its current hardware economics as unsustainable and is exploring structural changes — not just iterative hardware improvements — ahead of the Helix launch.

Sharma's remarks at gamescom land against a specific industry backdrop. Sony has announced that PlayStation will go fully digital and will stop making disc-based games by 2028. That timeline gives Microsoft a narrow window to position Project Helix's disc strategy relative to a competitor with a publicly stated phase-out date. The fact that Sharma was asked the disc question at all reflects the industry's focus on physical media's trajectory. Her decision to redirect the conversation toward a multi-device family rather than confirm or deny a discless path is notable, though any reading of that as a deliberate strategy is speculative.

The performance and affordability goals sit in tension with each other. Next-generation console hardware typically demands advances in GPU computing power, memory bandwidth, and storage speed — all of which carry cost pressure at the component level. Sharma's commitment to both performance leadership and affordability implies either aggressive silicon partnerships, a tiered device lineup where a flagship pushes performance and lower-cost models broaden access, or a business model that subsidizes hardware through software and services revenue. The June 10 "reset" post's reference to a "new business model" lends weight to the latter possibility, but Xbox has not specified what that model entails.

For developers, the alpha hardware shipping next year is the more immediately consequential milestone. Distributing early dev kits typically begins the long process of refining development tools, optimizing game engines, and integrating platform-specific features — work that determines whether launch titles can genuinely take advantage of next-generation capabilities. The multi-device nature of Project Helix adds complexity here: developers will need to target a family of devices with potentially different performance profiles rather than a single fixed specification, a challenge familiar to anyone who has developed for Windows but less so for the historically fixed-console Xbox ecosystem.

The dual console-and-PC game compatibility angle is the most structurally interesting element. If Project Helix devices can run both Xbox console titles and PC games natively, the distinction between an Xbox and a Windows gaming device narrows considerably. That has implications for storefront economics, developer certification pipelines, and Microsoft's broader gaming ecosystem strategy, but the specifics depend entirely on how the capability is implemented and across which devices — details Xbox has not yet provided.