Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox effort, code-named Project Helix, will not be limited to a single console. In an interview at gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma revealed that the initiative encompasses a “great family of devices,” signaling a broader hardware strategy than the company had previously acknowledged.
Sharma made the remarks during a conversation with BBC News, where she was pressed on whether the upcoming hardware would abandon physical media. She declined to answer that question directly, but her description of the project marked a notable shift from the language Microsoft used when Helix was first announced in March, when it was framed as the brand’s “next-generation console.”
“We’re not sharing more on Helix, I know you had to ask it,” Sharma said when asked if the device would be discless. “But look, we’ve been hard at work on a great next generation and a great family of devices for Helix, and we’ll share more soon.”
The executive also reiterated that Helix will support both console and PC games, though it remains unclear whether that capability extends across the entire lineup. The Verge noted that Sharma’s comment about PC game compatibility came in response to the discless question, leaving ambiguity about the range of hardware in development.
The “family of devices” phrasing echoes language from a 2025 announcement in which Microsoft and AMD unveiled a “strategic multi-year partnership” to co-engineer custom silicon across “a portfolio of devices.” Xbox president Sarah Bond framed the deal as building “a gaming platform that’s always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices anywhere you want,” with the partnership explicitly spanning console, handheld, PC, cloud and accessories. That agreement suggests AMD’s silicon will likely power multiple Helix products.
Rumors have circulated that third-party manufacturers might be permitted to sell their own Project Helix hardware. Jason Ronald, Xbox’s vice president of next generation, did not dismiss the speculation when he wrote that “Project Helix will be available as a 1st party Xbox console,” a formulation that left room for additional interpretations.
Timeline of Project Helix developments
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | Microsoft and AMD announce multi-year partnership to co-engineer silicon for a “portfolio of devices” |
| October 2025 | ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X ship, Xbox’s first-ever branded handheld |
| March 2026 | Project Helix formally announced as next-generation console with PC game support |
| June 2026 | Sharma says mass audience won’t spend “thousands of dollars” on a console generation |
| August 2026 | Sharma describes Helix as a “family of devices” at gamescom |
| 2027 | Alpha units expected to reach developers |
Note: Timeline compiled from company announcements and executive statements.
Microsoft has been navigating significant layoffs across its gaming division while keeping details about Helix tightly guarded. The company’s previous hardware generation offered a precedent for a multi-device approach: the Xbox Series X and Series S launched simultaneously in 2020, with the former featuring a disc drive and the latter positioned as an all-digital option. Estimates from tracking firm VGChartz put combined lifetime sales of the pair at roughly 34.1 million units through late 2025, with the Series X accounting for about 21.1 million and the Series S about 13.0 million — evidence that a split-tier lineup can coexist within a single generation.
Microsoft has already shipped one real-world proof of the “family of devices” concept: the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, handhelds co-developed with Asus that run a full Xbox experience on Windows and reached stores in October 2025. That device, built around AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips, gives the AMD partnership’s “portfolio of devices” language a concrete precedent beyond the console line, and makes a multi-form-factor Helix lineup easier to picture than it would have been a year ago.
A discless future for gaming hardware is becoming more plausible across the industry. Sony announced in July that PlayStation would stop producing physical discs for new games starting in January 2028, citing shifting consumer preference: digital downloads already accounted for 85% of full-game software sales on PS4 and PS5 in Sony’s fiscal fourth-quarter results, versus 15% for physical copies. Games already released or planned before that cutoff will remain available on disc. Microsoft itself recently rolled out a disc-to-digital program, which began testing with Xbox Insiders on August 31: owners of supported physical discs can insert them into an Xbox console to claim a digital entitlement for the same title, unlocking Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming access while the physical disc keeps working as before. Thousands of Xbox Series X and Xbox One titles are supported at launch, with more being added over time — a step that further blurs the line between physical and digital ownership even as Helix’s own disc strategy remains unconfirmed.
Sharma has previously hinted that Helix could target a holiday 2027 release window. In June, she told employees the industry was in the middle of what she called a hardware “Rampocalypse,” warning that storage and memory components already cost roughly twice what they had a year earlier and were on pace to cost more than five times as much by the 2027 holiday season as they did two years prior. Given that backdrop, she said a mass audience would not be willing to spend “thousands of dollars” on a console generation and suggested Microsoft would explore “flexible storage offerings,” “new types of games” that use less drive space, and other “new business models” for the next cycle.
The exact composition of the Helix device family remains undisclosed. AMD indicated in February that it would be prepared to support a 2027 launch for Microsoft’s next-generation hardware, and Ronald stated at a conference in March that Helix would not reach alpha status until 2027. Developer kits are expected to ship starting next year.
For consumers, the promise of multiple Helix devices could mean more price points and performance tiers, similar to the Series X and Series S split. It could also signal Microsoft’s intent to expand Xbox beyond the traditional console form factor, potentially embracing handhelds or cloud-focused hardware. The company’s partnership with AMD and its openness to third-party manufacturing suggest a platform strategy rather than a single product launch.
Investors and gamers alike will be watching for further announcements. Sharma promised that more details would be shared soon, but until then, the scope and scale of Project Helix remain among the most closely guarded secrets in the gaming industry.
The 2DayBulletins Editorial Team publishes accurate, timely, and well-researched news and articles across Trending Topics , Business and Finance , Politics, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, Health, with a focus on delivering reliable information to readers.