Microsoft has confirmed that its subsequent era Xbox — codenamed Project Helix — can be able to enjoying each Xbox and PC video games. New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma took to X to tease the next-gen console, saying it “will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games.”
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Sharma says she’ll be speaking with companions and studios about Project Helix (and presumably its means to play PC video games) at GDC, which kicks off in San Francisco subsequent week. The tease units Microsoft up for a correct Project Helix reveal quickly. Last month, AMD confirmed that it was working with Microsoft on a semi-custom SoC for Project Helix, and stated it might be ready to support a launch in 2027.
Although Microsoft has confirmed Project Helix will be capable of playing PC games, there are still questions about how that will look. Microsoft sells PC games not only through Steam, but also through the Microsoft Store. Many titles even come with Microsoft’s Play Anywhere feature, which allows you to carry your progress across PC and console. Critically, these features are only available through the Xbox app on PC; Steam versions don’t support the same features.
Project Helix may not be able to play all of your PC games, but Microsoft confirms it’s at least capable of doing so. Given the underlying hardware — a semi-custom x86 SoC from AMD — there’s little reason why Project Helix would be able to play PC games from one storefront but not another. For now, all we can do is wait until Microsoft has more to share on that front.
Sharma recently assumed the role of Xbox CEO, taking over for Phil Spencer who has stood as a cult of personality for Xbox over decades of representing the brand. In addition to Spencer’s retirement, Xbox President Sarah Bond was replaced by long-standing Microsoft executive Matt Booty.
In taking over the role, Sharma laid out a simple goal in open letters published by Microsoft: “Understand what makes this work and protect it.” Despite serving as President of Microsoft’s CoreAI division from 2024, Sharma stated, “We will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.”
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