Digital Foundry argues next-gen Xbox Helix gaming console not having custom RDNA GPU is not big deal

One of the biggest leaks regarding the next-gen Xbox Project Helix has been the use of a standard, non-custom AMD Magnus APU inside the next-gen Xbox gaming console. So, the next-gen Xbox reportedly runs a standard, off-the-shelf AMD part that will also be available to other OEMs, potentially resulting in an ecosystem of Windows gaming consoles.

Some gamers weren’t happy about Xbox using a non-custom APU. Even Wccftech branded the alleged move as Xbox “abandoning the last thing that made an Xbox feel like one”. Digital Foundry, on the other hand, thinks that Xbox Helix using a standard AMD APU is “not a big deal”.

The outlet explains that the gaming console landscape has moved beyond custom solutions, like the PS3’s Cell processor. The future of graphics technology will, according to Digital Foundry, be unified across PC and gaming consoles. For instance, Sony and AMD are co-developing graphics technologies for the PlayStation 6. These technologies are likely to also ship with RDNA 5 desktop GPUs.

Another aspect of this conversation is the ease of game development that a unified architecture provides. AAA games are already very resource-intensive, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. So, enforcing custom solutions on developers will only increase the amount of work that developers will have to do. DF thinks that the use of standard AMD APUs with non-custom tech is a good thing for game developers, as it will make their lives easier.

That said, Sony and Microsoft can still offer novel tech with the PS6 and the Xbox Helix. The PlayStation 5, for instance, features Tempest 3D Audio for spatial sound. The Xbox Series consoles have proprietary expansion cards for storage. So, both Sony and Microsoft can bring novel hardware features to next-gen consoles, which will make them stand out.

Sadly, both the next-gen Xbox Helix and the Sony PS6 are more than a year away. So, if you want a new console right now, you’ll have to stick to the current-gen Xbox Series and Sony PS5 consoles.