Xbox CEO announces codename for next generation hybrid console

Microsoft has been through some significant changes in terms of strategy and leadership in the past months, when it comes to the Xbox gaming division. Following Phil Spencer’s retirement, Asha Sharma took up the mantle and promised a “return to the roots” as the gameplan for the foreseeable future. Sharma also said that the team will be sharing updates soon, and it looks like they start today.

Taking to X, the new CEO of Xbox shared the codename for the next Xbox console. It is being called Project Helix and as per the post, it will “lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games.” She clearly mentions that it is the codename for the next generation Xbox console, but that’s about all the information she gives. It is known that the next Xbox console will be a more open platform that, like the Xbox ROG Ally handhelds, will allow installation of other game stores.

The next Xbox console will also allow users to boot into Windows and use it as a PC. This vision was first shared by Sarah Bond, the former President and COO of Xbox, who is now a special advisor to Sharma. While not a lot has been revealed about the console itself, rumors and speculation point to a Magnus APU from AMD, produced on the TSMC N3C or N3P node. On paper, it is quite powerful, especially compared to the current gen consoles, as well as the rumored specs for the PS6.

But not everyone is confident in Asha Sharma’s leadership of the gaming division. Even the co-creator of the Xbox console, Seamus Blackley, believes that Sharma will eventually dismantle the Xbox brand, with a mandate to transform it into an AI-based business. Fans were also wary about her onboarding as they questioned her “not a real-gamer” background.

For now, it seems like the team at Xbox is making progress towards the next hybrid Xbox console. With 2027 marking the typical seven-year life cycle of consoles, the current state of memory and storage prices has made a 2027 release for new consoles uncertain.