Meridiano

Add Article

No Image Available

Article Details

Title

Article: Microsoft’s next Xbox, Project Helix, will barely reach alpha by 2027

Impact Score

5 / 10

AI Summary (Processed Content)

Microsoft has revealed new technical details for its next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, at the 2026 Game Developers Conference. The console will feature a custom AMD chip with vastly improved raytracing and a new machine learning-based upscaling technology.

However, the console's development is in early stages, with alpha versions not scheduled to be sent to developers until 2027. The announcement was made by new Xbox leadership, following recent executive changes and previous hints that the device would be a high-end, PC-like experience.

The main topics covered are the technical specifications and development timeline of the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, and the recent leadership changes within Microsoft's gaming division.

Original URL

https://www.theverge.com/games/893119/xbox-project-helix-jason-ronald-gdc-2026

Source Feed

The Verge

Published Date

2026-03-11 17:28

Fetched Date

2026-03-11 14:30

Processed Date

2026-03-11 14:31

Embedding Status

Present

Cluster ID

Not Clustered

Raw Extracted Content

We’re here at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, where Microsoft “VP of Next Generation” Jason Ronald is talking about a topic near and dear to many gamers’ hearts: the future of Xbox. Ronald says the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will have a custom AMD chip with “an order of magnitude increase in raytracing performance” up to and including path tracing, and a next-gen version of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology that relies on machine learning and includes frame generation for the console.
Microsoft’s next Xbox, Project Helix, will barely reach alpha by 2027
Microsoft announced new details about the console at the GDC Festival of Gaming.
Microsoft announced new details about the console at the GDC Festival of Gaming.
But don’t expect it soon: Microsoft will begin sending out “alpha versions” of Project Helix to developers in 2027, Ronald revealed here at GDC.
The news follows Microsoft’s recent announcement of the codename for its next-generation console, Project Helix, which the company says will play both console and PC games. That announcement about Helix was made by new Xbox boss Asha Sharma, who took over as Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February. Former Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and former Xbox president Sarah Bond, who had been seen as a potential successor to Spencer, also announced her departure.
Last year, Bond hinted that the next-generation Xbox would be more like a PC and noted that it would be a “a very premium, very high-end curated experience.” In her first memo since taking over Xbox, Sharma promised a “renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console,” and in her post about Helix, Sharma said the console would “lead in performance.” This week, Sharma also posted a picture of the original Xbox prototype, which Microsoft is showing at the GDC Festival of Gaming. We’ve got pictures.