Microsoft Reveals Project Helix Features at Next-Gen Xbox GDC Talk, Alpha Versions to Be Sent to Devs in 2027

Microsoft has revealed aboriginal features of Project Helix, its next-gen Xbox, portion confirming plans to nonstop alpha versions of the hardware to developers successful 2027.

At a 30-minute GDC 2026 keynote attended by IGN (check retired our unrecorded study present to find retired much connected what was said), Jason Ronald, VP, Next Generation, Microsoft, reiterated that Project Helix volition play Xbox console games and PC games. We past got confirmation of aboriginal features and targets, and the committedness of "an bid of magnitude improvement" connected ray tracing performance.

"The full plan of the console is to usher successful the adjacent procreation of console gaming by advancing the authorities of the art, and truly breaking a batch of these barriers down," Ronald said. "Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering precocious show and providing the eventual player-first experience. We're partnering intimately with AMD to specify the adjacent procreation of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a customized AMD-based SOC, and it's co-designed for the adjacent procreation of DirectX. Project Helix brings quality straight into the graphics and compute pipeline, delivering step-change functions and gains successful efficiency, scale, and ocular ambitions."

Project Helix features and targets:

Plays Your Xbox Console & PC Games

Powered By Custom AMD SOC

• Codesigned for Next Generation of DirectX
• Next Gen Raytracing Performance & capabilities
• GPU Directed Work Graph Execution

AMD FSR Next + Project Helix

• Built for Next Generation of Neural Rendering
• Next Generation ML Upscaling
• New ML Multiframe Generation
• Next Gen Ray Regeneration for RT and Path Tracing

Deep Texture Compression

• Neural Texture Compression
• DirectStorage + Zstd

Microsoft's Project Helix descent nonstop from GDC 2026. Image credit: IGN.

Confirmation that alpha versions of Project Helix volition beryllium sent to developers successful 2027 is interesting, arsenic it suggests the console won’t beryllium successful consumer’s hands for immoderate clip yet. Perhaps we’ll get a due uncover of the last mentation of the console astatine the extremity of this year, oregon possibly much likely, successful the summertime of 2027.

Microsoft's GDC keynote came conscionable a fewer weeks aft a important shakeup astatine its gaming business, with erstwhile gaming brag Phil Spencer retiring, would-be successor Sarah Bond out, and Asha Sharma drafted successful arsenic caller Xbox CEO.

Following the announcement of Sharma's appointment, Seamus Blackley, who co-created Xbox astatine Microsoft, said that due to the fact that Xbox is not a halfway portion of Microsoft’s all-encompassing AI push, it was perchance “being sunsetted.” Blackley added that the information Sharma came implicit from Microsoft’s AI squad with nary gaming inheritance was further grounds of the company’s strategy. “They don’t accidental that, but that’s what’s happening,” Blackley said. “I expect that the caller CEO, Asha Sharma, her occupation is going to beryllium arsenic a palliative attraction doc who slides Xbox mildly into the night."

But Microsoft brag Satya Nadella countered that interest by past week insisting that Microsoft is “long connected gaming” and volition ever put successful it.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].