Microsoft’s next Xbox console is real, and it will play PC games too

Microsoft has confirmed what Many have speculated: That the next-gen gaming console will be a hybrid piece of hardware that can play Xbox games as well as Windows PC games.

There are still no details about the release period, pricing or specifications, but the new head of Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox CEO Asha Shar, he wrote in a post on X on Thursday that Project Helix is ​​the codename and that “Project Helix will drive performance and play both Xbox and PC games.”

This move could turn the traditional console gaming market upside down, as Microsoft and Xbox It is a notable force, although it has lagged behind Sony in recent years Playstation Nintendo systems with Switch and Switch 2. It was computer games Gain traction: A report last year indicated that PC games at the time outsold console games (although this was before the Switch 2 launched).

The Project Helix news also seems to line up with Sony’s recent decision Stop releasing single player and first party games on PC. Sony cited lackluster sales of games it released on PC, such as God of War Ragnarök and Ratchet and Clank: Rift in Time. As Penny Arcade writer and game analyst Jerry Holkins Published on X about Sony“There’s no reason to put their heavy hitters somewhere where they’re already running on your arch enemy’s chest.”

Microsoft has dabbled in blending the worlds of Xbox and PC gaming before, introducing Xbox Ultimate Game Pass Which gives access to both Xbox and PC games for a subscription fee. It raised the price of this service significantly in October.

Last year, Microsoft also announced a Dealing with AMD That would secure processors for future products, including, most likely, Project Helix.

Since the timing of the Helix project is unknown, it is difficult to determine whether or not this is possible Significant rise in storage and RAM prices It may affect the price of the new Xbox console.