Asha Sharma has confirmed that the Project Helix family of devices is coming, and that Microsoft’s next generation will not be a single console.
Project Helix was announced in March as the codename for Microsoft’s “next generation console” — phrasing that implied one piece of hardware. In an interview with the BBC, Sharma described it differently.
We’ve been hard at work on a great next generation and a great family of devices for Helix, and we’ll share more soon.
Asha Sharma, Xbox CEO
The Project Helix family of devices
The answer came after Sharma was asked whether Helix would be a discless console. She didn’t answer directly, though Microsoft this week announced a programme to digitise physical games, which signals where the disc conversation is heading. We covered both here: Xbox disc to digital: your physical games get a digital copy, and the disc-drive question itself in this explainer.
Microsoft has been hinting at multiple devices for a while. In 2025 it signed a strategic multi-year partnership with AMD to work on “a portfolio of devices” including the next-generation console. It has also been rumoured that third-party manufacturers will be able to sell Helix hardware of their own — a rumour Xbox’s vice president of next generation, Jason Ronald, didn’t exactly deny.
Project Helix will be available as a 1st party Xbox console.
Jason Ronald, Xbox vice president of next generation
When will the next Xbox launch?
The timeline is still vague. AMD has said it would be ready to support a launch in 2027, while Ronald said at GDC in March that Helix wouldn’t reach alpha until 2027. What is confirmed is that Helix will play PC games — and Asha Sharma confirmed Platinum Achievements are on the way this year too.
No UAE release dates or pricing have been announced yet. Sharma’s fuller interview is on the BBC’s YouTube channel.
What is Project Helix?
Project Helix is the codename for Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, announced in March 2026. It is designed to play PC games as well as Xbox titles.
Will the next Xbox be more than one device?
According to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Project Helix will be a ‘family of devices’ rather than a single console. Microsoft’s AMD partnership covers ‘a portfolio of devices’, and third-party Helix hardware has been rumoured.
When will the next Xbox launch?
No date has been confirmed. AMD has suggested it could support a launch in 2027, while Xbox’s Jason Ronald said Project Helix would not reach alpha until 2027.
