Microsoft reveals Project Helix as the codename for next-gen Xbox console.
Future Xbox hardware will be powered by custom AMD SoC technology.
Alpha versions of the hardware ship to developers starting in 2027.
A few days ago, Microsoft’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, confirmed the rumours related to the existence of the next-gen Xbox. On her X account, she tweeted about the next-gen Xbox and revealed the codename for the console, Project Helix. While we did not get to hear much about the console from the tweet, Asha did confirm that future announcements would be made at the GDC (Game Developers Conference) 2026. Thankfully, as promised, Microsoft has finally revealed a lot of new details about the console. Let’s take a look at everything that was announced related to the next-gen Xbox at the GDC.
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Next-gen Xbox to be powered by AMD SoC
Since the Xbox One, Microsoft and AMD have had a solid partnership going on. All the consoles from the Xbox One and Series lineup have been powered by AMD SoCs, and well, Project Helix will be no different. In a blog post, Xbox revealed that they would be continuing their partnership with AMD. While no technical details were revealed, Xbox’s VP did reveal a few details.
He said, “As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.”
Speaking about the technical details, the VP revealed, “It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.”
Next-gen Xbox ‘Project Helix’ release date
While Microsoft and Xbox haven’t released a launch timeline for the next-gen Xbox, they did reveal something which hints at a release date for the console. In the blog post, Xbox’s VP said, “I’m excited to share that we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.”
Giving out the console to the developers that early means that Microsoft is looking to launch the console soon. Expecting a late 2027 launch or an early 2028 launch isn’t something that would be that big of a surprise. Previously, reports stated that Sony’s next-gen console has been delayed due to the RAM crisis, but it’ll be interesting to see if they’re going to make a move once the next-gen Xbox is launched in the market.
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