Microsoft plans to ship out alpha version developer kits of secretive console Project Helix in 2027, suggesting a global launch in the not-too-distant future for the device that plays both console and PC games.
The publisher shared more information about Project Helix – as well as its general philosophy under new CEO Asha Sharma – at the Xbox Developer Summit Keynote at Game Developer Conference 2026, attended by GamesRadar+. Xbox vice president of "next generation" Jason Ronald summarized in a coinciding news post on the Xbox website, "As games increasingly span devices, we're breaking down the barriers between console and PC games."
Ronald routinely emphasized this point during his keynote speech at GDC, observing that, "Not only has technology fundamentally changed, but player behaviors have also changed. The days of people defining themselves as, 'I'm a console gamer,' or, 'I'm a PC gamer,' or, 'I'm a mobile gamer' don't really exist anymore."
"We've really had to rethink, how do we build an ecosystem? How do we build hardware?" says Ronald. Those questions have led Xbox to decide "PC is becoming an increasingly important part of the Xbox experience." Ronald cites the ROG Xbox Ally handheld as an example of how Microsoft is now set on "bringing the best of Xbox to Windows," and Project Helix will be the company's ploy to further integrate its two technologies.
Ronald explains, "The entire design of the console is this: usher in the next generation of console gaming by advancing the state of the art and really breaking a lot of these barriers down." With its plans to release alpha dev kits in 2027, Microsoft seems prepared to start kicking doors down soon, and Project Helix might actually be in your hands by 2028, as one industry expert predicted to GamesRadar+.
Xbox lead says the "return to fun" we've seen from games like Peak makes him "hopeful" for the industry, and he "loves seeing the success" of them.
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