With its presentation at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) event held in San Francisco, Microsoft showed that its focus has now shifted completely to the new generation consoles. Here, the company announced the first technical specifications about Project Helix, the code name of the new Xbox.
According to Microsoft, one of the most striking features of the new hardware will be the graphics power, as expected. Jason Ronald, vice president of Xbox’s next-generation division, said that the console will have a custom chip developed together with AMD. This chip will provide a major advance, especially in advanced lighting technologies.
According to Microsoft’s statement, Project Helix will offer a giant leap in ray tracing performance compared to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The new chip is also designed to take advantage of scaling technologies such as the next generation of DirectX and FidelityFX Super Resolution. This will allow developers to create more detailed and dynamic virtual worlds.
A console that combines Xbox and PC more than ever before
Another key feature of Project Helix will be stronger integration of the PC and console ecosystem. Microsoft emphasized that the new console can run both Xbox games and PC games. This approach is in line with the company’s strategy to further unify its gaming ecosystem.
In this way, it will be easier for developers to reduce costs and reach a wider player base. Jason Ronald also confirmed that the first dev kits are planned to ship in 2027. Thus, studios will be able to start working on new generation games.
“Xbox Mode” is coming to Windows 11
Microsoft also announced a new “Xbox Mode” for Windows 11. This feature, which will be available in some markets starting from April, will provide a full-screen interface compatible with the controller. This interface will be inspired by the console experience, but retains the flexibility of the PC operating system.
Finally, Microsoft also reiterated its commitment to backward compatibility. According to the company, games from all four generations of Xbox will continue to be accessible in the future.
It was even stated that, within the scope of the brand’s 25th anniversary, new details that will especially please old Xbox users will be shared soon.
