Next-Gen Xbox Console Announced, Codename Confirmed

In a move absolutely nobody saw coming, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console has been confirmed as incoming CEO Asha Sharma re-affirms the company’s commitment to first-party hardware.

I have to admit - I did not think we’d be getting another Xbox console. As the company moved towards PC, and rumors that the new console would be a PC-hybrid, similar to the Steam Machine, it seemed like PlayStation had won the long-fought console wars.

"I think that our core Xbox fans and players have invested up to 25 years of themselves in these universes and our console,” Sharma stated in an interview with Windows Central.

She continued, "Xbox players have thousands of dollars invested, in money and time too — it's incredibly important for me to understand that and protect that.

"I am committed to 'returning to Xbox,' and that starts with console, that starts with hardware. You will hear more about that soon, we'll have some announcements coming up. You will see us collectively investing here.”

Well, that time is now.

Sharma took to Twitter to announce "Project Helix", the codename used to refer to the next-gen Xbox console.

I find it very interesting that she said: “Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games. Looking forward to chatting about this more with partners and studios at my first GDC next week!”

In a statement to WindowsCentral last year, Microsoft said, “We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles and devices designed, engineered and built by Xbox. For more details, the community can revisit our agreement announcement with AMD.”

This suggests, to me, that the next-gen Xbox will be a PC-console hybrid as rumours suggested.

What will the Next-Gen Xbox be called?

It’s likely that Helix won’t be the actual name of the console. Let’s just hope it’s better than Xbox Series X|S naming conventions.

Last year, the corniest name in the world for the next-gen Xbox leaked, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Helix might be better. The Xbox 360 was codenamed Durango, Scorpio was the codename for the Xbox One X, Anaconda for the Xbox Series X, and Lockhart for the Xbox Series S.

We don’t know too much about Project Helix just yet. Last year, Twitter/X leaker Zuby_Tech suggested that the console will feature the “biggest die size ever in a console”, along with some estimated tech specs.

How much will Project Helix Cost?

Right now, we have no confirmed price for the next-gen Xbox. However, industry experts have suggested you'll need to start saving your cash now, with the price of RAM, or Random Access Memory, skyrocketing thanks to AI and shortages. RAM is a type of super-fast, short-term memory that makes your console quicker and more efficient, so a pretty crucial thing.

I can't lie, it was looking pretty dire for Xbox for a few moments there. Confusing marketing, a shift away from consoles and exclusives, and higher prices for Xbox Game Pass had a lot of fans swearing off the company and its next-gen console.

Could Project Helix be the thing to turn the tides? Only time will tell.