Project Helix, the codename Microsoft first attached to its next-generation Xbox hardware, will arrive as a family of devices rather than a single console, according to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. The clarification reframes earlier expectations after Sharma introduced the codename in March 2025 as shorthand for the company’s “next generation console,” phrasing that suggested a lone machine.
“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,” Sharma said in an interview with BBC News. The comment points to a broader hardware lineup than many had anticipated, though Microsoft has not yet detailed the individual products or how they will differ from one another.
What Sharma Confirmed and What She Didn’t
Sharma offered the “family of devices” description in response to a question about whether Helix would be a discless console. She did not directly address that point, leaving the disc-drive question open for now. The lack of a firm answer is notable given the industry’s ongoing shift toward all-digital hardware.
The timing lines up with a separate announcement this week: Microsoft revealed a program for digitizing physical games, allowing owners of disc-based titles to convert them into digital copies. While Sharma stopped short of confirming a diskless approach for Helix, the digitization initiative signals the company’s continued push toward a digital-first ecosystem for its players in the United States and beyond.
The AMD Partnership Behind Helix
The hardware effort builds on a strategic multi-year partnership between Microsoft and AMD that the two companies announced in 2025. That collaboration is aimed at co-developing the technology powering the next wave of Xbox devices, giving Microsoft a dedicated silicon roadmap for the generation ahead.
Details on release windows, pricing, and the specific makeup of the Helix lineup remain undisclosed. Sharma repeatedly signaled that further information is coming, telling BBC News the company would “share more soon” about both the next generation and the family of devices under development.
For now, the key takeaway for the US gaming audience is a shift in framing: Project Helix is no longer positioned as a single next-generation Xbox console but as a coordinated set of products. Sharma introduced the Helix codename in March 2025, and Microsoft’s AMD partnership dates to 2025.
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