Microsoft to Send Alpha Version of Project Helix Hardware to Game Developers in 2027

Microsoft announced at the 2026 Game Developer Conference today that it will start sending alpha versions of its next-gen Xbox console, code-named Project Helix, to game developers starting in 2027. The new console will be powered by a custom AMD chip, and it will be able to run four generations of Xbox games, in addition to PC games.

“Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC games, delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming,” said Jason Ronald, Vice President of Next Generation at Xbox. “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.”

AMD CEO Lisa Su previously said that the company was ready to support a launch of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox in 2027, but today’s announcement doesn’t exactly confirm that. Developers will likely need some time to get familiar with the development environment for Project Helix, even though Ronald said today that Microsoft was aiming to “break down the barriers” between console and PC games. “This also gives developers a simpler, more unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs,” the exec added.

Ronald dropped another interesting bit of information regarding Project Helix today, and this seems to be about backwards compatibility. “As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we’ll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past,” the exec said. The Xbox Series X|S generation introduced new features like FPS Boost and Auto HDR for select games, and maybe Project Helix will offer new enhancements for games from previous Xbox generations.

“This is just the start of the next generation and the next 25 years of Xbox, and we can’t wait to share more later this year,” Ronald also said today. Besides these Project Helix updates at GDC, Microsoft also announced that a new Xbox mode that was first introduced on ROG Xbox Ally handhelds will be rolling out to Windows 11 users in select markets in April.