At GDC 2026 earlier today, as reported by The Verge, during a talk about the future of the brand, Microsoft’s Jason Ronald said that the company’s next console, codenamed Project Helix, will support path tracing and machine learning to offer improved frame rates via frame generation. But don’t expect to be preordering one anytime soon, as Xbox isn’t sending out dev kits to developers until 2027.
Xbox’s next-gen machine, Project Helix, will have a custom AMD SOC with a massive “increase in raytracing performance” and will even support more advanced and impressive-looking path tracing in some games. Helix will also feature a “next-gen version” of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology. This will let Project Helix do better-looking and smoother frame generation. This upcoming console is being designed alongside the “next generation of DirectX.” It will also support Neural Texture Compression and “next generation” neural rendering.
Boy, I really hope nobody watching the talk or reading this is playing a drinking game where you take a shot every time someone says “next generation.”
Windows 11 is becoming more like an Xbox
During the GDC talk, Ronald also confirmed that Xbox and Windows are merging more and more. As previously confirmed, Project Helix will play PC and your Xbox games. But it sounds like more Xbox features are migrating to Windows PC, too. “What we’ve really learned is as we look at it, PC is becoming an increasingly important part of the Xbox experience,” Ronald told the audience, as reported by IGN. “We’re bringing the best of Xbox to Windows itself to make Windows a great OS for games.”
Microsoft also announced that “Xbox Mode” is rolling out to Windows 11 PCs next month. This was previously known as “Xbox Full Screen Experience” and first shipped on the Xbox ROG Ally handheld. Ronald told the GDC audience that behind the scenes, the Xbox team has been working hard to make Xbox Mode “feel distinctly Xbox” and it should hopefully feel the same as you bounce between different Xbox devices and the cloud.
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