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The Xbox Series X and S released in 2020. With the typical pattern of console generations, that means we should be seeing its successor in the next year or so. But despite rumors and whispers, Xbox hasn’t given us much concrete information on what’s next for consoles following the handheld ROG Xbox Ally. But some comments from leadership, including Sarah Bond, led many to speculate that the next “console” wouldn’t be a traditional gaming console, but rather a PC hybrid. Last week, rumors began circulating that this strategy could be changing under new leadership. Now, a social media post from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reveals that the next Xbox console is being developed under the code name “Project Helix” and will be part of “the return of Xbox.”
Xbox CEO Reveals Code Name Project Helix for Next-Gen Xbox Console
Xbox’s partnership with handheld gaming brand ROG brought us the Xbox ROG Ally, which isn’t quite an Xbox console, but isn’t quite not an Xbox either. This somewhat confusing shift to a PC/Xbox hybrid has led to rumors that the next Xbox console would really be more of a PC. With the company moving away from console exclusives, putting out a traditional console didn’t necessarily look like part of the plans. Comments from then Xbox President Sarah Bond further added to this rumor, as she compared the next-gen console to the ROG Xbox Ally.
The latest comments from CEO Asha Sharma don’t necessarily fully assuage these fears about a very different approach for the next Xbox console. However, Sharma did explicitly note “the return of Xbox,” which could be a move to pivot away from that “everything is an Xbox” marketing strategy. She also revealed the code name for the console, “Project Helix.” This is the first time we’ve officially learned the internal name for the next-gen console. Like many code names, however, it doesn’t necessarily tell us much.
