Trending Now - Xbox and Playstation Set Sights on 2027 Console Launches

WHO:

Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Microsoft, stated that "PC is becoming an increasingly important part of Xbox."

Asha Sharma, newly appointed gaming CEO of Microsoft, took over in February 2026.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, committed to "always" investing in its video games business during an internal Q&A.

Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Microsoft, stated that "PC is becoming an increasingly important part of Xbox."

Asha Sharma, newly appointed gaming CEO of Microsoft, took over in February 2026.

Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Microsoft, stated that Project Helix will have "an order of magnitude increase in raytracing performance" up to and including path tracing.

Jack Hyunh, AMD executive, referred to the next-gen version of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology as "FSR Diamond," designed to be natively optimized for Project Helix.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, stated the company is "long on gaming" and committed to "always" investing in its video games business.

Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Microsoft

Jack Hyunh, AMD executive

Asha Sharma, newly appointed gaming CEO of Microsoft

Phil Spencer, former Xbox head

Sarah Bond, former Xbox president

WHAT:

Microsoft plans to ship alpha versions of Project Helix to developers starting in 2027.

Xbox mode will allow players to "seamlessly switch between productivity and play" on Windows 11, starting in April 2026.

The Xbox Play Anywhere program now includes over 1,500 titles.

Microsoft will be "rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past" as part of its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Microsoft plans to roll out Xbox mode to select markets starting in April 2026.

The Xbox Play Anywhere program now includes over 1,500 titles.

Microsoft will be "rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past" as part of its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Project Helix will include machine learning-based frame generation that can improve the perceived smoothness of a game by imagining new frames between existing ones.

Ronald confirmed that the new system will offer "more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players."

Microsoft plans to roll out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from its past as part of its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Project Helix will deliver "high performance and provide the ultimate player-first experience," according to Jason Ronald.

Project Helix will integrate "intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline" and drive "meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition."

Xbox mode will allow players to "seamlessly switch between productivity and play" on Windows 11, starting in April 2026.

Microsoft’s next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will not reach alpha until 2027.

Project Helix will feature a custom AMD chip with a significant increase in raytracing performance.

The next-gen version of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology will be included, referred to as FSR Diamond.

The Xbox Play Anywhere program now includes over 1,500 titles.

Microsoft will begin sending out alpha versions of Project Helix to developers in 2027.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox mode to more Windows computers starting in April 2026.

Microsoft plans to re-release older Xbox titles as part of its Game Preservation program.

WHERE:

Game Developers Conference (GDC), location unspecified.

WHEN:

Microsoft will begin shipping alpha versions of Project Helix to developers starting in 2027.

Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows 11 in April 2026.

Asha Sharma took over as Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February 2026.

Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows 11 in April 2026.

Microsoft will begin shipping alpha versions of Project Helix to developers starting in 2027.

Microsoft plans to roll out new ways to play iconic games as part of its 25th anniversary in 2026.

The announcement about Project Helix was made in March 2026.

Asha Sharma took over as Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February 2026.

Microsoft will start rolling out Xbox mode to select markets in April 2026.

WHY:

Microsoft aims to unify the development environment for Xbox and Windows, allowing developers to build once for both platforms.

The Game Preservation program is part of the 25th anniversary of Xbox, reflecting Microsoft's responsibility to preserve games from the past.

HOW:

Project Helix will incorporate a custom AMD-made system-on-a-chip capable of rendering graphics with path tracing and will also offer multi-frame frame generation and machine learning-based upscaling.

Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD system on chip, co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR.

Project Helix will play both console and PC games, integrating Xbox and Windows experiences.

Advanced Shader Delivery will allow precompilation of shaders for smoother game launches.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 19:16 UTC)

In a significant announcement, Microsoft revealed plans to ship alpha versions of Project Helix to developers starting in 2027, as part of their strategy to unify the development environment for Xbox and Windows. Asha Sharma, who took over as gaming CEO in February, highlighted that the new Xbox mode will allow players to seamlessly switch between productivity and play on Windows 11, with a rollout set for April 2026. Additionally, Microsoft is celebrating its 25th anniversary by promising to roll out new ways to play iconic games from its past, while Satya Nadella reaffirmed the company's commitment to investing in its video games business.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 13:20 UTC)

Microsoft is set to roll out Xbox mode to select markets starting in April, as part of a broader strategy to unify the development environment for Xbox and Windows. Newly appointed gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who took over in February, announced that the Xbox Play Anywhere program now boasts over 1,500 titles, and the company plans to celebrate its 25th anniversary by introducing new ways to play iconic games from its past. Jason Ronald, the VP of Next Generation at Microsoft, emphasized that the PC is becoming an increasingly important part of Xbox, with Project Helix featuring a custom AMD system-on-a-chip designed to enhance graphics and performance.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 07:15 UTC)

In a significant announcement today, Jason Ronald, Vice President of Next Generation at Microsoft, revealed that Project Helix will dramatically enhance raytracing performance, including advanced path tracing capabilities. Alongside this, AMD executive Jack Hyunh introduced "FSR Diamond," the next-gen version of AMD’s upscaling technology, which is optimized for Project Helix and will include machine learning-based frame generation to create smoother gameplay experiences. Microsoft plans to start shipping alpha versions of Project Helix to developers in 2027, as part of their efforts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their iconic games.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 05:22 UTC)

Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, announced the company's strong commitment to its gaming division, stating they are "long on gaming" and will "always" invest in it. As part of their 25th anniversary celebrations in 2026, Microsoft will introduce Project Helix, which promises to enhance gaming performance and efficiency by integrating intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and will also feature an Xbox mode for seamless switching between productivity and play on Windows 11 starting in April. This innovative project is powered by a custom AMD system on chip, co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR.

(UPDATED March 11, 2026 23:08 UTC)

At the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft announced that their next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will not reach alpha until 2027, featuring a custom AMD chip that significantly boosts raytracing performance and includes the next-gen FSR Diamond upscaling technology. The Xbox Play Anywhere program has expanded to over 1,500 titles, and Microsoft plans to roll out Xbox mode to more Windows computers starting in April 2026, while also re-releasing older Xbox titles as part of their Game Preservation program to celebrate the platform's 25th anniversary. Asha Sharma, who became Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February, emphasized the goal of unifying the development environment for Xbox and Windows, allowing developers to create for both platforms seamlessly.