After a lot of speculation and some heavy-handed hints, recently installed Microsoft Gaming chief executive officer Asha Sharma confirmed in a short post on her personal X (formerly Twitter) account that Project Helix, the codename for the next generation of Xbox consoles, will play both console and PC games.
This has sparked further debate and discussion as to whether we can call Project Helix a console or a PC, as it is clearly trying to be a hybrid device of sorts between the two. Well, it appears as though Microsoft has an answer for game developers and players, and the answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is that it’s going to be more like a PC.
At least, that’s the impression you get when looking at some of the messaging Xbox has plastered at GDC 2026, where The Verge spotted Microsoft telling game developers that the way to “build for Xbox” in the future is to “build for Xbox on PC.”
Microsoft vice president Jason Ronald took it a step further when he confirmed that the Xbox FSE featured on the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X handheld devices will start to roll out to all Windows 11 devices in April 2026. First announced during his keynote presentation at GDC 2026 and reiterated in a follow-up Xbox Wire blog post, Ronald confirmed it will start rolling out in “select markets” first before going global.
Ronald added that it will allow players to “seamlessly switch between productivity and play, with a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.” It’s another layer of the company’s ‘Play Anywhere’ campaign and a response to the change in player behaviors Microsoft has seen, according to Ronald.
“What we’ve really learned is as we look at it, PC is becoming an increasingly important part of the Xbox experience,” Ronald said during his GDC presentation, per IGN. “We’re bringing the best of Xbox to Windows itself to make Windows a great OS for games.”
“Players should be able to play these games and more across devices, whether through purchases, subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, or from other leading storefronts,” Ronald writes in his Xbox Wire blog post. “Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forward, the time you’ve invested stays with you, and you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 games, and 500 development teams have already shipped games with Xbox Play Anywhere.”
As far as when players will be able to get their hands on this future that Ronald and Microsoft are hyping up, we know from Ronald’s presentation that game developers won’t get their hands on the alpha dev kits for Project Helix until 2027, which means players likely won’t see the finalized version of Project Helix until 2028 at the earliest.
Windows 11 Devices Will Feature ROG Xbox Ally’s Xbox Mode Starting Next Month, Microsoft Tells Devs to “Build for PC”
