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Asha Sharma: Next Xbox Project Name: "Helix" - Will 'lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games'

Isn't it a bit early to announce Helix if Microsoft plans to launch the console in 2028? It looks more like a 2027 release.

And is it plausible that MS put a "custom disc drive" in Helix, that is capable of to play Xbox, 360, One, XSX and PC games?
Seems early to tease it if it is not launching this year.

Also you'd think launching something more powerful with GTA6 coming out would sell some of these things and sell the Xbox copy of the game (from the Xbox store) since the pc release not happening day/date with console.
 
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The only thing that could delay it is component costs. Otherwise looks like it's coming out in 2027 like AMD said.
I figure announce at 25th anniversary events in November 2026 and launch in Nov 2027. They announced scorpio about 18 months ahead of launch so not beyond possibility (E3 2016 and launch November 2017).
 
If you want to play GTA on PC first, you'll need to buy a Helix device and it will probably be the only 60 fps version for a while.

I'll be waiting on the Lenovo Legion X and will buy a Razer Raikiri for it. Not interested in whatever hardware and trash quality controllers Microsoft comes up with.
 
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Isn't it a bit early to announce Helix if Microsoft plans to launch the console in 2028? It looks more like a 2027 release.

And is it plausible that MS put a "custom disc drive" in Helix, that is capable of to play Xbox, 360, One, XSX and PC games?

They are forced to announce it now...

Series consoles are dead and nothing can be done to bring them back to life..

With this announcement they just admitted openly what any sane person already knew....

They are leaving the console market and pivoting to PC...
 
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So they're essentially risking the few people who buy this thing not to give a single penny to Microsoft post purchase. Because if they preload or even allow downloads of Steam on this thing, people can and will totally bypass their ecosystem
 
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If you want to play GTA on PC first, you'll need to buy a Helix device and it will probably be the only 60 fps version for a while.

I'll be waiting on the Lenovo Legion X and will buy a Razer Raikiri for it. Not interested in whatever hardware and trash quality controllers Microsoft comes up with.
Prob comes out after 1 year console exclusivity expires in November 2027? So would be available on Helix and regular PC at same time?
 
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LFG beardman.
 
I mean, the way people describe it, it will pretty much be a high end PC with an official Xbox Series X virtual machine (so you can play Series X, Xbox One and the 360+OG Xbox games that are already backwards compatible). But I just can't see how this will make things better for Xbox, or how this will attact people other than hardcore Xbox fans.
This will benefit PC gamers most IMO. They might actually make headway on Shader comp situation FFS lol. Magnus doesn't have like 16 core CPU to brute force through shader comp.
 
If you want to play GTA on PC first, you'll need to buy a Helix device and it will probably be the only 60 fps version for a while.

I'll be waiting on the Lenovo Legion X and will buy a Razer Raikiri for it. Not interested in whatever hardware and trash quality controllers Microsoft comes up with.
This won't be coming until Nov '27 at the earliest. That's about the same time the PC version of GTA6 will be out.
 
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I feel like this puts a wrench in my whole, going to ps/switch combo for me. I really have no idea where to start. I feel like having a Xbox like this is what I'd like. I love playstation but their controller definitely has been hurting me more and more these days lol.
 
I hope I am wrong but Microsoft is so out of touch.

I can see it starting at $1200 with a new girl boss mascot
 
MS entry to high end pc gaming market? Are we also going to see Asus or other pc brand with carry the tech and label just like asus xbox rog ally x? Will it support steam?
 
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I mean, the way people describe it, it will pretty much be a high end PC with an official Xbox Series X virtual machine (so you can play Series X, Xbox One and the 360+OG Xbox games that are already backwards compatible). But I just can't see how this will make things better for Xbox, or how this will attact people other than hardcore Xbox fans.
Yeah, I'm keen to see how this is all going to be integrated and work. Sounds like it's essentially just a new Xbox "app" in Windows. Which I'd assume any PC can also use and you don't necessarily need the new Xbox hardware. The backward compatibility is probably something that would be locked to the Helix hardware.
 
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I feel like this puts a wrench in my whole, going to ps/switch combo for me. I really have no idea where to start. I feel like having a Xbox like this is what I'd like. I love playstation but their controller definitely has been hurting me more and more these days lol.
Everyone has their own preferences and needs, but if it's what it seems, we would be in a situation where each of the console manufacturers (Xbox, PS and NINTENDO) would offer 3 different and distinct console or product proposals aimed at users with different priorities and needs.
 
You're not going to move a traditional PC gamer to a platform that's not only expensive but also locked into a system with limited hardware upgrade options.

The only possible way would be to subsidize the price, something I doubt Microsoft can do for two reasons:

- Third-party stores (Steam/EPIC) would take the lion's share of royalty revenue.

- Free online access (it's a PC game, after all).

- The dramatic rise in hardware costs.
 
I figure announce at 25th anniversary events in November 2026 and launch in Nov 2027. They announced scorpio about 18 months ahead of launch so not beyond possibility (E3 2016 and launch November 2017).
Are you talking about the great prediction made in January by Nostrodrunkus?
 
There is literally nothing they can or will do to make this an exciting proposition for me, other than the inevitable drama.

The ship has sailed.
 
If you want to play GTA on PC first, you'll need to buy a Helix device and it will probably be the only 60 fps version for a while.

I'll be waiting on the Lenovo Legion X and will buy a Razer Raikiri for it. Not interested in whatever hardware and trash quality controllers Microsoft comes up with.

Absolutely not true. The Xbox Helix would just run the unmodified Series version until the "PC" SKU releases on the MS Store/Steam/Epic/Rockstar Store.

I expect that most of this Xbox's features will be coming to all Windows devices, including the Lenovo devices.
 
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If I'm not mistaken, Magnus is the codename for the AMD NPU that powers it.

Magnus is the codename for the entire soc, not just the npu.

There will be different models of the APU, like high end (AT4) for the Xbox Home Console (Project Helix) and 2 others for MS devices, one of them being for a cut down variant for handhelds.

Xbox will license these soc's to different third party vendors like Asus, Lenovo, MSI, Razer etc., with an OS mandate (custom Windows 12 with an Xbox dashboard shell), to make their own Xbox variants.
 
If I was Microsoft since they can afford to be petty since Sony isn't doing PC ports no Call of duty, Halo, Gears, Forza, Doom, Elder Scrolls, Fable etc until ports come back lol. Seriously they giving Sony all this shit and Sony like here take Helldivers and shut the fuck up lmao. Microsoft needs to say fuck PlayStation and Nintendo and drop some nuts since both of them giving Microsoft crumbs if that.
 
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MS entry to high end pc gaming market? Are we also going to see Asus or other pc brand with carry the tech and label just like asus xbox rog ally x? Will it support steam?

I believe so. I think we will see console, hybrid console/PC that is semi upgradable and possibly a more powerful version of the SOC intended for Xbox owners who want to build a full-on PC that can play their entire back log.


Well that's my hope anyway.
 
From the leaks that MLiD put out that were confirmed by K KeplerL2 , the PS6 console is pretty powerful.
Magnus has commendable specs, the ps6 not so much. They went as conservative as possible with the console in terms of cost savings a 160bit bus,a 2.5x compute bump and 43% increase in bandwidth , same number of CPU cores as the ps5 and mobile ones albeit obviously newer architecture... The ps5 was a much more impressive machine in terms of specs and they actually went ahead of the game with their ssd and io system. The ps6 is just very safe and conservative and we all have to hope that the rt bump and ml/ai acceleration will compensate heavily to make it relatively pleasing in terms of visuals.

From what I can see this will be a ps5 pro+ more than a normal gen bump and I fear the best we will see will be ps5 games with path tracing turned on or ps5 games with 4k* 120hz modes. Now before I get the normal pummeling when you question the specs, yes I realize hardware advancements have slowed down and development budgets etc but even so objectively speaking the ps6 is a very conservative upgrade and rather unimpressive. Yes with enough rationalization and enough deliberation about constraints one can justify it or anything really but ilI be honest I do wish the specs were better. I was already disappointed with the underwhelming output this gen especially with Sonys first party and with the ps6 I'm pretty much expecting ps5 pathtracing and 120hz modes especially with the portable in the picture which will serve as the very low spec baseline.

That being said dear Lord do I wish to be proven wrong though. Looking back to what the ps3 devs pulled with 512mb of split ram and a neutered 7800 gt and hell even the ps5 with its paltry jaguar I can only hope we get surprised one last time and the hardware might have some surprises especially through rt and ai workload breakthroughs to surprise us.
 
I believe so. I think we will see console, hybrid console/PC that is semi upgradable and possibly a more powerful version of the SOC intended for Xbox owners who want to build a full-on PC that can play their entire back log.


Well that's my hope anyway.

Personal advice:

Moderate your expectations with Microsoft
 
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