Today, at GDC 2026, Microsoft announced new gaming improvements coming soon to Windows 11, including the new full-screen Xbox mode and more. Additionally, the company revealed more bits about the next-generation Xbox, whose codename was officially announced this week. Project Helix is the successor to the current-gen Xbox Series X|S, and now, we have more information about its internals.
Microsoft has confirmed that its long-standing partnership with AMD continues with Project Helix. AMD powered the last two generations of Xbox consoles, and it will continue doing so by giving Project Helix a custom SoC (system-on-chip) for "the next generation of DirectX and FSR." Today's announcement confirms that the next-gen Xbox will adopt frame-generation technology, particularly multi-frame-generation from AMD. Additionally, Microsoft promises massive improvements in terms of ray tracing performance and capabilities:
As part of our multi-year partnership with AMD, we are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.
It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability, integrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipeline, and drives meaningful gains in efficiency, scale, and visual ambition. The result is more realistic, immersive, and dynamic worlds for players.
The new Xbox will also adopt improved DirectStorage with Zstd, Neural Rendering, ML upscaling, and more. While this sounds exciting, do not expect a new Xbox this year. Microsoft revealed that "alpha versions of the hardware" will go to developers only in 2027.
Interestingly, besides revealing early details about the hardware in Project Helix, Microsoft said that some of its most iconic games would soon return for the 25th anniversary of Xbox. Microsoft promises "new ways to play some of the most iconic games" from its past.
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