Background on Microsoft's Console Strategy
Last summer, Ars Technica contended that Microsoft's forthcoming Xbox console should ditch its traditional walled garden model and simply run Windows. This perspective gains traction now with statements from the newly appointed Microsoft Executive Vice President for Gaming, Asha Sharma, who has strongly implied this as the company's path forward. Sharma noted that the next-generation console will accommodate both Xbox and PC games.
our commitment to the return of Xbox would include a new console codenamed Project Helix that will lead in performance and play our Xbox and PC games.
Details on Project Helix and Developer Engagement
In a social media post on Thursday afternoon, Sharma outlined Microsoft's dedication to Xbox's resurgence, spotlighting Project Helix as a performance leader capable of running Xbox and PC titles. She intends to elaborate on this commitment and the console itself with developers and partners at her inaugural Game Developers Conference next week.
Implications for PC Game Compatibility
Sharma's remarks provide scant room for Project Helix to deviate from being a robust Windows-based living room gaming device. While full PC game access remains unspecified, it could be confined to Microsoft's current PC Game Pass streaming options or games built for the Xbox-branded PC SDK and the PC Xbox app.
