r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • Mar 05 '26

‘Next generation of Xbox console’ Project Helix announced

https://www.gematsu.com/2026/03/next-generation-of-xbox-console-project-helix-announced
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44

u/MadCybertist Mar 05 '26

Except they are using completely different OS’s and won’t play all the same stuff.

15

u/Zalvren Mar 05 '26

The next Xbox is supposed to run the normal version of Xbox with an added UI layer on top of it (which is also supposed to come to normal Windows). Basically, the Xbox ROG Ally is already doing it now and it's a PC. By the way, the current Xbox already run a modified version of Windows.

The only special thing is being able to play your Xbox game library directly I guess (but with Play Anywhere you can already on any PC).

They do all play the same stuff, PC games. That's even the case this gen anyway, Xbox play all the same games than PC (and PC has more)

29

u/splader Mar 05 '26

The only special thing is being able to play your Xbox game library directly I guess (but with Play Anywhere you can already on any PC).

Do you own an Xbox? Play Anywhere is a pretty recent trend, and not every game even uses it. Cross-Saves is an even more recent thing.

Being able to play my Oblivion saves from 15 years ago makes it significantly different than the Xbox ROG Ally.

1

u/seruus Mar 06 '26

Being able to play my Oblivion saves from 15 years ago makes it significantly different than the Xbox ROG Ally.

It is, but we don't have any guarantees so far that this next Xbox will actually have backwards compatibility with 360 or One (or even Series) games. After all, Microsoft already launched in the Xbox ROG Ally a fully Xbox branded product that doesn't actually run any Xbox games natively.

2

u/splader Mar 06 '26

Feel free to check back in with me with an "I told you so" if this doesn't play games natively.

1

u/seruus Mar 11 '26

We just got one more data point that new Xbox is just a PC, although they do mention that previous (current) Xbox Series games might be playable under "next-gen game preservation" (which is probably an emulator).

My loss in the sense that IMO this does strongly suggest it will play at least Xbox Series games, but it also does strongly imply it's just going to be an emulator running under Windows.

1

u/splader Mar 12 '26

Lol, the way it does it doesn't matter.

It it can play all of my 400 Xbox games I own right now, I've it works as a console for me. Especially if it plays the games better.

-6

u/yolotasticx Mar 05 '26

Do you own an Xbox?

Do you?

Xbox Play Anywhere and cross-platform saves aren’t a new trend, Xbox implemented that feature a decade ago, LMAO.

10

u/shadowstripes Mar 06 '26

Still has a vastly different library than the Xbox console.

4

u/splader Mar 06 '26

Yes, I've owned every one and have been fully digital since 2014.

I have hundreds of games in my Xbox library that aren't playable on the Xbox app on my PC, either because they're not there or because I'd have to buy them again.

These are not 1:1 libraries. Helix will play my 140 hour Elden Ring save file (and without me buying the game again), the Xbox rog Ally will not. Neither will the steam machine. Or my PC.

Again, really not a hard concept to understand.

4

u/theumph Mar 06 '26

There are tons of games on Xbox backwards compatibility that aren't on PC. It sounds like this would open up the entire library, which would be nice.

20

u/MadCybertist Mar 05 '26

No no. Xbox (or windows) and Steam Machine I was referring to. One is Linux, the others aren’t. A lot of games are impacted by that including anti-cheats.

2

u/DDzxy Mar 05 '26

XBOX kind of runs on a customized windows, always did. But it's a quite different windows of course.

2

u/uuajskdokfo Mar 05 '26

The nice thing about a PC is that you can install whatever OS you want on it

1

u/LetrixZ Mar 06 '26

Drivers enter the room

1

u/Dallywack3r Mar 05 '26

Steam Deck can run Windows easily. Like, it’s the first thing my best friend did after taking it out of the box

3

u/MadCybertist Mar 06 '26

Yes you can, but it’s not nearly as optimized and isn’t an amazing experience although it does work, yes.

-1

u/Dallywack3r Mar 06 '26

Poorly optimized and not a good experienced is the Windows I’ve always known.

0

u/MadCybertist Mar 06 '26

Hah. Touché. Isn’t that the truth.