At gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma offered a glimpse into Microsoft's next chapter in gaming — not as a single device, but as what she called 'a family of devices' under the codename Project Helix. The phrasing echoes the dual-console strategy Microsoft employed with the Series X and S, yet hints at something more expansive, more deliberate, and perhaps more disruptive to the conventions of how people buy and experience gaming hardware. With a potential 2027 holiday window on the horizon, Microsoft appears to be quietly rethinking not just what a console is, but what it costs, who it reach
Xbox CEO Hints Project Helix Will Launch as Multiple Devices
a great family of devices for Helix
Mark
So Asha Sharma said "family of devices." What does that actually mean in practice?
Mimi
It probably means Microsoft is planning to release multiple tiers again, like they did with Series X and S. But the language suggests they might be thinking bigger—maybe different form factors, not just power levels.
Luke
Right, but we should be careful here. She said it once, in response to a question about discless consoles. We're inferring a lot from one phrase. She could have just meant "we have options we're considering."
Mark
Fair. But why wouldn't she just say "we're still deciding" if that were the case?
Mimi
Because Microsoft doesn't want to tip its hand. If they announce a multi-device strategy too early, it fragments the conversation. Better to hint and let people speculate.
Luke
True, but that also means we don't actually know if it's multiple devices or just multiple configurations of one device. The source material doesn't distinguish.
Mark
She also mentioned new business models. Does that connect to the family-of-devices idea?
Mimi
Almost certainly. If you have multiple devices at different price points, you can offer different subscription tiers or payment plans for each. That's the new business model.
Luke
Again, that's inference. What we know is she said Microsoft won't ask people to spend thousands on a console generation. That's the only concrete constraint.
Mark
So we're waiting until 2027 to find out what this actually is.
Mimi
Holiday 2027 is the window she mentioned, though she was careful not to lock it in. Microsoft could slip it.
Luke
And we still don't know if physical discs are part of any of this. She dodged that question entirely.
Le Pouls
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed at gamescom 2026 that Project Helix will be a 'family of devices,' signaling Microsoft is moving beyond the single-console model entirely.
- The deliberate vagueness around disc support is itself a signal — if the answer were simple, Microsoft would have given it, suggesting the hardware lineup may handle physical media in fragmented or entirely new ways.
- Sharma's June admission that consumers won't pay 'thousands of dollars' for a console generation reveals Microsoft is under real pressure to reinvent its pricing and access model before launch.
- A holiday 2027 window is in view, but Microsoft is holding its cards close, with Sharma offering only the promise that 'more will be shared soon' as the industry watches and waits.
- Microsoft's move to let players digitize physical game collections suggests the ground is already being prepared for a post-disc ecosystem — the question is how far that shift will go across the Helix family.
At gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma offered a glimpse into Microsoft's next chapter in gaming — not as a single device, but as what she called 'a family of devices' under the codename Project Helix. The phrasing echoes the dual-console strategy Microsoft employed with the Series X and S, yet hints at something more expansive, more deliberate, and perhaps more disruptive to the conventions of how people buy and experience gaming hardware. With a potential 2027 holiday window on the horizon, Microsoft appears to be quietly rethinking not just what a console is, but what it costs, who it reaches, and how it fits into the lives of players who can no longer be assumed to pay a premium upfront.
At gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma gave the gaming world its clearest — if still deliberately opaque — look at Project Helix, Microsoft's next-generation platform. When asked by the BBC whether the new Xbox would launch without a disc drive, Sharma declined to answer directly. Instead, she offered something more interesting: Microsoft has been building 'a great family of devices' for the next generation.
The phrase carries weight. Microsoft's current generation already split into two tiers — the powerful, disc-equipped Series X and the compact, all-digital Series S — allowing the company to serve different audiences at different price points simultaneously. Sharma's language suggests Project Helix may expand on that model rather than simplify it, though the exact shape of that expansion remains unknown.
What makes the disc question particularly telling is what Sharma didn't say. A straightforward all-digital decision would have been easy to confirm. Her evasion implies the answer is more complicated — perhaps different devices in the family will treat physical media differently, or perhaps the concept itself is being reconsidered. Meanwhile, Microsoft's forthcoming feature allowing players to digitize existing physical game collections hints that the company is already laying groundwork for a broader shift away from discs.
Sharma has also acknowledged, in earlier remarks, that consumers won't accept paying 'thousands of dollars' for a traditional console generation — a signal that Microsoft is actively exploring new business models, whether through subscriptions, tiered access, or some other structure that breaks from the buy-once-and-play norm. A holiday 2027 launch window has been suggested, though no firm date has been committed to. For now, Project Helix remains a carefully managed mystery — one whose outline is becoming visible, even as its details stay deliberately out of reach.
At gamescom 2026, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma offered the first real hint about what Microsoft is building under the codename Project Helix—and it sounds like more than one thing. When pressed by the BBC about whether the next-generation Xbox would launch as a discless console, Sharma sidestepped the specifics but let slip something more revealing: Microsoft has been developing "a great family of devices" for what comes next.
The phrasing matters. In the current generation, Microsoft released two Xbox consoles—the Series X, a more powerful machine with a disc drive, and the Series S, a smaller all-digital alternative. That dual-tier approach became the template for how console makers could reach different audiences and price points simultaneously. Sharma's reference to a "family of devices" for Project Helix suggests Microsoft may be preparing to expand on that model rather than abandon it, though what exactly that expansion looks like remains unclear.
Sharma has previously indicated that Project Helix could arrive by the holiday season of 2027, though she has been careful not to commit to a hard date. More intriguingly, she acknowledged in June that consumers won't accept paying "thousands of dollars" for a traditional console generation. That comment signals Microsoft is thinking differently about how people will access and pay for gaming hardware going forward. The company is exploring what it calls "new business models"—language that suggests subscriptions, tiered access, or some combination of approaches that break from the conventional console-purchase-and-play cycle.
The mystery deepens because Sharma has been deliberately vague about the technical specifics. She declined to confirm whether Project Helix will support physical game discs in any form, which was the original question that prompted her "family of devices" comment. That evasion itself is telling: if Microsoft had simply decided to go all-digital, saying so would have been straightforward. The fact that the company is staying quiet suggests the answer is more complicated—perhaps different devices in the family will handle media differently, or perhaps the entire concept of a disc drive is being rethought.
What is confirmed is that Microsoft will soon allow Xbox players to digitize their existing physical game collections, a move that suggests the company is preparing the ground for a shift away from physical media. But whether that shift is total or partial, and how it will work across multiple devices, remains to be seen. For now, Sharma's careful language—"a great family of devices," "we'll share more soon"—is all Microsoft is willing to offer. The next-gen Xbox is coming, but it will not arrive as a simple successor to what came before.
Citations marquantes
We've been hard at work on a great next generation and a great family of devices for Helix, and we'll share more soon.— Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, BBC interview at gamescom 2026
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur IGN India ↗
Business