Project Helix, Xbox’s next-generation console, remains a bit of a mystery, but in a recent interview with Fortune Conversations, CEO Asha Sharma doubled down on what we can expect after uncertainty swirled online following comments made by Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball.
Speaking about the project, Ball said, “We are working very hard to rethink everything that we can about Helix, which is a console we are committed to shipping… We are very cognizant of the ways in which we need the change as a company to make sure it is affordable, to make sure that it’s flexible.”
It was enough to get some fans questioning whether a Project Helix capable of playing PC games was still on the cards, or whether Xbox was considering something entirely different. While Ball never suggested either of those things directly, the remarks did leave room for speculation about whether Helix would ultimately be what many Xbox fans had been expecting.
Asha Sharma has now offered a little more clarity on the matter, in a response to this statement: “One of the things that I think is really interesting about the business moment you're in is through the prism of something like Project Helix. It's expected to be a top-tier premium offering. There is definitely interest in it…”
Sharma replies, “I'm excited about it. It's a console that's also going to allow you to play your PC games. It's going to have backward compatibility. It's going to have leading-end performance, but there's material work to do to make sure that it is available to the people that want to play.”
To me, it sounds like Xbox is simply trying to find a way to make the console as affordable as possible and is willing to explore whatever avenue helps achieve that goal. I hope it can figure it out, because the cost of components is currently approaching three times what it once was, and that just isn't sustainable for any company trying to make hardware right now.
What do you think, though? Do Sharma's comments make you feel better about the future of Project Helix, or are you still nervous? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!
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