- 0-20%: Unlikely - Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable - Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible - Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable - Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely - Multiple reliable sources
85%
Highly Likely
Although little is currently known about the next-generation Xbox Project Helix, it's clear the system will be quite different from the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X|S, as it is set to bridge the gap between PC and console gaming (possibly ditching the disc drive, as modern gaming PCs do). How this will be achieved remains to be seen, but in terms of hardware, according to known AMD leaker KeplerL2, Microsoft has decided to abandon the last thing that made an Xbox feel like an Xbox: custom hardware.
"MS has 0 customization on the GPU side this time," the leaker said on the NeoGAF forums in a thread discussing the next-generation Microsoft console and how it will compare to the PlayStation 6, which is set to bring a significant improvement over the base PS5, but not a massive one like the 10x RT performance improvement mentioned in AMD's leaked documents.
The lack of customization on the GPU side of the system, however, won't prevent Xbox Project Helix from running the AMD FSR Diamond family of upscaling, denoising, and frame generation transformer models built for RDNA 5, KeplerL2 highlighted.
While this is something that won't matter much to the general user, Xbox Project Helix doing away with any GPU customization feels like the end of an era alongside the unlikely return to console exclusives with the excellent sales of games such as Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5. In the past, every console featured customized hardware to some degree, which helped each system stand out from the competition.
However, with the console looking increasingly poised to target the PC market, it definitely feels like this hardware choice will make it easier than ever for developers to port games to the system, if ports are actually required, while foregoing one of the things that makes a console one. Last month, a reliable leaker said the system is basically a PC that emulates the console experience and, as such, it would have little need for custom hardware.
With the "not-E3" season coming up and the system reportedly still targeting a late 2027 release window, there's a chance Microsoft will talk more about Xbox Project Helix in the coming months. Hopefully, we will also learn at what price the 5x rasterization and 20x ray tracing performance gains over the Xbox Series X will come, and if a major Xbox Game Pass overhaul with better flexibility will accompany the system's launch.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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