Upcoming ‘Project Helix’ Xbox Will “Play Xbox and PC Games,” But PC VR Support is Unconfirmed

By
Ben Lang
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Microsoft today announced the codename of its next Xbox gaming console: Project Helix. Details are very light, but the company says Project Helix will “play your Xbox and PC games.” Naturally that’s got us curious about whether or not PC VR games could be in the mix, but there’s no word yet.

Xbox’s newly minted CEO Asha Sharma today teased the company’s next-gen Xbox. She confirmed the device is codenamed ‘Project Helix’.

“Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games. Looking forward to chatting about this more with partners and studios at my first GDC next week!” she said on X.

Aside from this brief tease, it seems there’s no other official info being revealed, though we’ve reached out to the company for comment. The line about the company seeking to chat with “partners and studios” suggests this is the first time Project Helix is even being mentioned outside of internal conversations. Rumors suggest the console will launch in 2027.

So we have essentially no details yet on what the company means when it says Project Helix will be able to ‘play PC games’. But the possibility at least exists that this could open the door to compatibility with PC VR games too.

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Granted, PC VR lives almost exclusively within the Steam ecosystem thanks to Valve’s ongoing support for the SteamVR platform. And while it’s technically possible that VR games could run on Project Helix without Steam (thanks to OpenXR), VR on Project Helix would be largely a non-starter if the console can’t somehow access the Steam library, because that’s the only active marketplace for the distribution of PC VR content.

If Project Helix can be ‘fully unlocked’ and operate like any normal Windows PC, there’s no reason to think that Steam and SteamVR content wouldn’t be able to run on the console. But if Microsoft plans to keep the system’s PC support locked down in some way, then practical support for PC VR content is unlikely without the company’s express interest in allowing it.

Microsoft has a storied history when it comes to VR. Not only did the company make a significant attempt at entering the market with its Windows Mixed Reality platform (only to abandon that project after several years), but back in 2016 the company officially said that its upcoming Xbox One X would include support for “high fidelity VR” gaming. By the time the console actually reached the market in 2017, those plans had been scrapped.

While we don’t expect an about-face on VR support from Xbox itself, it will be interesting to see if Project Helix retains full PC capabilities, and thus the ability to run PC VR content.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • PerpetuallySkeptical

    Well it's Microsoft so I'm assuming they will market the product as being VR compatible and then walk that back at the last minute just like they did with the Xbox One X.

  • ApocalypseShadow

    Unless they surprise gamers with something innovative and fresh, there's no point in buying the system which sounds like it'll just be a PC with their name on it. If you already have a PC, Xbox games will be on it. Might as well not waste your money and just buy a PS6. PS6 will play PS5 games guaranteed. And that means PS VR 2 and its games will play on it. So, if you have a PS VR 2, you get more power for future console VR games and BC with PS5 as Mark Cerny said going forward that once BC was built in, it's in as they are no longer using the Cell processor.

    Another thing about PS VR 2 is that it's now compatible with PC. Besides a refresh like wireless, headset owners can use the current wired one for PC VR games. It's already forward compatible. Eye tracking, HDR, headset haptics, innovative controllers with modern haptics, high resolution, etc. It's ready for both console and PC needs.

    Lastly, Xbox games are coming to other platforms. I believe that includes PS6 as game pass has killed game sales on Microsoft's platform and I doubt Nadella wants to lose that money they are making on Sony's system. So, if you have a good PC and are looking for a future console, the next Xbox isn't it in my opinion. If they have no exclusive games, what's the point of the purchase?