Could Project Helix be Xbox’s response to the Steam Machine? A prominent leaker suggests that might be the case

Though it saddens me to admit this, we might actually be reaching the end of traditional console generations. People have been speculating about this apocalyptic event for years now, but it might be high time to admit it. Now, new leaked information about Project Helix, Microsoft's next "console," only helps to solidify that idea. Prominent Xbox and Microsoft leaker SnakerSO wrote on the NeoGAF forums that Project Helix will not aim to compete with traditional consoles like the potential PlayStation 6, but will be used to prepare Xbox to exit the hardware market altogether. This is because, as they allege, Project Helix won't behave as a traditional console with its own proprietary platform and standard that devs would adhere to, but rather run on Windows and only "emulate" a console experience. "This is basically a PC that uses the Windows Full Screen Experience (FSE) that we just saw in the Rog Ally X to emulate a console experience," SneakerSO said. "The 'native' Xbox SKU, that had an updated build target that developers were building games for, that's going away, or rather - there's no Xbox Helix build target, it's just a UWP build. You're just shipping a game for the Windows Store," they added. The Steam Machine isn't the only PC-Console hybrid that we're going to see, apparently. Image via Valve That would be a very dramatic move from Xbox, which would essentially forfeit its console market to Sony, which will almost certainly be following up the PlayStation 5 with a new and improved traditional console using proprietary software and hardware. Since the Rog Ally X (the Xbox variant) already helped Microsoft to try and cover some of the mobile space that Valve has dominated since releasing its Steam Deck, it could be that Xbox is targeting the same audience as the forthcoming Steam Machine, itself an upgraded and integrated version of the Deck, meant almost exclusively to run Steam games and to expand Valve's own ecosystem. SneakerSO implied as much since they said that Project Helix is "a set-top box version of the Rog Ally X, only it's been engineered by Microsoft." "[It] will be pretty expensive and is being made for a very niche audience," they added. The Steam Machine itself has been speculated to cost up to $900, and considering the current situation surrounding DRAM prices, it could very well surpass that figure. Of course, Valve stands to operate it at a loss to forward sell its own games and ecosystem, but even then it'd be rather pricy. If what SneakerSO says is true, then we could be looking at a very expensive Project Helix that is far removed from what Microsoft offered through the Series S and X. It'd also further indicate that Microsoft has no plans to even try to compete against Sony, whose position in the console market is stronger than ever. Furthermore, SneakerSO thinks Microsoft is pushing this on purpose, as it'd serve as an excuse to pull out of the hardware manufacturing business entirely. "They know what the forecast for it is, they are under no illusion that this is going to be some Xbox 360 moment," the leaker said. Xbox under Phil Spencer pushed strongly for multiplatformity and subscription-based services, all the while pulling away from first-party exclusivity and console-selling game development. Everything Xbox has put out was simultaneously available on both PC and Xbox, oftentimes also on Steam, arguably a competing platform. This, combined with day-one Game Pass launches, severely damaged sales of several AAA Xbox releases, with one of its latest and biggest games, The Outer Worlds 2, seeing only 18,000 players on Steam on launch day. What exactly Xbox is thinking and what it wants to do in the future seems rather unclear, but if what SneakerSO says becomes reality, then we're in for a very different, very lonely 10th generation of consoles, one that would be dominated by Sony. The post Could Project Helix be Xbox’s response to the Steam Machine? A prominent leaker suggests that might be the case appeared first on Destructoid.

Mar 9, 2026 - 03:25

Though it saddens me to admit this, we might actually be reaching the end of traditional console generations. People have been speculating about this apocalyptic event for years now, but it might be high time to admit it. Now, new leaked information about Project Helix, Microsoft's next "console," only helps to solidify that idea.

Prominent Xbox and Microsoft leaker SnakerSO wrote on the NeoGAF forums that Project Helix will not aim to compete with traditional consoles like the potential PlayStation 6, but will be used to prepare Xbox to exit the hardware market altogether. This is because, as they allege, Project Helix won't behave as a traditional console with its own proprietary platform and standard that devs would adhere to, but rather run on Windows and only "emulate" a console experience.

"This is basically a PC that uses the Windows Full Screen Experience (FSE) that we just saw in the Rog Ally X to emulate a console experience," SneakerSO said.

"The 'native' Xbox SKU, that had an updated build target that developers were building games for, that's going away, or rather - there's no Xbox Helix build target, it's just a UWP build. You're just shipping a game for the Windows Store," they added.

The Steam Machine isn't the only PC-Console hybrid that we're going to see, apparently. Image via Valve That would be a very dramatic move from Xbox, which would essentially forfeit its console market to Sony, which will almost certainly be following up the PlayStation 5 with a new and improved traditional console using proprietary software and hardware.

Since the Rog Ally X (the Xbox variant) already helped Microsoft to try and cover some of the mobile space that Valve has dominated since releasing its Steam Deck, it could be that Xbox is targeting the same audience as the forthcoming Steam Machine, itself an upgraded and integrated version of the Deck, meant almost exclusively to run Steam games and to expand Valve's own ecosystem.

SneakerSO implied as much since they said that Project Helix is "a set-top box version of the Rog Ally X, only it's been engineered by Microsoft."

"[It] will be pretty expensive and is being made for a very niche audience," they added.

The Steam Machine itself has been speculated to cost up to $900, and considering the current situation surrounding DRAM prices, it could very well surpass that figure. Of course, Valve stands to operate it at a loss to forward sell its own games and ecosystem, but even then it'd be rather pricy. If what SneakerSO says is true, then we could be looking at a very expensive Project Helix that is far removed from what Microsoft offered through the Series S and X.

It'd also further indicate that Microsoft has no plans to even try to compete against Sony, whose position in the console market is stronger than ever.

Furthermore, SneakerSO thinks Microsoft is pushing this on purpose, as it'd serve as an excuse to pull out of the hardware manufacturing business entirely. "They know what the forecast for it is, they are under no illusion that this is going to be some Xbox 360 moment," the leaker said.

Xbox under Phil Spencer pushed strongly for multiplatformity and subscription-based services, all the while pulling away from first-party exclusivity and console-selling game development. Everything Xbox has put out was simultaneously available on both PC and Xbox, oftentimes also on Steam, arguably a competing platform.

This, combined with day-one Game Pass launches, severely damaged sales of several AAA Xbox releases, with one of its latest and biggest games, The Outer Worlds 2, seeing only 18,000 players on Steam on launch day.

What exactly Xbox is thinking and what it wants to do in the future seems rather unclear, but if what SneakerSO says becomes reality, then we're in for a very different, very lonely 10th generation of consoles, one that would be dominated by Sony.

The post Could Project Helix be Xbox’s response to the Steam Machine? A prominent leaker suggests that might be the case appeared first on Destructoid.

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