Xbox CEO Asha Sharma outlines the main guiding principles that Project Helix's development team are following to ensure the next-gen Xbox console can be released without breaking the bank--or compromising on gameplay quality.
Microsoft is currently developing its next-gen Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, which is believed to meld the worlds of PC and console gaming together. Reports indicate that Helix could play both Windows PC and Xbox console games in one device, and Microsoft's recent disc-to-digital program sets up user game libraries for the leap forward to this all-digital future.
There's just one glaring problem: Now is a bad time to release gaming hardware due to RAM and storage costs (the Xbox Ally X20 OLED's $1300 price seems to underline this point). Xbox CEO Asha Sharma hasn't shied away from this truth, openly declaring some sobering figures to illustrate the current market's position. So how will Xbox get over that hurdle while making Helix?
In a recent interview with the BBC, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma gave some clues, offering what could be even more hints at OEMs like ASUS getting involved with Helix.
"As an industry, we're in the middle of [the] RAMocalypse," Sharma told the BBC.
"All of the industry needs to start to innovate on affordability and efficiency. That is something that we have not had to do [before].
"But with the crisis that's currently happening in hardware and components, it is absolutely something all of us need to be thinking about, and innovating on, and giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console."
Microsoft has indeed made strides in purchasing options for Xbox hardware, offering more pay-as-you-go payment systems to help ease the rising costs of the hardware itself. Xbox's triumphant 25th anniversary has turned into a premium affair due to these rising costs, with the special edition X25 Xbox Series X costing an inflated $900 due to the RAMpocalypse.
As far as efficiency, Xbox is also doubling-down on AI tools and features with Helix. Recent GDC talks revealed bits and pieces about what's next with Helix, offering a glimpse at the kinds of integrated features that will better unify the worlds of PC and console gaming.
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