Xbox Project Helix announced, "next generation console" will "play your Xbox and PC games," Microsoft says

Prepare for Xbox Project Helix, Microsoft’s codename for its next-gen console.

Newly appointed Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has just teased her first project as former Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s controversial heir, and it’s a big one.

Sharma writes in a March 5 Twitter announcement that Xbox Project Helix is the “next generation console” among a number of examples displaying Microsoft’s “commitment to the return of Xbox.”

“Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games,” Sharma says, confirming reports of a hybrid machine. “Looking forward to chatting about this more with partners and studios at my first GDC next week!”

When Spencer announced his retirement from Microsoft after almost 40 years with the company in February, Sharma emphasized in her own statement posted to the Microsoft website that her “first job is simple: understand what makes this work and protect it.” Sharma is likely acknowledging her lack of experience in the games industry here – she most recently directed Microsoft’s CoreAI product. But her comment on protection might also suggest that the supposed “return of Xbox” Sharma refers to today emphasizes the importance of an Xbox console. That would certainly be a return to Xbox’s olden days – and a big difference to Microsoft’s current strategy of shirking exclusives.

Or, maybe not, considering the fact that Sharma highlights Helix’s ability to run PC games – an obvious continuation of that “Play Anywhere,” contemporary Xbox strategy.

Neither Sharma nor Xbox itself has provided concrete details on what Project Helix may involve, so we can only speculate on the upcoming console.