Gaming: In The Battle For Our Living Rooms, Xbox Project Helix And The...
Two very different machines, perhaps closer than we initially thought.
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Microsoft is beginning to take the wraps off Project Helix, its newly-teased Xbox console that has been promised to play both Xbox and PC games. While we know very little about the machine for now, new CEO of Microsoft Gaming Asha Sharma says we'll be finding out more at next week's GDC.
Which makes me wonder about the future of the Steam Machine. Valve's own PC gaming living room box has generated a considerable amount of hype since its announcement late last year, and the two now seem closer in goals than might have been initially though.
Assuming I'm comparing apples to apples here, and the new MS machine is a conventional console, not some bizarre extension of Microsoft's "This/Everything is an Xbox" marketing strategy. Could it be a VR headset with jelly controls? Who knows at this point.
Anyway, despite some pricing-related setbacks since its announcement, the Steam Machine is still expected to launch in the first half of 2026.
AMD's recent earnings call made mention of the hardware inside "Microsoft's next-gen Xbox" last month, stating that its semi-custom SOC was "progressing well to support a launch in 2027". So, if schedules remain on track for all involved, the Steam Machine will be available for a considerable amount of time before Microsoft's latest console hits the market.
Being essentially a SteamOS-powered mini PC with a fancy new controller, the Steam Machine has the potential to bring PC gaming to a more console-like, consumer-friendly format far faster than the Xbox machine.
And it'll have Steam's mega back catalogue of games to play with, to boot. What exactly is meant by "play PC games", in regards to the new Xbox, is a very open question at this point. Game Pass games only? Xbox cross-platform games? Or will it be more like the ROG Xbox Ally, with Windows-based agnostic support?
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