Project Helix Needs to Make Xbox Feel Like Xbox


We currently don’t know much about Xbox’s next gaming system, Project Helix, outside of the fact that it will be a hybrid device that natively runs both Xbox games and PC games. It’s a strange concept to grasp, but Microsoft has already given us glimpses of what this future could look like through “Xbox Play Anywhere” and “Xbox Mode” on PC.

Having gamed on a base ROG Xbox Ally since May, I have seen the benefits of having a unified Xbox and PC ecosystem. More importantly, I’ve started to see how these two initiatives could become the foundation of what Microsoft wants Xbox to become.

Start a game of “Silent Hill f” on your Xbox Series X, sync your game to the cloud, and continue playing on the go either on a laptop or compatible Windows handheld. Depending on the game, the transition from one device to another is so flawless that you feel like you are already playing an Xbox game on your PC, especially on a handheld like the ROG Xbox Ally with its built-in Xbox-like controller.

And then there’s “Xbox Mode”, which is an attempt to create a unified Xbox overlay that combines all your Windows games in one place. Xbox Mode still has a ways to go and doesn’t compare to the look and feel of SteamOS, but it does a good enough job of being the one place for your gaming needs. It serves as the primary launcher for your games. If you own a library of Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, or other games, Xbox Mode acts as a unifier for those libraries. All your installed games will appear as one library.

The games themselves will still require their respective launchers to function. For example, if you installed a game from your Steam library, Steam will need to open in order to launch the game, taking you out of the Xbox Mode experience. As a result, it doesn’t feel as native as launching an Xbox Play Anywhere title, but it still manages to give you the illusion that you are not in Windows.

Which brings me to Windows.

If Microsoft wants Project Helix to be a true gaming hybrid machine, they will need to figure out a way to completely hide the Windows aspect of it from users. They could do something similar to what they already do with the Xbox Series hardware, which is powered by Windows but uses a UI that completely differentiates it from its desktop counterpart. It’s hard to find any hint of Windows when using those machines.

Project Helix needs to look like its own thing and shield the base operating system from gamers. It needs to be more like SteamOS, where desktop mode is an option rather than the foundation of the experience.

Once you open the curtain and expose the operating system, Project Helix will simply feel like another gaming PC. And if that happens, what reason would there be to invest in the Xbox hardware ecosystem instead of buying another Windows gaming handheld or building a gaming PC?

That’s why I think Project Helix needs to remain distinct. It needs an “Xbox Mode” that is unique to the Xbox family of hardware and designed around the Xbox experience. The same Xbox Mode shouldn’t simply be something Microsoft puts on every Windows PC. 

Xbox needs to feel like Xbox, even when it is running PC games.

With memory and storage prices being as high as they are now, it’s hard to believe that the next Xbox is nearing release. But it’s nice to get these glimpses of what Microsoft could be building.

Xbox Play Anywhere has already shown that Xbox games don’t necessarily need to be tied to an Xbox console. Xbox Mode is showing how Windows can be made to feel more like an Xbox. Project Helix could be the point where those two ideas finally come together.

If “Xbox Mode” and “Xbox Play Anywhere” really are the future of Xbox, then maybe Microsoft has something here that could appeal to everyone. Xbox doesn’t necessarily need to be a console anymore. It just needs to make whatever device you are using feel like an Xbox.

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