We’re here at the 2026 Game Developers Conference, where Microsoft “VP of Next Generation” Jason Ronald is talking about a topic near and dear to many gamers’ hearts: the future of Xbox. Ronald says the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will have a custom AMD chip with “an order of magnitude increase in raytracing performance” up to and including path tracing, and a next-gen version of AMD’s FSR upscaling technology that relies on machine learning and includes frame generation — which can improve the perceived smoothness of a game by imagining new frames between existing ones.
Technology
Microsoft’s next Xbox, Project Helix, won’t reach alpha until 2027
But don’t expect that next Xbox soon: Microsoft will begin sending out “alpha versions” of Project Helix to developers in 2027, Ronald revealed here at GDC.
Ronald also confirmed that Xbox and Windows are getting closer together, beyond the fact that Project Helix will play PC games too. “PC is becoming an increasingly important part of Xbox. We’re bringing the best of Xbox to Windows itself,” says Ronald.
Microsoft is bringing the Xbox mode that originally shipped with the Xbox Ally handheld to more Windows computers “to select markets starting in April,” as well as Advanced Shader Delivery, which precompiles shaders so you can download them alongside a game or its updates, instead of having to wait when you launch a title.
Ronald says the Microsoft team’s been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make the Xbox mode “feel distinctly Xbox” and feel the same as you migrate between devices and cloud. He says gamers play 3-5 games at any one time on average, and you should be able to pick up and play whether you’re on console, PC, or cloud.
As we spotted outside the keynote, Microsoft wants game developers to just build once for both Windows and Xbox, instead of building twice for both. It’s creating a unified development environment where “The vast majority of code that your game runs on Xbox is the exact same code that runs on other platforms,” says Ronald.
And while he isn’t promising all games will be this way, Ronald suggests that you won’t have to buy those games multiple times, too: the already-existing Xbox Play Anywhere program lets you buy once and “play on any screen,” he says. The catalog of Xbox Play Anywhere games now has more than 1,500 titles, Ronald says.
As part of the 25th anniversary of Xbox, the the game preservation team will also re-release an unspecified number of older Xbox titles under its Game Preservation program, Ronald says. “As one of the largest publishers in the industry, we feel a deep responsibility to preserve games from the past.” And he hints that “some of our most iconic first-party franchises are returning this year.”
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
The news follows Microsoft’s recent announcement of the codename for its next-generation console, Project Helix, which the company says will play both console and PC games. That announcement about Helix was made by new Xbox boss Asha Sharma, who took over as Microsoft’s gaming CEO in February. Former Xbox boss Phil Spencer is retiring, and former Xbox president Sarah Bond, who had been seen as a potential successor to Spencer, also announced her departure.
Last year, Bond hinted that the next-generation Xbox would be more like a PC and noted that it would be a “a very premium, very high-end curated experience.” In her first memo since taking over Xbox, Sharma promised a “renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console,” and in her post about Helix, Sharma said the console would “lead in performance.” This week, Sharma also posted a picture of the original Xbox prototype, which Microsoft is showing at the GDC Festival of Gaming. We’ve got pictures.
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Asus’s latest gaming monitor is a little smaller than usual. The ROG Strix XG129C, announced on Friday, is a 12.3-inch touchscreen IPS display that’s intended to be a sidekick for a larger main monitor, similar to the 14.1-inch secondary display in the 2020 Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. It’s a slightly smaller competitor to Corsair’s Xeneon Edge, which has a 14.5-inch display, but the same 720p resolution.
Asus says the XG129C covers 125 percent of the sRGB color gamut and 90 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It also comes with a one-year subscription for the hardware monitoring tool AIDA64 Extreme, which would usually cost $65. Besides acting as a performance monitor for your PC, sidekick displays like this can also be handy as an extension for streaming or editing setups, much like Elgato’s Stream Deck.
Along with the little XG129C, Asus also announced the ROG Strix OLED XG34WCDMS, a 34-inch RGB Tandem QD-OLED gaming monitor. It features a 280Hz refresh rate and a 3440 x 1440p resolution, and, according to Asus, covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Asus has not yet officially announced pricing for either display.
Disneyland officials said they are always evaluating regulations and procedures to find ways to enhance the guest experience. (Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register/Getty Images)
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Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.
IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
— Disney CEO unveils entertainment giant’s new 3-pillar growth plan
— Warning about AI-driven bank account hacks
— Inside China’s AI ‘wolf pack’ drones built with Taiwan conflict in mind
CUSTOMER FOCUS: Disney CEO unveils entertainment giant’s new 3-pillar growth plan – New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro outlined a new growth strategy for the entertainment giant as the company announced its quarterly results, which includes a focus on investing in content as well as technology.
TECH CHECK: Trump admin to review AI models from Google, Microsoft, xAI ahead of public release – The Trump administration is preparing to review new artificial intelligence models from major tech companies like Google, Microsoft and xAI ahead of their public releases to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.
EVOLVING THREAT: Treasury Secretary Bessent warns Americans about AI-driven bank account hacks as threats rapidly evolve – Treasury Secretary Bessent is warning Americans about the growing danger of artificial intelligence-driven bank account hacks.
‘GOLDILOCKS’: IBM CEO Arvind Krishna warns Washington must find middle ground on AI regulation – IBM CEO Arvind Krishna is issuing a strong warning to Washington lawmakers, arguing that they must find a “Goldilocks” middle ground regarding artificial intelligence regulation to carefully balance industry innovation with consumer safety.
MACHINE WARFARE: Inside China’s AI ‘wolf pack’ drones built with Taiwan conflict in mind – China is developing AI-enabled robotic “wolf packs” designed to scout, supply and potentially support combat operations alongside troops in a future war — including a possible invasion of Taiwan — according to a new report.
FDD report warns China is preparing to reimagine warfare with its ‘robot wolf.’ (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
HIDDEN RISKS: AI exposes US military supply chain tied to China – Fox Business media coverage highlights a concerning new analysis showing how artificial intelligence has exposed major hidden risks and critical vulnerabilities within the United States military supply chain that are directly tied to China.
RED LINE: China blocks Meta AI deal over security concerns – China blocked a major artificial intelligence deal involving tech giant Meta, with the government citing ongoing national security concerns over the advanced technology integration.
‘ART’IFICIAL IDEAS: How AI exposure is reshaping jobs in creative fields – Fox Business explores the significant workplace shifts currently underway in the technology sector, detailing exactly how growing artificial intelligence exposure is fundamentally reshaping roles and expectations across various creative fields.
JUST LIKE US: Former LSU coach Brian Kelly uses AI to prepare for job interviews – Former LSU football coach Brian Kelly is reportedly using artificial intelligence to help prepare for upcoming job interviews, proving he faces the same modern challenges as the rest of the workforce.
DIGITAL DEXTERITY: New AI ‘brain’ lets robots move like humans – Engineers and researchers have successfully developed a groundbreaking new artificial intelligence “brain” that allows advanced robots to move, learn and navigate their environments much more seamlessly like actual humans.
Genesis AI says its robotic hand can learn from human motion data to complete detailed, multistep tasks such as cooking an omelet. (Genesis AI)
FINANCIAL PROPOSITION: Bay Area banker wants to swap his $8M estate for AI company stock – A Bay Area banker wants to swap his luxurious $8 million real estate property entirely for valuable stock in a booming artificial intelligence company.
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After quickly selling out of the Steam Controller on May 4th, Valve has launched a reservation system to ensure that you can get one without too much hassle. You may not get one as quickly as you’d like to, but at least you can now easily reserve the $99 controller.
If your Steam account is in good standing, and you’ve purchased something on the account before April 27th of this year, you’ll be able to reserve one. Essentially, this will hold your place in line for future restocks. Once a controller is available for you, you’ll get an email prompting you to purchase. You’ll have 72 hours to purchase your Steam Controller before it gets offered to the next person in the queue.
Ahead of its launch, Valve told The Verge that it had significant supply ready for its debut, but it didn’t know exactly how much demand there would be for the controller. Clearly, there wasn’t enough stock to meet demand. But at least now you’re able to join the line to get one instead of hoping you’ll be among the first to buy from a restock.
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