This is a summary of my Xbox Developer Summit keynote addressdelivered March 11 at the 2026 Game Developer Conference
Summary
- Our team is deep in development on our next generation Xbox consoleProject Helix. We are pushing the boundaries of rendering and simulation in partnership with AMDusing FSR Next to power what comes next.
- Starting in AprilXbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows in select markets. It brings a familiar Xbox experience to players while keeping the flexibility and openness of Windows.
- For developersthe Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now spans more than 1,500 gamescreating a powerful opportunity to reach players seamlessly across console and Windows.
The charactersworldsand stories from developers from across the world have shaped every stage of Xbox’s evolutionwhat’s possible and where we go next. As we celebrate 25 years of Xbox this yearI want to give a special thank you to the developerspast and presentwho have helped define Xbox’s legacyincluding the more than 5,000 developers around the world currently building for Xbox.
We’re continuing to push innovation for our next 25 years with our team hard at work on our next-generation first-party console: Project Helix is designed to play your Xbox console and PC gamesdelivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation of console gaming.
As part of our multi-year partnership with AMDwe are shaping the future of rendering and simulation. Project Helix is powered by a custom AMD SoC and co-designed for the next generation of DirectX and FSR to unlock what comes next.
It delivers an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capabilityintegrates intelligence directly into the graphics and compute pipelineand drives meaningful gains in efficiencyscaleand visual ambition. The result is more realisticimmersiveand dynamic worlds for players.
I’m excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027.
Andwe’re committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come. As part of our 25th anniversary later this yearwe’ll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.
As games increasingly span deviceswe’re breaking down the barriers between console and PC games for more seamless cross-device playand we’re making the Xbox experience consistent across screens. This also gives developers a simplermore unified path to reach more players while helping reduce development costs.
We’re taking everything we’ve learned about building a leading gaming OS and bringing it directly into Windows for both players and developers. After debuting an early version with the ROG Xbox Ally handheldstoday I’m excited to share that we are bringing the same innovation to Windows 11 with Xbox mode that begins rolling out in Aprilstarting with select markets. Xbox mode lets players seamlessly switch between productivity and playwith a familiar full screen and controller optimized Xbox experience while embracing the openness of Windows.
Xbox has an incredible lineup of game releases this yearfrom the return of iconic first-party franchises like Halo and Gears of Warto major titles from our partners across the globealongside bold creativity from independent developers like Beethoven & Dinosaur’s Mixtapeor Crimson Desert from Pearl Abyss.
Players should be able to play these games and more across deviceswhether through purchasessubscriptions like Xbox Game Passor from other leading storefronts. Xbox Play Anywhere allows your games to move with you seamlessly across screens. Your progress carries forwardthe time you’ve invested stays with youand you only need to buy a game once. The Xbox Play Anywhere game catalog has grown to over 1,500 gamesand 500 development teams have already shipped games with Xbox Play Anywhere.
This is just the start of the next generation and the next 25 years of Xboxand we can’t wait to share more later this year. As we listenlearnand build in partnership with the industry and the communitywe’d like to thank you for being part of the journey and making gaming so unique and enduring.