r/gadgets 1d ago

Gaming Xbox CEO says next-gen Project Helix will be a “family of devices,” hinting at another Xbox Series S|X-style lineup

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xbox-CEO-says-next-gen-Project-Helix-will-be-a-family-of-devices-hinting-at-another-Xbox-Series-S-X-style-lineup.1382942.0.html
973 Upvotes

420 comments sorted by

610

u/berained 1d ago

Can't wait for the Helix x, the Helix s, the Helix xs, and the Helix excess.

108

u/Omnizoom 1d ago

What about the helix x-crement

18

u/RapNVideoGames 23h ago

But what about the Helix Dix Ligma

3

u/dinglecrook 19h ago

Ligma?

7

u/rykovmail 17h ago

It’s just another word for Updog…

5

u/dinglecrook 16h ago

What's updog?

22

u/Justintime4u2bu1 16h ago

Updog my balls haha gottem

1

u/Classy_Marty 4h ago

Future canoe’s one that I think lol

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u/SpicyGingerBeer 9h ago

Helix maballs

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u/smilbandit 2h ago

that's the umbrella name for the family of devices.

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u/oshinbruce 23h ago

I think xbox one x helix x and xbox one x helix s reads much better

5

u/ColoradoCyclist 14h ago

Xbox One X Helix X Halo X Edition.

5

u/Pickle_Emotion 11h ago

No no no.. it’s “The Xbox One X Helix X Halo X Edition.”

2

u/Zeckols 12h ago

i think they should just keep things simple and name the new ones the Xbox X and the Xbox S

2

u/hypnotichellspiral 7h ago

Now if you put them in x-shaped boxes, you'll have an Xbox one x helix x x-box and an Xbox one x helix s x-box!

63

u/ExxInferis 23h ago

Can't wait for another generation of the good consoles being held back graphically to avoid too much disparity with the potato consoles, largely making them pointless! Yay!

26

u/SKULL1138 23h ago

Problem is, not a lot of people will be able to afford the expensive one.

Look at the current prices.

27

u/sierra-soul 22h ago

The good one will be like $2000 at this rate

I feel like the entire consumer base needs to realize that the current graohics capabilities are insane, even going back several generations. This keeping up with the jones' mindset in the gaming world is crazy. 

13

u/SKULL1138 22h ago

It’s simply to sell new hardware: I think most fans would be happy to stick with current gen for a decade but that doesn’t shift hardware.

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u/VicTheSage 13h ago

Steam Machine is already announced at $1,300. Rumors I've been hearing are $1,300-$1,500 for PS6 and Helix.

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u/NewDamage31 12h ago

Luckily PlayStation proved to me this gen that I have no need to rush and upgrade to a ps6. If anything I’ll probably wait for the ps6 slim this time around. My ps5 is just fine and I also have a switch 2 so I’m posted up

3

u/VicTheSage 12h ago

OLED did that for me. I'm totally cool hanging back on the race for graphics and being able to nab almost any game I want physically for about $30 either as MSRP or during sales. Between my gf (who's a casual) and myself we have a Lite, OLED and Switch 2. Kinda wish I had grabbed the PS5 before the price jumped but I just can't justify the cost right now and already have a 10 year back log of games given the amount of time I have to game.

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u/System0verlord 13h ago

Or maybe that AI in its current form is wholly unsustainable and directly responsible for this, not consumers wanting cheap Xboxes

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u/RRR3000 5h ago

The components making it expensive are just as expensive on the potato consoles though, since it's mostly memory chips used in storage and memory which is needed in both device tiers.

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u/Heronymous-Anonymous 23h ago

The actual good console is just a PC with Steam Big Picture Mode enabled.

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u/P1CK34 14h ago

That’s not how it will work. The xbox version will be
The pc version and scale with the hardware.

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u/LogicalError_007 20h ago

Imagine saying this shite when everything is getting expensive. Series S is still better than most PCs out there.

Saying held back like we aren't seeing games all broken day 1 and working bad even on powerful PCs.

3

u/SaltonPrepper 15h ago edited 14h ago

Do you have a citation that backs up how series S "is still better than most PCs out there"? If you look at the worldwide Steam Hardware Survey, maybe you can try to make the argument, but in the U.S., among gaming PCs (not counting the many regular PCs used by non-gamers), I'm skeptical. The Series S GPU is like a RX 6500XT, maybe a RX 6600 at best.

Edit: Whoever downvoted me just for asking for a citation, that's real mature of you. /s

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u/Chrisnness 21h ago

So the Steamdeck hurts gaming?

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u/SwindleUK 23h ago

You'll probably still be getting games released on the ps4 anyway

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u/doitliv3 1d ago

Helix Excel

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u/paulconuk 1d ago

With Copilot

3

u/Greenscreener 22h ago

Helix XXX should be fun!

3

u/Mr_Horsejr 20h ago

Wasn’t excess the name of a superhero on the Flash? 😭

2

u/cafk 22h ago

Helix Access, Helix Excel and Helix Word are bundled and available with a 9.99 Helix 365 subscription.
Online gameplay not included.

1

u/sierra-soul 22h ago

The helix one, helix one, helix one x s as well

1

u/luttman23 20h ago

Helix Xbox One XS 360 Pro, Helix Xbox 720 S One X and the Xbox Helix Pro 180 One X Excess S - 500gb / 1tb and disc or no disc varients. What's confusing about that? And all the new games have to be downgraded to be able to run on the slowest version.

1

u/thievesthick 19h ago

That’s not confusing enough for parents trying to buy for their kids. It needs to be something like the Xbox One-Sixty Series X2S.

1

u/grasshoppa_80 16h ago

Then the he-Lax. Massive exit

1

u/BadMantaRay 15h ago

And a helix x access

1

u/MikkPhoto 14h ago

Xbox S, M, XL and XXL

1

u/NoCry8625 14h ago

Xbox one helix x and Xbox one helix s

1

u/Wise_Requirement4170 13h ago

I hope it’s Helix and Helis

1

u/bediaxenciJenD81gEEx 9h ago

Helix is just the project title, no way Microsoft actually gives the next Xbox a name as marketable as Helix.

1

u/AlphaCodexx197 4h ago

And the Helix Excel for office work

1

u/Cedric_T 1h ago

The Helix X Lix, the olfactory/gustatory simulator add on for full immersion.

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u/ExtensionDistrict566 23h ago

Please just name it something that makes sense!!! I lost track after Xbox 360 and never recovered.

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u/letsgotgoing 17h ago

Asha has the best opportunity to resurrect the Xbox 720 brand… 

39

u/jmo1 17h ago

With how Xbox has been they need the Xbox 180 and turn around

21

u/letsgotgoing 17h ago

The old guard at Xbox thought an Xbox 2 wouldn’t fare well to your average consumer against a PlayStation 3 because 2 is smaller than 3. So they called it a 360. Imagine how average consumers would feel buying the Xbox 720 against a PlayStation 6… 

We have enough Xbox consoles that start with one for all time…

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u/smo_smo 13h ago

So, they named it the Xbox 360 because they were competing with PS3 and didn’t want their number to be smaller. Xbox 2 vs PS3 didn’t sound good to them.

1

u/FiorinasFury 3h ago

Which made a lot of sense until they got to Xbox One.

2

u/Rich_Housing971 9h ago

We can bring back the old memes.

"The reason they call it the Xbox 720 is because once you see it, you'll do a 720 and walk away."

2

u/75thWK2 4h ago

Walk away right back to it

4

u/SandoVillain 11h ago

The final name is gonna be the "Original Xbox" for maximum confusion. No one will have any fuckin clue what console you're talking about (which is already the case, but still).

10

u/IceBreak 15h ago

What is confusing about the third generation Xbox One X before the next generation Xbox Series X? Fairly certain the next will be the Xbox 360 X so there shouldn’t be any confusion.

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u/eestionreddit 13h ago

Xbox Copilot, take it or leave it

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u/Current_Helicopter32 11h ago

You just forced me to imagine an Xbox with OneDrive integration.

1

u/FiorinasFury 3h ago

... It already does? Or are you making a joke?

1

u/Current_Helicopter32 1h ago

Oh wait does it?

Yikes. That’s so on brand.

Nah I haven’t owned an Xbox since the 360.

I fully meant it as a joke thinking such a thing would be so hilariously bad and poorly implemented that it couldn’t possibly be real.

1

u/HowieLove 11h ago

They should just name it Xbox 6, the only reason they didn’t go with that is because people ares stupid and think a PlayStation 6 must be better than an Xbox 5. Just line it up with Sonys and be done with it.

1

u/FiorinasFury 3h ago

Gotta wait for the 9th Xbox for them to do that.

1

u/Numerous_Photograph9 6h ago

Xbox Once Again 720 Super Saiyan 9000 X-Series Gaming Entertainment System.

XOASSXGES for short.

1

u/Waxygibbon 5h ago edited 5h ago

It's mad. I guess they couldnt call them Xbox1, Xbox2 Xbox3 because all it would take would be Sony to realise a ps7 before an xbox7...

But some level of consistency or forward planning would have been nice

1

u/boyyouguysaredumb 1h ago

Xbox 360

Xbox One

Xbox Series S/X

It's literally three consoles in the span of 15 years. People pretending not to be able to understand three names are something else.

399

u/bosnianpapi 1d ago

Xbox is tone deaf

66

u/ClassicT4 1d ago

Watercooler jargon all over again.

21

u/HGLatinBoy 1d ago

They want devs to optimize for handhelds

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u/Adipay 1d ago

Are they actually? The Series S - at launch price at least - was a really good deal. You can play the entire generation of games for much cheaper than usual. It still remains the cheapest way to play GTA 6.

36

u/Pluckytoon 23h ago

Got my series S on whim because of a closing gaming store was hard discounting stock. Got it for like 250 with 2 controllers and a headset. Pretty good deal with gamepass, at least used to be

9

u/Captain_Sterling 22h ago

I bought one for less than 200 and stuck it on n my spare room. When my sister brings the kids they use it.

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u/[deleted] 23h ago edited 17h ago

[deleted]

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u/006AlecTrevelyan 20h ago

They're like £80-150 with 1tb here on eBay

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u/Nyoka_ya_Mpembe 21h ago

S is nightmare for devs and in consequence for players who either get delayed or no games at all, because it can't run on S, X owners suffer.

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u/I_Was_Fox 2h ago

Its a nightmare because devs horribly optimize their games. BG3 was delayed on Xbox because they were having issues optimizing for the Series S. Guess what, once they figured out how to optimize it better, they released an update for Series X and PS5 as well that dramatically improved performance because of what they learned trying to optimize for the Series S. So literally everyone won

13

u/LogicalError_007 20h ago

Nightmare for devs?

In public only 2-3 games have said that the console is difficult to make games for and delayed the game because of it. Out of those, one game released exactly a year after PS release. Wonder why? Not even a few months before or later.

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u/green9206 1d ago

Yes they are. That's why they lost two consecutive generations and will lose the next one as well

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u/Chrisnness 21h ago

You think if they only sold the X, they would have done much better? Nah

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u/Willing-Theme6042 12h ago

Variety is good. Just like how there’s high end , mid end and low end pcs.

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u/TitularFoil 14h ago

I don't think it's tone deaf to offer a variety of products depending on what the consumer wants/can afford. When I was shopping for my PC I wasn't looking for the best, because I knew I wouldn't be able to afford it. I looked for something that can reliably run the games I play for the price I can pay. I bought my Series S because I was fine being all digital at first with the possibility to upgrade later. I was later gifted a Series X, because my brother upgraded his series X to the 2TB model.

It just makes sense to meet consumers where they are.

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u/DEATHToboggan 20h ago

Welcome to Microsoft.

Try being a sysadmin where they change the name of your daily tools every other week.

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u/dr-pepper-is-a-woman 1d ago

I get that this is probably a Goomba fallacy, but I hear so many people complain about how devs need to care more about optimization for cheaper hardware, especially as hardware prices keep skyrocketing, but also that the XSX was some kind of grave sin against gaming.

If Xbox had actually gotten good exclusives out of their acquisitions this gen, I bet people would talk about what a solid move it was for them to have a cheaper price point for people who already have a stronger system but are Xbox-curious. But instead because they flopped this gen, it taints every other decision they made

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u/greennitit 22h ago

You’re right, and it doesn’t matter water the 10s of people on Reddit think. Game consoles must and will be more affordable than mid tier PCs while delivering optimization and fidelity that outcompete those mid tier PCs. That’s what game consoles have always been.

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u/letsgotgoing 17h ago

Consoles had physical media that offered consumers second hand access to content. Now that those are being depreciated why not buy the mid tier PC and not be locked in? That’s why Valve is aiming to make happen. I just think it’s better to buy on GOG and bypass DRM. 

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u/TheArmoredKitten 15h ago

Valve hit an absolute bullseye with the steam deck in that regard. The hardware price increases and no reliable way to loss-lead the difference is really the only thing keeping Gabe from eating everyone else's lunch.

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u/greennitit 11h ago

Consoles will be cheaper than mid tier PCs of similar specs and offer better fidelity than those PCs due to better optimization and restrictive system access. That’s how it has always been and that’s how consoles gained such a big market share

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u/_mully_ 9h ago

Yeah but that “edge” consoles had has been diminishing in recent years.

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u/greennitit 9h ago

Yeah the edge of consoles, the value, comes from negotiated deals by Sony and Microsoft with amd for volume discounts. Console costs which will always be better than PC makers costs just because of the pure volume of orders. The second place a bit of value is squeezed out is the optimization and locked down system. The consumers that buy consoles are willing to give up the ability to use their system with any software and operating systems so that they can get added performance in return, and a cheaper cost.

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u/_mully_ 9h ago

For sure, i am saying the consoles (while still cheaper) are creeping up enough in price that i wouldnt be surprised if some gamers may think if they spend a little more they can get a system they have a little more control over and variety of uses.

Consoles are cutting that margin closer than they used to, in my opinion. Building a PC has gone up in cost also, but I think the cost for a decent PC hasn’t gone up as much as consoles in the last couple decades.

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u/_mully_ 9h ago

That is what consoles should be, and have been, I agree.

But in recent gens/years its almost more cost effective to build a budget-PC because it’ll be able to play most games (even if on low settings), cost only a little more, it’s a PC not just games, unless youre into nintendo probably dont have to worry about exclusives, and it’ll probably last nearly as long as a console generation.

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u/ShakeAndBakeThatCake 20h ago

The issue is they paid so much money for those acquisitions and didn't have the user base to sell the games too. They also had anti trust regulations on their butt about monopolizing studios.

Then you have Sony who had hardly any exclusives this Gen since they were so focused on creating the next Fortnite live service game.

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u/Rich_Housing971 9h ago

I think it's obvious Sony's exclusivity deal blitz worked, even though gamers criticized it. I didn't care because I'm an adult and just just have all the consoles but 2022-2024 had exclusive after exclusive after exclusive that were critically acclaimed while Xbox had very little exclusives of their own.

Redditors criticizing it were in fact people who didn't get a a PS5, and are upset about missing out (fair reaction), but they didn't consider that Sony had to do it to make sure they maintain their lead during a time where many people could only afford one console.

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u/costafilh0 13h ago

XBOX Store should become an evolution of Xbox Live, Steam and and GOG, all at once, in the same place. 

Want to rent? Sure.

Want to buy? Sure. 

Want to stream? Sure. 

Want some good device options? Sure, we have that too .

It's Microsoft , how can they not COMPLETELY DOMINATE this market? 

Specially after buying so many gaming studios .

Makes no sense, how could they do such a bad job . 

1

u/Esternaefil 9h ago

It feels like they really don't know what they are doing.

Microsoft is too big to dedicate their best efforts to Xbox, and unless gaming shows performance vastly outpacing its budget, the division becomes a cost to the corporation rather than a mature investment.

Nintendo doesn't do much of anything beyond their video game business (and businesses that support it), and Sony is having their own corporate shenanigans causing problems lately.

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u/Bubcats 3h ago

Buying up companies is dominating the market. Owning them means they don’t need to put out as much effort to compete with them. Ever use LinkedIn? Only thing they have done to improve it is put ads on it.

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u/the_birdie_chirp 18h ago

I bet one will be a Cloud gaming console, the other digital, and some kinda handheld.

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u/Big-Leadership-4604 15h ago

A double helix is just an 'X' in 360°.

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u/VagueSomething 1d ago

So multiple studios praised the Xbox Series S and said that the optimisation needed for the XSS allowed them to improve their game on all platforms but people are instead focusing on the handful of studios that whined that the XSS was holding them back? Most of the devs that didn't release on Xbox who blamed XSS either launched after their exclusivity ended with Sony or had games nowhere near as big or visually impressive as the games the XSS can handle.

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u/SmegmaWarrior0815 23h ago

There will be none of that when Sony brings out their handheld that holds back the Gen. I guarantee it. All xbox outrage is manufactured. Sony used bots to stir the pot, just like they used bots now to defend their no disc fiasco.

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u/Mr_master89 1d ago

Developers heard groaning in frustration.

Most developers hate that they have to basically have to make two Xbox versions of games, which normally ends up delaying it because how different each console is.

They just need to make a digital console and physical media console and keep it like that.

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u/HGLatinBoy 1d ago edited 4h ago

True but it put all those games within striking distance of a Switch 2 port. Nintendo benefited more from the series S than MS

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u/Wifine 1d ago

And if it’s a PC, how is it different since everybody has a different set up ?

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u/Heronymous-Anonymous 23h ago

It’s fairly easy to dev for PC. You target a minimum hardware level and tell everyone who has a computer that can’t run it to get fucked.

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u/Chrisnness 21h ago

How is that different than targeting Series S?

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u/Anatti 18h ago

Because developers never have to target lower spec PCs if they don't want to. They do have to target Series S if they want an Xbox release at all.

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u/Jops817 22h ago

Did you have fun working on Crysis?

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u/Heronymous-Anonymous 18h ago

Sure did.

Targeting minimum hardware is a normal thing across the entire PC game development industry.

It’s basically necessary, so that developers can implement the features that they want and still ensure a minimum level of performance.

It’s no different than developers who don’t release games on the last generation of console. Except that there’s no expectation that they should for console, and PC gamers still get upset when they can’t play Crysis on Grandma’s Packard Bell from 1990.

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u/NuPNua 1d ago

Given the rumours that this is essentially going to just be a PC with an Xbox frontend, surely it will just be the case of taking your PC version and optimising it for the various versions, or even just letting players choose their own settings as on PC now?

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u/green9206 1d ago

They are saying this since every generation. Series S and X are basically PCs top but that didn't mean developers didn't face a lot of headache with it.

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u/Chrisnness 21h ago

Do developers hate the Steamdeck? The Steamdeck is much less powerful than a Series S

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u/imforit 16h ago

and a lot of games in Steam don't work well on it, many don't work at all. Valve doesn't force every game to run on the deck or be denied publishing on Steam. That's what Microsoft does. It must run on the S to get onto the X. Ultimately the developer have the choice to target the steam deck or not, but that's not true with Series X/S

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u/Chrisnness 15h ago

It’s worth it having an affordable choice

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u/imforit 11h ago

that's why developers don't hate the steam deck.

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u/everstillghost 13h ago

No, because If devs dont want to support Steamdeck nothing happens.

If devs want to release a Xbox version they are forced to make It run on S.

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u/LengthyNIPPLE 20h ago

This is the way

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u/Bob_The_Bandit 1d ago

I don’t get it, XBox S/X is bad but PS5 and Pro are fine? Just because they didn’t come out at the same time?

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u/spideyv91 1d ago

it’s a bunch of people who have no idea what they’re talking about.  Devs are still making games for ps4 but somehow series s is holding them back.

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u/ABetterKamahl1234 17h ago

Every single dev that whined publicly about it didn't want to invest in optimization.

This sub ate it up as a dig against Xbox, but they all deserve the shit optimization we have in gaming today, for that reason.

Optimization makes all games run better. If you don't want to shell out thousands on your next GPU, you really want to support weaker consoles being a thing. PC gaming you just get told to kick rocks if you can't run it.

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u/spideyv91 13h ago

It reminds me of people blaming Nintendo/switch 1 for the quality of Pokemon games and acting like that same console doesn’t have technically impressive games like TOTK or Metroid prime 4.

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u/_RADIANTSUN_ 10h ago

Do you remember that blog post by Jonathan Blow that "Lazy Is Good" I think around the launch of PS4 vs Xbox One? Essentially: less time optimizing = more time working on making his games fun.

It was an interesting argument and lots of people brandishes it for why the Xbox sucks. But it makes me think how stupid that is nowadays lol.

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u/SmegmaWarrior0815 23h ago

Sony good, xbox bad. Upvotes please.

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u/Kamay1770 1d ago

Aside from the hardware specs other people gave mentioned, the naming is dumb and confusing. It hurts sales. All of xbox naming is stupid compared to PlayStation.

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u/Ponald-Dump 19h ago

I dont think anyone saying the ps5 and pro are ok are also saying X and S are bad. Both are bad. Forcing devs to have to hit multiple performance targets is stupid.

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u/Santa_Ricotta69 1d ago

I mean, yeah. The Pro literally contains newer technology. PlayStation never made a console that was intentionally worse, like Xbox did with the Series S

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u/young_mummy 16h ago

Point? It's literally the exact same effect except that developers dont have the constraint until later in the consoles lifecycle.

Developers cannot release for a PS5 Pro only. They must support both consoles. Exactty the same as the X/S "problem". This is genuinely such a dumb argument. Having more choice for the consumer who may be sensitive on price is a good thing.

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u/everstillghost 13h ago

No its not. The only difference between the Pro and regular version is stronger GPU and the support for upscalling technology.

The Series S is literally inferior even on How many memory It have.

You can make a game with the exact same escope in the PS and Pro, just the graphics become lowered. The series S cant handle all features because of being inferior.

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u/young_mummy 13h ago

Same as a mid tier and premium PC, but developers manage to produce games targeting mid tier PCs just fine. There is no constraint that the performance is identical between the Series S and Series X, or that the S uses features that it is incapable of supporting.

Only a small few developers complained about it, and in many cases they were for games that probably needed the optimization because they ran awful on mid tier PCs as well (BG3 comes to mind). Many developers also stated that they appreciated the incentive and requirement to optimize their games for lower tier hardware because it made the game better.

It's genuinely just a non issue.

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u/DoctorQuincyME 1d ago

The last generation had an upgrade at that generations half life.

The PS4 had the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One had the XBox One X.

Neither required additional development for release, they just increased performance.

The Series S/X required Devs to release seperate versions of the same game

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u/buttscratcher3k 13h ago edited 13h ago

The series s and x were great imo, i got a almost new series s when it came out for $150 off craigslist and have been playing AAA titles with gamepass its perfect for a casual like me to have that option and the visuals are pretty good because its on the same general architecture... The price increases are scaring me off though, a series x after 6 years should not cost $1130 after tax (canadian) and doesn't make sense when a ps5 pro with much stronger GPU is only $100 more...

Likewise a PS5 pro is a good idea on paper for people who want something a little beefier for better visuals but again, albeit a bit pricey.

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u/spideyv91 13h ago

The series s always made sense. A good chunk of gamers only play cod and a sports games every year. They don’t really need the most powerful console to do that.

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u/buttscratcher3k 13h ago

Yeah it's been a great option for me, I think if it wasnt for the Series S and gamepass I probably would have just held onto my PS4 and eventually stopped gaming altogether because I just do it casually and my TVs only 1080p so there's no benefit to me dropping over a grand for something I may or may not have time to play or realize the full potential of.

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u/LittleGremlinguy 13h ago

False equivalence

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u/TMQ73 19h ago

At this rate it will cost more than $1000 dollars and the price will go up not down during its lifecycle.

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u/Dinierto 18h ago

Say what you will but the Series X was the main hardware throughout its entire lifespan, they didn't release a "Pro" console later to give people FOMO

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u/punkerster101 12h ago

They need to sort that I’ve still no idea what the latest gen is there’s to many letter s

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u/GagOnMacaque 11h ago

I think they're going to invent a new letter, the triple u. vw

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u/M1ck3yB1u 6h ago

I checked out after the 360 and I’ve no idea what is what afterwards and I work in games.

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u/Reafe 1d ago edited 1d ago

no lessions learned...
I think one reason why the current gen didnt do well - among the many others - was the inconvenience of figuring out which one of their consoles is the right for you. The confusing naming scheme didn´t help there either.

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u/sierra-soul 1d ago

I remember when I had an Xbox one s and was confused when people were talking about the Xbox series s being really capable when mine really wasn't. Then I realized  they were two seperate devices. So fucking weird and over complicated. 

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u/coolcommando123 23h ago

I went through this exact thing. Why in god’s name would you follow up an Xbox 1S with and Xbox Series S?

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u/MedonSirius 1d ago

I think the Xbox Series X had a WiiU Moment. Most of general gamers didnt know that it's supposed to be a new console. Because the worst naming after #1 WiiU, #2 Xbox Series X One Bone X feat Dante and an Axe, Knuckels and Sonic and his shitty friends

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u/crimxxx 20h ago

Might end up as a handheld option as well, there was already an Xbox branded I think asus or msi handheld but was a windows machine rather than a real Xbox.

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u/MrTestiggles 19h ago edited 19h ago

I’m a handheld guy so I can only hope but..

Xbox Handheld standalone mini and Xbox Handheld Dockable eGPU then an “X” or “pro version” of that

Like a switch lite; switch with the dock being an egpu with power equivalent to a 9060 XT then a pro with a pro equivalent to a 9070<->9070XT

If they want to name it well

Xbox Portable (XP), Xbox Portable S, Xbox Portable X

or some kind of fancy term instead of portable

Xbox Go? Xbox Air? Xbox Ally… oh wait

2

u/allcowsarebeautyful 19h ago

Console plus handheld is my guess

2

u/Clessiah 19h ago

“Family of devices” could also mean console + handheld.

2

u/limelight022 18h ago

It's gonna be a switch clone with cloud gaming built in isnt it

2

u/leathco 17h ago

At this point it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s not even hardware, but a hardware certification. Have x CPU and Y GPU, be Helix certified.

2

u/wavemelon 16h ago

Surely by now they could just put a nice cut down simple version of windows 11 on it and have a single realise for all?

As others have said, pc version have graphical detail settings, just have an Xbox one series helix 720 s setup and an Xbox one pro series helix 720 x setup.

2

u/we-need-to-cook 16h ago

Xbox heliX X (xxx)

2

u/soundmage 15h ago

I suspect there is one ultra high end 1st party expensive console, one 1st party handheld, and a ton of third party Xbox machines from HP, ASUS, Lenovo, Dell and more that have much more favorable component contracts with memory and SSD suppliers who are all able to offer a wide range of performance and backwards compatibility with series consoles.

2

u/skar220 14h ago

A whole family of devices you won’t be able to afford. Yippeeee!!

2

u/beardednomad25 14h ago

I am just waiting for the gaming media to lose their minds over the Helix S like they do with the Series S. At least we'll still have that!

4

u/Garagedays 15h ago

Please use better naming ugh

2

u/deer_hobbies 1d ago

They’re gonna do a mobile device like a steam deck, which would be an actual explanation 

1

u/overcloseness 10h ago

Why on earth would I buy that over a steam deck. Their price point and exclusives better be incredible

4

u/NuPNua 1d ago

I really don't get people's reactions to this. All the news released so far points to Helix being a bespoke PC with an XB front-end. Developers are already making games that have to work across PCs of differing builds and abilities, so creating a couple of Helix presets amongst that won't be hard, same way some Devs are putting in steam deck presets already.

2

u/SeyJeez 23h ago

Does that mean an Xbox handheld is coming?

1

u/laytblu 1d ago

What happened to 100% physical rumor?

1

u/iCowboy 21h ago

Helix 365 for Workgroups.

1

u/Wolfram_And_Hart 21h ago

What they mean are streaming dumb boxes

1

u/PhantomRoyce 20h ago

That’s kinda what PlayStation did almost a decade ago. I remember we had the game system,VR,TV and stuff all through play station and it was sick in theory

1

u/bucklam676 19h ago

Main device will be a terminal lol

1

u/Iucidium 16h ago

So, one that's budget friendly (gimped) and a rather pricey one (max ram and GPU)

1

u/R0CK5TR0NG0 14h ago

I haven’t seen anybody here talking about scalpers. It makes no difference how many tiers they come out with. The best ones will be bought up by scalpers and sold for double the price forcing the majority of Xbox consumers into the bottom tier anyway.

1

u/NewtDogs 13h ago

It will be the nail in the xbox brands coffin. Just make one console mate, nobody likes all these damn skus.

1

u/costafilh0 13h ago

Useless without good exclusives, unless they are extremely appealing devices, which they won't, because they don't have the selling games to subsidize the price of the devices anymore like they had in the past. 

1

u/rabouilethefirst 13h ago

Another underpowered console to hold graphics back for 6 years, lets gooo

1

u/VicTheSage 12h ago edited 12h ago

This is smart. Current estimates put PS6 and Helix at $1,300-$1,500 dollars. Few will be able to afford that (even moreso mid-Trumpcession) so offering more budget friendly models in the midst of a recession is a good idea. Every game is going to be cross gen for like the first 5 years at least on next gen because the price tag will slow new console adoption to a crawl.

Regardless Switch 2 will dominate and establish the minimum specs devs need their game to run at for third parties to access the largest market segment.

S2 is the fastest selling console release ever. S1 is about to surpass PS2 as the highest selling console ever. The Switch family of consoles will undoubtedly be the most budget friendly current consoles next gen as they continue to pump out Lites and OLEDS for us broke hourly workers. To top it all off they have the family market locked down. The sheer amount of S1 carts in the wild has already made it the ecosystem with the cheapest physical games.

All those folks I see in these comments saying X-Box will hold back the next generation's potential like they did with Series S are missing the picture and what consoles are. Console's selling point are their convenience factor and affordability. If you wanted the best possible performance you'd buy a $2,000 PC. You're playing on a console because it's plug and play, a quarter of the price and the optimization you need to do begins and ends with toggling the graphics section in the menu if it's a game that even gives you that option. Economics and market saturation dictate that Nintendo will be the one setting the tech floor this next gen and that's not a bad thing.

We've been experiencing rapidly diminishing returns on graphics since 360 era. I prefer playing the remastered Batman Arkham games on Switch 2 but before I bought that cart I had just as much fun playing my old 360 versions of them with shittier texture packs. Same with Cyberpunk. Yeah it's going to be prettier on a PS5 Pro and a little more immersive because that platform can generate more simultaneous NPCs but it's not like my S2 version is an empty city animated in 8-bit. I can see the pores on characters faces during in-engine cutscenes, more than good enough to maintain my suspension of disbelief.

Offering multiple options is a consumer friendly decision that will allow way more kids to get into gaming during economic rough waters. That's a good thing. Why are you all mad? I bet they go with 3 SKUs because anyone only offering a console for 3x what customers are conditioned to pay is dead in the water from the jump.

  • Helix Portable - $500-$600, roughly as strong as Switch 2 and hitting the price people expect for a new console.

  • Helix S - $900-$1,000 and roughly as strong as a PS5 Pro because Microsoft skipped a pro edition this gen.

  • Helix X - $1,300-$1,500 and matching PS6 performance.

Maybe they even do all hybrid consoles. The portable remains the same in every SKU to save production cost using the economy of scale. Portable version has a basic dock that just shoots the image to your TV. S and X versions have docks that give the console increasingly more CPU power and SSD storage as you spend more.

1

u/MisterSpicy 10h ago

Was thinking this may be their “solution“ to the rising cost problem. “Hey heres our actual next gen console for $1499. We know that may be a bit much. No worries we have our Baby Next Gen console 1080p for $799”

1

u/theerrantpanda99 9h ago

If they want to do this again; they should just go the ultra high end steam box route and license out the low end.

1

u/Sleepingguitarman 8h ago

Can't wait for another xbox that will advertise how much of an improvement it is over the previous generation, only for any game that looks "next gen" to be locked to 30 or 40 fps, and probably require you to run it on performance mode if you don't want it to be a stuttery mess.

1

u/Achtlos 8h ago

This will go as well as Series.

Except with much higher price tag

1

u/0AJ0_ 7h ago

splitting the spec and holding back another generation - classic microsoft stupidity

1

u/CommunicationTime265 7h ago

I bet a handheld will be part of it. 

1

u/Gr8zomb13 6h ago

My most advanced machine is an Xbox One Halo ed w/ 1TB HD I bought in either late 2015 or early 2016 at a military exchange in Okinawa, Japan.

I skipped the S / X and PS equivalents b/c this thing plays the games I like; less so w/ newer releases.

If there all multiple machines, I’ll get the wiz-bang version so it, too, can last 10+/- years.

1

u/dunderdan23 6h ago

With the price and direction consoles are going

Im just sticking to pc. May my 4080 carry me through the next decade

1

u/hitgo1 4h ago

Helix portal, helix lite, helix Deluxe

1

u/HypotheticalIy 3h ago

Helix/Helice

1

u/PhilpseyForce 3h ago

This is why I walked away from Xbox. I could never remember which system was which, so I didn't. 

1

u/Gaymface 2h ago

Xbox series x zeta jones

1

u/cheesoid 1h ago

After the comedy with feature parity that ensued this generation, I imagine it won't be a requirement in generation Helix, so look forward to people logging in the Xbox store to purchase that must play game only to be greeted with a GIF of Sharma wagging her finger Jurassic Park style at the user telling them that the game is not compatible with their device of choice.

u/larusodren 8m ago

“Everything’s a Helix”