Xbox Gen-10 Will Put a Console First in a Wider Family of Devices

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has given a clearer picture of Microsoft's next hardware generation, saying the company plans to put a console first while building Gen-10 around a wider family of devices.

The comments came during an internal Xbox town hall, according to a transcript obtained and independently verified by Windows Central. Sharma said there is no single device that suits everyone, but stressed that Xbox will have a "great console first." She also acknowledged players who want to play "on the go" and said Microsoft expects to manufacture some devices itself while relying on partners for others.

Sharma's comments reinforce rather than replace what Microsoft has already announced about Project Helix. At GDC in March, Xbox officially described Helix as its next-generation first-party console and said development was already well underway.

The console is being built around a custom AMD system-on-chip and is designed to run both Xbox console and PC games. Microsoft has also committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable and plans to begin sending alpha Helix hardware to developers in 2027.

A consumer release date, price, final design, and complete specifications have not been announced. The 2027 timing applies specifically to developer hardware, not the retail console.

Sharma's newer remarks add an important detail to that roadmap. Helix may be the first and central piece of Gen-10, but Microsoft's next generation is being planned around more than a single living-room system.

Sharma did not announce an Xbox handheld during the town hall. Her reference to players being on the go indicates that portable play is part of Microsoft's thinking, but it does not confirm the form factor, specifications, or manufacturer of another Gen-10 device.

The broader direction has been public for some time. Microsoft and AMD announced in 2025 that they were working together on a next-generation Xbox portfolio spanning consoles, handhelds, PCs, cloud systems, and other hardware. The partnership covers future first-party consoles as well as a wider roadmap of gaming-focused chips.

Xbox has since pushed further into handheld gaming through the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X, which were developed with ASUS and AMD. Those devices run Windows rather than functioning as dedicated Xbox consoles, but they established a model in which Microsoft supplies the Xbox software experience while another manufacturer builds the hardware.

Sharma's comments should therefore not be read as confirmation of a first-party Helix handheld. They show that Microsoft expects Gen-10 to accommodate portable play, while the exact hardware behind that part of the strategy remains unannounced.

The other new piece of Sharma's comments concerns who will actually build the hardware. She told employees that Microsoft considers itself best positioned to manufacture some products, while other parts of the Gen-10 family will involve outside partners. More details will be shared as those plans develop.

Microsoft has not identified which future devices will be first-party products beyond Project Helix, nor has it named partners for additional Gen-10 hardware. The existing ASUS collaboration provides a precedent, but there is no confirmation that ASUS will build any next-generation Xbox device.

Sharma also said the operating system for Microsoft's next hardware is progressing well. That fits Xbox's wider effort to bring its console-style interface and gaming features across Windows PCs and handhelds, while Project Helix itself remains positioned as the company's next dedicated console.

For now, Microsoft's Gen-10 plans have a clearer hierarchy than before: a first-party Project Helix console comes first, with additional ways to play around it that may include portable and partner-built hardware. Exactly what those other devices are has not yet been announced.