Xbox CEO Refuses to Confirm Whether Next Console Helix Will Have a Disc Drive

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has declined to confirm whether Microsoft's next-generation console system, codenamed Project Helix, will feature a physical disc drive. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Sharma kept on script when questioned about the future of physical media, emphasizing instead that player libraries should be able to travel wherever users go.

When asked directly about whether Xbox's plans had shifted as the broader industry transitions away from physical media, Sharma stated that she wants Xbox to be accessible everywhere. Acknowledging that players love physical media while recognizing the benefits of digital formats, Sharma reiterated a desire to offer choices. However, when pressed directly on whether Project Helix will be disc-less, Sharma laughed and noted that further details on Helix are not being shared yet, adding that the team has been working hard on a next-generation family of devices and will share more information soon.

Project Helix has been announced as a console-and-PC hybrid, with development kits scheduled to go out next year. Alongside these hardware developments, Microsoft announced a new disc-to-digital Xbox initiative aimed at letting players digitize physical game discs for digital entitlements across a thousand titles. Meanwhile, the broader Xbox division continues to navigate wide-ranging restructuring following massive job cuts affecting thousands of positions.