From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


So Microsoft is making a new XBox after all... and it's going to be a
Steam Machine.*

Well, not really... but sorta. Reports are "Project Helix" will play
XBox and PC games... and hints are that it will essentially be a
locked-down PC that can only access games from Microsoft's own store
(the PC XBox app) or streamed via GamePass. Which isn't really that
different from Valve's Steam Machine, except for the source of the
games.

What it won't be is a dedicated gaming powerhouse with hardware unique
to the platform, so that games will only run exclusively on the
device. Any restrictions will be required by the licensing, not the
technology. Doubtlessly, all the best and most modern games will only
be available through streaming too, because it seems unlikely that MS
will pour a lot of money and resources into the GPU and RAM when they
can just run the games on offsite servers.

Good luck with that strategy, Microsoft. I can't see many rushing to
take advantage of it. Gamers might as well just buy a PC (where they
get access to more games and better hardware to boot), and developers
will stick to PCs as well, since the audience is larger and they can
just re-license the games to sell on the XBox app if they want to get
the few dozen people who actually buy games there instead of on Steam.

Or they'll develop for PS6/Switch2, where there's some actual
exclusivity.

But Project Helix? Why bother?

Well, maybe to use CoPilot, Microsoft's embedded AI that it's pushing
so hard and I am sure will be in the new console too. Everybody's so
excited about that! /s







* one article about it here https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/microsofts-next-console-will-play-pc-games-too-and-its-currently-dubbed-codenamed-project-helix


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On 3/6/2026 11:22 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So Microsoft is making a new XBox after all... and it's going to be a
Steam Machine.*

My initial thought after reading that was "Oh, wonderful. Microsoft is
going to Borg-assimilate Steam." But reading farther it apparently is
not the plan.

Well, not really... but sorta. Reports are "Project Helix" will play
XBox and PC games... and hints are that it will essentially be a
locked-down PC that can only access games from Microsoft's own store
(the PC XBox app) or streamed via GamePass. Which isn't really that
different from Valve's Steam Machine, except for the source of the
games.

What it won't be is a dedicated gaming powerhouse with hardware unique
to the platform, so that games will only run exclusively on the
device. Any restrictions will be required by the licensing, not the technology. Doubtlessly, all the best and most modern games will only
be available through streaming too, because it seems unlikely that MS
will pour a lot of money and resources into the GPU and RAM when they
can just run the games on offsite servers.

Good luck with that strategy, Microsoft. I can't see many rushing to
take advantage of it. Gamers might as well just buy a PC (where they
get access to more games and better hardware to boot), and developers
will stick to PCs as well, since the audience is larger and they can
just re-license the games to sell on the XBox app if they want to get
the few dozen people who actually buy games there instead of on Steam.

Or they'll develop for PS6/Switch2, where there's some actual
exclusivity.

But Project Helix? Why bother?

Well, maybe to use CoPilot, Microsoft's embedded AI that it's pushing
so hard and I am sure will be in the new console too. Everybody's so
excited about that! /s

* one article about it here https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/microsofts-next-console-will-play-pc-games-too-and-its-currently-dubbed-codenamed-project-helix

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Fri, 6 Mar 2026 17:30:41 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<[email protected]> said this thing:

On 3/6/2026 11:22 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So Microsoft is making a new XBox after all... and it's going to be a
Steam Machine.*

My initial thought after reading that was "Oh, wonderful. Microsoft is >going to Borg-assimilate Steam." But reading farther it apparently is
not the plan.

Oh gog, that's a horrific thought.

Steam is, fortunately, somewhat invulnerable to that, as they are
privately owned and Microsoft (or anyone else, for that matter) can't
swoop in and buy out all the shares from beneath the current owners.
On the other hand, this is also a vulnerability, since at any time
Gabe Newell (majority owner) could justup and decide to sell to
Microsoft, or Sony, or X, or whomever. Unlikely, but possible.

(And since the guy is one cheeseburger away from a heart attack, if he
doesn't do it, his kids might!)

But at least for now, that isn't happening. No Microsoft is just doing
its usual of chasing trends without actually innovating, and doing it
in their usual lackluster and obvious way.

Its difficult to say exactly what 'Project Helix' will actually be,
since really all we know for sure is that it will 'run XBox and PC
games'. Everything beyond that is assumption. But nobody is expecting
very much from the machine, given Microsoft's current focus (AI,
online services), their recent lack of success in the console market,
and the extra-ordinary prices of computer hardware.

If we're lucky, we'll get the Microsoft equivalent of a Steam Machine;
an XBox branded PC with a locked down OS (think Windows "S Mode") that
can only run pre-approved apps or stuff downloaded from the official
store. But just as likely we will get something like Google Stadia, a
low-end streaming platform where all the processing is done offsite...
and requires a subscription to use.

When the original XBox was announced, there was some excitement about
the idea. A lot of people were dubious that Microsoft could pull it
off, but the idea of having a PC-biased console from an entirely new
competitor into the market was intriguing to many. It helped that
Microsoft was still riding high on its Win95 heyday. But Microsoft has
lost a lot of that good will since then and I haven't seen any
response to this announcement more positive than "Oh god, why?"





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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson <[email protected]> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

So Microsoft is making a new XBox after all... and it's going to be a
Steam Machine.*

<snip>

Well, maybe to use CoPilot, Microsoft's embedded AI that it's pushing
so hard and I am sure will be in the new console too. Everybody's so
excited about that! /s

It's the return of Clippy, now backed by AI.

Sure the call it project Helix, but it's really the ClippyBox!

That should be enough Horror for today.

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 07 Mar 2026 18:31:12 -0500, Xocyll <[email protected]> said this
thing:

It's the return of Clippy, now backed by AI.
Sure the call it project Helix, but it's really the ClippyBox!

In fairness to Microsoft, they've made no comments about the inclusion
of CoPilot in the new console. Everybody is just assuming it will be
there based on Microsoft's recent all-in push towards AI (and their
past behavior of pushing pro-Microsoft things into their products even
if it doesn't actually benefit the end user). But nobody outside of
Microsoft can say with any surety that CoPilot will be embedded into
the new platform.

That said, even at Microsoft there seems to be some drawing back from
CoPilot. It's extremely expensive, it is disliked by customers, and
--more importantly-- almost nobody is paying for it (I think I read
that less than 3% of corporate customers opted-in for using the paid
version of the software). So who knows how long Microsoft will chase
this trend. Maybe if we distract them with something new and shiny
they'll drop CoPilot altogether, leaving it behind like Kinect and
Microsoft Phone and Skype.

That should be enough Horror for today.

CoPilot is enough horror for a year ;-P


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