There have been quite a few questions regarding how Microsoft and Sony will deal with the ongoing memory shortages when it’s time to launch their next-generation consoles. While reports have indicated that Sony expects the situation to get better, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has confirmed that the situation will have an impact on how the company prices Project Helix, as well as how available it will be.
In an interview with Game File, Sharma was asked about the current market conditions, and how it will affect plans for Project Helix. She noted that, while the company isn’t yet ready to discuss a launch window for its next-gen console, things like memory costs tend to be part of a larger equation.
“All of these things are an equation,” she said. “Memory costs will impact pricing, will impact availability. As we think about being where the world plays, we will take that into consideration. So we’re not ready to share a launch timeline right now. The world’s pretty dynamic. My number one focus, though, is to focus on what’s in our control, build a great console to play great games, including your PC games.”
As for Xbox’s partnership with various game development teams, Sharma reiterated the fact that development kits for Project Helix will be going out next year. “All I can share is that we have development kits going out next year, and we’re working really hard and have a lot to continue to do and a lot to continue to learn. But we’re really excited about Project Helix and the initial feedback that we’re getting,” she said.
General manager of portfolio and programs at Xbox, Chris Charla, had spoken about how the company will support its developers going forward when it comes to developing for its platforms. He noted that teams will want to start getting more familiar with the development tools sooner rather than later in order to prepare for Project Helix.
“We’re working hard so developers can make one Xbox build in the future and it’ll run on their Project Helix console, on PC and on streaming and cloud surfaces like smart TVs and other devices,” he said.
“Someone looking to be ready for next-gen with Xbox should be developing for Xbox console today, developing for Xbox on PC, and supporting Xbox Play Anywhere,” he continued. “That’ll put you in pole position for the next generation and ensure your Xbox on PC game runs natively on Project Helix. The exact specifics may differ per developer and game. In a lot of cases if you’re coming from a Steam or stock PC build it may be smarter to start with the Xbox for PC version first and then use that as the basis for the Xbox console version. Of course we’ll have more details about how developers can take advantage of the specific hardware features of Project Helix in the months ahead, but doing this ensures they’ll have a native build on Project Helix.”
In the meantime, Microsoft recently rebranded its Microsoft Gaming division to Xbox, complete with a new logo that calls back to the original Xbox console’s black and green color scheme.
