Xbox is becoming more central to Microsoft’s gaming strategy as the company expands the console experience to PCs. At the Game Developers Conference 2026, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 will soon receive a new feature called “Xbox Mode”, while also teasing its next-generation Xbox console, currently codenamed Project Helix.
The new “Xbox full screen experience” will turn compatible Windows PCs into an interface similar to the Xbox home screen. The feature was originally built for portable gaming handhelds such as the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which runs Windows 11. Once enabled, the mode will display all PC games in one place, including titles purchased from platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store. Users will be able to browse their entire gaming library using a controller, launch games, and open other apps directly from the interface, similar to the experience on an Xbox console.
Microsoft also suggested that the feature could allow players to run and switch between multiple games. The company is opening Advanced Shader Delivery to all Xbox developers, a technology designed to reduce load times and improve performance. The approach is similar to techniques used in gaming consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation. According to earlier company information, users will be able to exit Xbox Mode by pressing the Windows key, selecting the desktop option in Task View, or leaving through Game Bar settings. The feature will first roll out in select markets, starting with the United States. Microsoft also hinted that classic Xbox titles could arrive on PC as part of the console brand’s 25th anniversary celebrations later this year.
Alongside the software update, Microsoft also discussed its next-generation console project. The upcoming hardware, codenamed Project Helix, is expected to deliver “an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability,” according to a company executive during the keynote. The improvement aims to provide a more realistic, immersive, and dynamic gaming experience. The console is still in development and is expected to enter the alpha stage next year.
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