Xbox CTO denies report of Windows clash over next-gen console OS
Scott Van Vliet says Project Helix is being built on Windows and that a Fortune report misrepresents the technical work and the relationship between the teams.
Microsoft's Xbox chief technology officer, Scott Van Vliet, has refuted a Fortune report that described a clash between the company's Xbox and Windows teams over the operating system for the next-generation Xbox, according to windowscentral.com.
The report claimed an Xbox leader threatened to cancel a gaming handheld rather than have the device run Windows 11. It also said the two teams disagreed over the direction of the OS for the next-gen console.
Van Vliet said Helix OS is being built on Windows and that the original report misrepresents the technical work and the relationship between the teams. The name Helix refers to Project Helix, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox project.
Earlier reports said the next generation of Xbox would run a customized version of Windows 11, similar to the Xbox Ally and other gaming handhelds. According to those reports, Project Helix has slipped into 2028.
Microsoft's consoles have long carried Windows DNA: the original Xbox ran an OS based on Windows, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S already run an operating system built on Windows.
Quick answers
What did the Xbox CTO say about the Fortune report?
Scott Van Vliet said Helix OS is being built on Windows and that the report misrepresents the technical work and the relationship between the Xbox and Windows teams.
What is Project Helix?
It is Microsoft's next-gen Xbox project. Earlier reports said it would run a customized version of Windows 11 and that it has slipped into 2028.