What is Xbox’s Project Helix? Potential release date, hardware, features, and more

Every seven or eight years, the gaming industry resets itself and starts a “new generation.” These generations are named after console iterations, and we are now firmly in the ninth, which began with the release of Xbox Series S/X and the PlayStation 5 in late 2020.

Six years have passed since the current generation began, and following previous patterns, we are set to inaugurate the 10th generation by the end of 2027, if not 2028. Given that the state of console gaming is rather unpredictable, the next generation could very well begin even this year, and Xbox’s latest announcement strongly indicates that.

Project Helix, as it is aptly named, is Xbox’s next-gen console, which could make or break the brand’s position in the industry.

Here is everything we know about it.

Xbox Project Helix – What it is, its specs, and features

Announced on March 5, Project Helix is Xbox’s next console, which is going to start the 10th generation of consoles and become the company’s flagship follow-up to the Series X/S.

New Xbox chief Asha Sharma didn’t offer too much information about the console itself, but nevertheless strongly indicated it is going to take console gaming beyond exclusivity and into an era of multiplatformity, which was strongly promoted under Phil Spencer.

“Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games,” Sharma said on X, suggesting this new console will have the capability to run PC games natively, allowing for further cross-platform engagement. Whether that involves Steam or just Game Pass is as of yet unknown, but it appears Microsoft is open to crossing platform borders, even if only within its own framework.

As per Overclock3D, via Moore’s Law is Dead, Project Helix is going to run on AMD-made silicon built on the advanced Zen 6 architecture and equipped with an RDNA 5-based GPU. This is a four-generation jump in processing power over the Zen 2- and RDNA 2-based silicon of the current Xbox consoles, indicating we will see a massive leap in graphical fidelity and capability between these two console generations.

AMD has been rapidly catching up with Nvidia on AI upscaling technologies like FSR, and though it is still well behind Team Green, it can finally offer competitive tools for developers to use in producing well-performing, good-looking games. Sony recently released its PSSR 2 upscaler, which also works on AMD-based hardware in its PS5 Pro, giving us a strong indication of what AMD’s processors are capable of nowadays.

For those who do not want to dabble in technical mumbo-jumbo, it’s safe to say that Project Helix will be a strong, capable console capable of running demanding titles at high resolutions, especially when upscaling is taken into account. We could finally be looking at native 4K performance targeting at least 30 fps or 60 fps+ with upscaling.

Overclock3D also claimed that the next Xbox will launch in 2027, placing it firmly within the seven- to eight-year gap between console generations. Since Xbox never released a “Pro” version this time around, compared to Sony and its own Xbox One X, it could be that the company poured additional resources into making the jump to the 10th generation even more impactful.

Still, I expect the console to launch at the same time as the PlayStation 6, and since we are yet to receive significant information about that from Sony itself, my guess is that the new Xbox console won’t be coming out before late 2027, if not 2028.

The post What is Xbox’s Project Helix? Potential release date, hardware, features, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

Slay the Spire 2 isn’t your typical deckbuilder, where you don’t have to take care of your health.

While there are five different characters to pick from, none of them is immortal. They will all take damage, and they will perish if you’re not careful. Taking damage is inevitable; no matter what you do, you’ll always end up receiving damage.

What matters is whether you’re healing your character at the correct moments.

How to heal in Slay the Spire 2

Healing is a premium activity in Slay the Spire 2. You can’t heal whenever you want, and restoring HP comes at a price. You’ll occasionally come across Rest Spots that appear as a campfire on your path. These spots can be found only sporadically, so you’ll need to plan carefully. Their locations on every run is compeltely random.

When you’re at the spot, you’ll have two different options: Rest or Smith. If you choose the latter, you can improve a card by applying different upgrades. If you choose the former, you’ll be able to recover a percentage of your character’s lost health.

You can also find different Relics and consumables on your run, and some of them might allow you to restore HP. Potions are one-time use, and you can have a maximum of three at a time. This method isn’t a guaranteed solution since all runs are random. It could happen that you might be unable to find an applicable Relic or consumable.

Slay the Spire 2 has five characters, and one of them has a healing ability. The Ironclad’s default relic, the Burning Blood, allows you to recover 6 HP at the end of combat. This is an extremely useful relic to have, which ranks him well on our characters’ tier list.

Outside of these methods, there’s no other way to recover HP and restore the health of your character in Slay the Spire 2. The same methods also apply if you’re playing co-op with your friends.

The post How to heal and restore health in Slay the Spire 2 appeared first on Destructoid.