Opinion: I Wonder if Xbox Helix Will Force Sony to Break Its PS6 Silence 1
Image: Push Square

In a poll I published about PS6 late last month, almost 60% of you said you didn’t want it until at least 2029. In fact, an incredible 12% of you said Sony should wait until 2031 or later – five years from now!

I’d be interested to run a similar poll in the aftermath of Project Helix’s announcement, which was confirmed by incoming Xbox CEO Asha Sharma on social media overnight. Just 11% of our readers said they want the PS6 in 2027; I suspect many would have the opposite opinion of Microsoft’s new machine, and argue they want it ASAP.

It’s a fascinating contradiction that I’m struggling to wrap my head around.

Xbox feels like it’s been in free fall for several years now, and it’s registered year-on-year hardware declines for quite some time. It’s reached a point where its hardware sales must truly be in the toilet.

PS5, meanwhile, is a successful system – a console that edged out Nintendo’s all-new Switch 2 in the US throughout January of this year. We know games like Resident Evil Requiem are posting huge sales numbers on the system.

So, why the enthusiasm for new hardware from Microsoft and not from Sony? Why has Project Helix’s announcement been generally met with positivity, while rumours about a potential delay to the PS6 went viral, as fans celebrated the proposed wait?

I suppose one theory is that Microsoft is, once again, looking for a reset.

This isn’t new: the Xbox Series X|S was similarly anticipated as it marked an end to the tough Xbox One era. Everyone enjoys a comeback story, even if this one does cast a trillion dollar tech titan as its protagonist.

There’s also the PS5 Pro I suppose, which is enjoying something of renaissance right now. Sony is just on the cusp of rolling out PSSR 2, which looks like it’s going to be a game changer for software performance. Resident Evil Requiem is “head and shoulders” above all other consoles on the supercharged system, which we suppose makes the idea of new hardware less essential.

Microsoft, it seems, is on the cusp of a full blowout of Project Helix, as it wrestles for relevancy under a new leadership team. It’s repeatedly said that it wants to bring back a focus on the console, but it’s unclear what that actually means as it primes tentpole titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved and Fable for the PS5.

Opinion: I Wonder if Xbox Helix Will Force Sony to Break Its PS6 Silence 3

I’m curious if any of this is going to have an impact on how Sony communicates about the PS5.

As I alluded to earlier, there’s been some debate about whether the company may delay its next-gen console, but other reports claim it’ll be ready for release in 2027.

As far as I can see, there’s no real incentive for the firm to talk about what it’s got cooking right now. Marvel’s Wolverine and GTA 6 are going to ensure a huge 2026 for its current console, and by all accounts it’s got a new God of War game and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet locked for the next year.

Those four games alone will sustain PS5’s momentum into the next year and beyond.

But if Microsoft’s going to attempt to force the next-gen agenda, I am curious if it will draw Sony out into the open. Even if it’s dished out a pasting this gen, I do think the PlayStation maker will still be wary of its wily old Redmond rival.

I personally think we will still see the PS6 late next year, unless the RAM issues get so bad that it just becomes impossible to put it out at a feasible price. I’m expecting console generations to feel more like smartphones anyway, so I’d expect most of the system’s software to be shared with the PS5.

Opinion: I Wonder if Xbox Helix Will Force Sony to Break Its PS6 Silence 2

Whether that’s enough to stimulate consumer enthusiasm, I’m not sure. But if Sony can’t generate interest in the PS6, then I’m very sceptical of Project Helix’s ability to have any kind of meaningful impact on the market.

Microsoft’s biggest issue will be finding a business model that works, which satisfies its reportedly lofty profit targets.

The organisation will espouse magic maths, as it so often does, but there’s no value in a loss leading piece of hardware if one of its selling points is bypassing Microsoft’s own store and services in favour of third-party options operated by the likes of Valve.

The only conclusion I can come to here is that, even ignoring the ongoing RAM drama, we’re looking at an Xbox “console” that’s potentially double or even triple the price of the PS6. Is that really a threat?

The Microsoft upper-brass is going to talk and talk and talk, that much already seems evident under new executive Asha Sharma.

I’m really curious to see how much Sony pays attention, and whether it coaxes the company to come out and talk more freely about the PS6.

I guess we’re going to find out over the coming months.

What do you think the abrupt announcement of Xbox Helix means for PS6? Will it have any impact at all on Sony’s plans? Do you think it will influence the decisions PlayStation makes about its next-gen hardware? Let us know below.

Will Xbox Helix force Sony to say more about the PS6?