Xbox

Microsoft’s big GDC announcement turned out to be bringing Xbox mode to every Windows 11 PC, starting next month. It’s the latest encouraging sign after Xbox’s big leadership shakeup, but Microsoft has work to do to earn back users’ trust.

It’s not clear, and Microsoft VP Jason Ronald wouldn’t tell us in person, saying more info about the Game Preservation program is on the way. But his written remarks include the phrase: “we’ll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past.” What new ways? Well, it appears PC-first development is “compatible with next-gen game preservation.”

Sean Hollister and I are seated at VP of Next Generation Jason Ronald’s talk about “building for the future.” Maybe some Helix news?

These images posted to X by the official Microsoft Game Dev account actually appear to show existing dev kits for older console models like the Xbox One and Series X — but given they’re tagged as a “sneak peek” for GDC 2026, the Project Helix hardware may be revealed soon.

Microsoft is rolling out the ability for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream games at up to 1440p on Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One X, and Xbox One S consoles. When Microsoft initially launched 1440p streaming last year, it was limited to “select games and select devices.”

Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma says almost nothing’s been decided about the future of Xbox, telling Windows Central:

Over the last few years, Microsoft has been bringing its big exclusive franchises to rival platforms like PlayStation and Switch. Satya Nadella even said he wanted to “get rid of” console exclusives — that might not be a great move. But the new Xbox boss seems open to the idea that the console’s identity hinges on exclusives.

Like Phil Spencer, Bond had a note for the employees at Xbox as she announced her departure, which she shared on LinkedIn Friday evening.

The big shakeup at Xbox means that Asha Sharma is taking over for Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Her previous role at Microsoft was AI-focused, and here’s what she has to say about utilizing AI for games:

Just a few years after Overwatch 2’s free-to-play 5v5 replaced the original, Blizzard announced it’s dropping the “2.” There’s been a steady flow of other changes lately (like the return of 6v6), but the plan for this next year includes 10 new heroes (Domina, Emre, Mizuki, Anran, and Jetpack Cat arrive when S1 launches February 10th), new maps, menu updates, a Conquest meta event, Reign of Talon narrative arc, and more.

Forza Horizon 6 and Fable look promising, but they continue the trend I just wrote about of big publishers leaning more on familiar franchises. (Xbox’s 2026 also includes a new Gears and the Halo remake.) Happy Double Fine is doing its thing, though, and Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation seems right up my alley.

Double Fine just announced a new multiplayer party game called Kiln where you can make and play as pots. It all looks quite silly. Kiln will be available this spring on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, and there will be a closed beta.

You can catch the show on YouTube starting at 1PM ET. The event will feature the Playground Games’ Fable and Forza Horizon 6 and Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak. We’ll be watching the livestream and covering what’s announced.

Microsoft also said that “more than 85% of the Game Pass catalog is compatible with these PCs,” now, after a rocky journey for ARM gaming support on PC.