Xbox Helix won't have exclusives and isn't a next-gen console – it's basically a PC that could kill the platform

Questions about whether Microsoft might return to exclusivity are back in the spotlight, this time fueled by mixed signals from the company's new leadership. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wrote "hear you" on X in response to a fan pushing for games to return to Xbox exclusivity – a brief comment that set off a fresh wave of discussion ahead of GDC, where new information on Xbox Helix is expected.

Well-known NeoGAF user SneakersSO, who has a reputation for reliable Xbox insider info, put a stop to those theories. "Exclusives are absolutely not happening," he said. The insider also described Xbox Helix as a "set-top box version" of the PC-based ROG Ally X handheld, one that's "not meant for a mass market target audience".

The leaker was also pretty blunt about Microsoft and what this console is actually going to be:

"The problem is we're thinking about this like it's a next console and next gen – it's not.

"It's essentially a PC using Windows Full Screen Exclusive (FSE) mode, which we just saw in the ROG Ally X, to simulate a console experience. It's a TV version of the ROG Ally X, except it's made by MS, will be pretty expensive, and aimed at a very niche audience. And this has nothing to do with new leadership – it is literally going in a direction that was set for it long before anyone was talking about it. It's seeing it through because they've already allocated budget for it.

"They're just going to use the console not selling well as the final nail in the coffin to wind down the hardware business. They know the projections, and they have no illusions this is going to be some Xbox 360 moment. That doesn't mean it can't be cool and appeal to some people's tastes."

The device is rumored to cost as much as $1,200, while the PS6 is expected to come in well below that.