Xbox CEO Asha Sharma was cagey when asked if the company’s next console, codenamed Project Helix, will have a disc drive or not, but gave some optimistic insights into its approach to physical games.

Speaking with the BBC in August 2026, Sharma didn’t give a straight answer; instead, she said Xbox is currently focused on making its next generation hardware cost-effective and efficient.

“This next generation, we have to be thinking about efficiency and affordability alongside performance," she told the outlet.

"All of the industry needs to start to innovate on affordability and efficiency," she continued. "That is something that we have not had to do. But with the crisis that's currently happening in hardware and components, it is absolutely something all of us need to be thinking about and innovating on and giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console."

While she couldn’t outright confirm or deny the existence of a disc drive for Project Helix, Sharma is well-aware of the current debate surrounding physical media, and assured the BBC that she wants to give players a choice when it comes to how they choose to purchase content.

"I know players love physical media, and I know there's a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice. There are stacks of games on everybody's shelves,” she said.

Although it wasn’t exactly a clear answer, her statement does give a positive impression of Xbox’s future plans for physical games — something the brand is already winning points for , having recently confirmed an initiative that will allow players to digitize their physical games into an online library.

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