XBOX Project Helix Expandability: What Hardware Can You Upgrade?

XBOX Project Helix could adopt standard SSD expansion while keeping its core hardware design closed to extensive third-party upgrades.

The upcoming XBOX Project Helix is expected to bring a PC-like architecture to Microsoft’s console platform. This raises questions about how much freedom users will have to upgrade its hardware, including storage, memory, graphics cards, and power supplies. While a more open design could make the system easier to maintain and expand, Microsoft can only go so far without changing what makes a console different from a PC.

The question is whether Microsoft has said anything about third-party expandability options for Helix. Proprietary storage in the Xbox Series consoles has been a problem, and Microsoft could support BYO SSD options, similar to what Sony has done with the PlayStation 5. If Microsoft markets Helix as a value-driven PC, there could also be questions about other expansion options.

XBOX Project Helix Could Move Away From Proprietary Storage

For example, could users add additional RAM slots, install their own GPU through a PCIe slot, or even replace the power supply? Going from proprietary storage to that level of hardware expansion is quite a jump. On one hand, if Helix embraces a more PC-like architecture and companies such as ASUS and MSI can make their own Helix PCs, some level of expansion makes sense.

However, additional RAM slots probably wouldn’t work with that design. It is also unclear what else users would put in a PCIe slot on a system like this. If Helix runs full Windows, some form of PCIe expansion is worth considering, but the architecture limits the options.

Proprietary drives are generally not a good idea. M.2 storage makes much more sense because it is a popular commodity format with competition between manufacturers, which helps bring drive prices down. Microsoft initially drew interest with its proprietary XBOX expansion drives when it announced them.

However, the problem is that there isn’t much of a use case for a small, cartridge-shaped drive sticking out of your console. We don’t regularly transfer games between systems, and that is functionality most people probably don’t use. So using a standard storage format makes more sense.

XBOX Project Helix is Unlikely to Become a Fully Modular PC

Even if Helix supports PC compatibility, we shouldn’t expect Microsoft to make it fully modular. At most, it could be closer to what Valve has done with the Steam Machine and Steam Deck, where users can modify certain components without having complete freedom over the hardware. You can still have a PC-like experience without replacing every component.

If you want to swap out your GPU, memory, and other hardware whenever you want, a traditional PC already lets you do that. Adding a PCIe slot for a third-party GPU also creates a physical design problem. Where would a large graphics card go? How would Microsoft design the case to accommodate different GPU sizes?

The company would have to make the Helix case large enough to support almost any component users might want to install. At that point, it would essentially become a PC case, reducing the appeal of a smaller form-factor machine. However, supporting a BYO SSD option would make sense. Users could install their own storage without requiring Microsoft to provide proprietary expansion drives.

Microsoft has traditionally been reluctant to embrace this approach, although Sony also has a history of using proprietary memory formats. The PS3, PS4, and PS5 offered more flexibility with storage and other components, but Sony’s handhelds had their own memory card limitations. The Memory Stick Pro Duo and PlayStation Vita memory card situation were among the company’s mistakes.

The problem with XBOX proprietary SSDs is that their prices never really became competitive.

The cartridge design was convenient, and something was appealing about having a small card that slotted into the console. However, supporting that format became too expensive compared with standard storage options. Sony took a different approach with the PlayStation 5. If you have a PCIe 4.0 SSD, you can install it directly into the console and use it for additional storage.

It offers less flexibility than Microsoft’s XBOX expansion solution because you cannot move games between systems using the same cartridge-style drive. However, how often do you actually need to move games between consoles? Microsoft’s approach makes sense in some situations. For example, if you have a Series X in one location and a Series S somewhere else, being able to move games between them using an expansion drive can be useful.

However, that is a fringe scenario rather than something most users need. It is hard to justify building an entire storage system around a feature only a small number of people might use. Another example of PCIe expandability appears in a console-related design. Ryzen 7 4700S is a mini-ITX board based on the PlayStation 5 APU. Its GPU is locked off, but the CPU remains available.

It wasn’t particularly useful as a gaming machine because of PCIe bandwidth. The GPU’s available bandwidth was so limited that it was practically unusable for gaming. AMD never designed the APU to run as a PC, but it released the board anyway. The result was a system that struggled to provide a suitable gaming experience with a separate graphics card.

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