The brand Xbox is preparing its comeback with the future Project Helix console, presented as a PC/console hybrid designed for pure gaming. But behind TFLOPS and ray tracing, an old cult functionality could well once again become Microsoft’s secret weapon to regain control in the living room.
Veterans remember the times Xbox Onedesigned as an “all-in-one” TV box with its apps and gadgets sometimes abandoned along the way. Among them, a video multitasking feature beloved by gamers disappeared in 2017 and was never replaced on Xbox Series…while the hardware has never been so strong.
Snap Xbox feature: remember this feature ahead of its time
Arrival with the Xbox One in November 2013, the function Snap allowed you to “dock” an application to the side of the screen while the game occupied the rest of the TV. Concretely, you could launch Forza in full screen and keep, on the right, an Orange TV app, Canal+MyTF1, 6Play or a YouTube video.
For a French player, it was the perfect setup to follow a Ligue 1 match while farming on an FPS, watch a walkthrough during a boss or chat on Skype without putting the controller down. The console also managed the audio to choose whether you preferred the sound of the game or the video.
At the beginning of 2017, however, a system update completely removed the Snap function. At the time, Mike Ybarra explained that this sacrifice was to free up memory, speed up the interface and improve overall multitasking. Clearly, the Xbox One just didn’t have enough headroom for that type of comfort.
Snap Mode Xbox: how would a return to Series X|S and Project Helix change everything?
Between 2013 and 2026, the context has changed radically. THE Xbox Series offer much more power and the future Project Helixdetailed at GDC 2026, promises to run both console games and PC games thanks to a custom AMD SoC. In short, an ideal playground for modern multitasking like a living room PC.
We can imagine a Snap 2.0 in the form of a real Picture-in-Picture: resizable window, free position, adjustable audio mix. On the one hand, your game; in a corner, a Twitch stream, a video guide, a living room Discord or the stats of a match. No more need to juggle between smartphone, tablet and TV to follow multiple content.
Multi-screen uses are already exploding with TikTok, Twitch and Discord groups open all the time. No wonder that, according to a PureXbox survey in 2024, nearly 80% of voters said they were in favor of the return of Snap Mode. In this context, Helix seems tailored to resurrect the idea in a more flexible form.
Return of the Snap Xbox function: gamer’s fantasy or real option for Microsoft?
Officially, Microsoft remains very cautious. In 2022, the Xbox engineer Eden Marie declared on Twitter, quoted by Xboxygen: “While we all miss snap, I don’t think it’s coming back.” No concrete plans have since been announced for Xbox Series or for Project Helix.
The obstacles remain real: each video window consumes resources, some streaming services block Picture-in-Picture for DRM reasons and too much complexity could scare off the general public. But Microsoft already masters these bricks on PC with the Xbox Game Bar and Windows multi-windows.
If Asha Sharma and his team chose to reinvent Snap at the launch of Project Helixeven under another name, it would be a strong signal. A way to correct a decision from 2017, to stick to current uses and to offer a living room experience that neither the future PS6 nor Nintendo offer today. Technically, the door is open; It’s up to Microsoft to decide if it really wants to cross it.