Xbox's next-generation console, known as Project Helix, is projected to cost between $1,200 and $1,800 unless Microsoft decides to subsidize the hardware, according to a Fortune profile of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. The figure matters to US gamers weighing a purchase and to Microsoft as it tries to grow Xbox's audience. Fortune also reported potential release timing for the hardware.
The next Xbox hardware release is reportedly a handheld device slated for the 2027 holiday season, with the full Project Helix console to follow in the same period during 2028. Project Helix is described as a next-gen gaming console that will also play PC games. Sharma indicated in a separate August interview that Project Helix would be a family of gaming devices, so multiple releases are not a surprise.
The price estimate arrives as prices for RAM and other components have surged, driven by AI development. Fortune reported the projection, and the article noted that much could still change in the next two years. It also raised the possibility that the high figure is being floated so that a lower actual price would make Microsoft and Xbox appear more benevolent toward customers.
A steep price could complicate Sharma's goal of seeing Xbox reach more than 1 billion people daily. Xbox currently has a reported 100 million daily active users, according to the article. The piece also questioned how many buyers would pay such a sum for hardware from the brand when they could choose the currently cheaper Steam Machine.
Fortune's profile, citing unnamed insiders, also described a potential overhaul of Xbox's Game Pass to have a la carte pricing with add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer. The next rounds of layoffs in Xbox's ongoing downsizing effort are expected this month, followed by additional cuts planned for November and January.
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