Next-Gen Xbox Helix Could Cost $1,800 at Launch
Microsoft's next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, could cost $1,200-$1,800 at launch in late 2028, per a new Fortune report on the company's gaming plans.
Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, could cost shoppers between $1,200 and $1,800 when it arrives for the 2028 holiday season, according to a new Fortune report. If the numbers hold, it would be the most expensive Xbox ever made - twice the price of a PlayStation 5 Pro.
What the Fortune report says
The report is based on Microsoft's own internal projections and comes from an in-depth profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who took over the gaming division earlier this year after Phil Spencer left. Microsoft has not formally announced a price or a launch date, so the figures could change - the company could also choose to subsidize the hardware and sell it at a lower price. Fortune says Microsoft is aiming for a launch before the 2028 holidays, later than the 2027 window many fans had hoped for. Microsoft has described Helix as a "very premium, very high end" device that will play both Xbox and PC games, placing it somewhere between a traditional console and a powerful gaming PC.
Why memory prices are the big problem
One of the biggest reasons for the high projected price is the ongoing shortage of memory chips. AI data centers have absorbed much of the world's DRAM and NAND production, pushing component costs up sharply. The pressure has already reached today's consoles. The Xbox Series X launched at $499 in 2020, but Microsoft has raised prices several times since and the console now starts at $750 in the United States. Sony has also raised PlayStation 5 prices more than once in the past year.
A handheld could arrive first
Fortune also reports that a new Xbox handheld could arrive by the end of 2027, about a year before the main console. It would support digital Xbox console games, unlike the Asus-made ROG Xbox Ally handheld, which is little more than a Windows handheld with Xbox branding. Microsoft has said Helix will be a "family of devices", and Sharma has told staff the company plans to work with third-party makers on some of them. She is also said to be planning a rework of Game Pass into an a la carte service, where users pick the features and add-ons they want instead of buying one big bundle.
Sources
Polygon - https://www.polygon.com/next-gen-xbox-project-helix-price-release-date-2028/ TechSpot - https://www.techspot.com/news/114275-next-xbox-could-arrive-2028-1200-1800-xbox.html