Xbox Helix Console Reportedly Headed for Holiday 2028 at $1,200 to $1,800

What happened

According to a Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, has internally been projected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800 unless Microsoft decides to subsidize it; Microsoft hasn't confirmed any pricing, and a subsidy could bring the final number down a bit, but Fortune puts Xbox's profit margin at around 3%, leaving limited room. For reference, the current Xbox Series X with a disc drive sells for $799.99, and that is after recent price hikes. Sharma reportedly plans to release a next-gen handheld by the 2027 holiday season, followed by the console in time for the 2028 holidays; according to people familiar with the matter, Helix engineering deadlines have been moved up by at least several months, putting extra pressure on development teams. The handheld has also caused friction inside Microsoft: Windows leaders reportedly wanted it to run a trimmed-down version of Windows Home, while Sharma's team wanted its own software for better gaming performance, and a senior Xbox executive reportedly threatened to scrap the handheld rather than ship the Windows build, though Xbox now seems to be steering the OS. Sharma says the teams still work together, noting, "We can't build Helix on our own." Separately, memory makers expect supply to get even tighter in 2027 and 2028, while rival Sony also struggles with rising costs, so a cheap next-gen console looks unlikely from either side.

Impact and signal

Affected components and suppliers

Source and time

Source: TechPowerUp · 10/20/2026 · View original source