Next Xbox console reportedly coming in 2028 and could cost as much as $1,800
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
New coverage adds that Xbox plans a handheld for next year and is considering a major Game Pass redesign alongside its next console. Project Helix is reportedly scheduled for 2028, with internal projections putting its price at $1,200 to $1,800, a potential sign of how rising component costs could make future gaming hardware more expensive.
The estimate, reported by Fortune, could change if Microsoft subsidises the console. The proposed Game Pass overhaul would let players select features such as cloud gaming, multiplayer and console-only games through a tiered system. Separately, a report puts the RAM and SSD costs for Sony’s presumed PlayStation 6 at about $680.
- Xbox reportedly plans a handheld for next year.
- Project Helix could cost $1,200 to $1,800 in 2028.
- Microsoft is considering a more customisable, tiered Game Pass.
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Microsoft’s Xbox is a line of video game consoles, and its main rival is Sony’s PlayStation. Console makers have often sold hardware at a relatively low price and earned money later from games and subscriptions, though the balance varies between products.
The next generation of consoles is expected to use more powerful components, including memory and storage, which can be costly. Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription gives members access to a changing library of games, while cloud gaming lets people play over the internet; changes to these services could affect how players access games and what they pay.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A premium-priced console could give Microsoft room to use more powerful, PC-like hardware and offer a longer-lasting system, while reflecting the real cost of increasingly expensive components. A modular Game Pass could also let players pay for the features they actually use, and a handheld could broaden access to Xbox games.
The case against
A price of $1,200 to $1,800 would put the console beyond many players’ budgets and risk making gaming less accessible, especially if key features or services also require separate subscriptions. Microsoft could instead subsidise hardware or prioritise a lower-cost system, since a technically advanced console has limited value if few people can afford it.
Full account
Microsoft’s next Xbox console, known by the codename Project Helix, could arrive in 2028 with a price of between $1,200 and $1,800, according to a report by Fortune citing the company’s internal estimates. The figures are projections, not a confirmed retail price, and Microsoft could choose to subsidise the hardware. The reported launch window is before the 2028 holiday season.
A price at the top of that range would make Helix unusually expensive for a games console. Microsoft has described it as a high-end device able to play both Xbox and PC games, which may position it partly as a gaming computer. Its eventual price could depend on component costs and on whether Microsoft accepts a loss on each unit in the hope of earning money later from games and subscriptions.
Fortune also reports plans for a new Xbox handheld by the 2027 holiday season, ahead of Helix. The account describes disagreement between Xbox and Windows teams over the handheld’s software: one proposal would use a pared-back version of Windows, while Xbox leadership reportedly favours software it can control directly. The dispute is said to have become serious enough for leaders to consider cancelling the device. These plans and internal disagreements have not been confirmed by Microsoft in the reports provided.
The reports place the hardware plans amid broader changes at Xbox, including a reset of its gaming business and a possible redesign of Game Pass. Source 1 highlights a proposed menu of subscription options, such as multiplayer and cloud gaming add-ons, and links the projected price to wider concerns about rising hardware costs. Source 2 gives more detail about the handheld software dispute and frames the console as a PC-console hybrid; it also notes that the 2028 timing is later than earlier expectations. Both accounts rely on Fortune for the projected price and launch plans, so those details remain reported estimates rather than official announcements.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 stresses the potential burden on players, mentions reports of rising PlayStation component costs and describes a proposed à la carte Game Pass overhaul. Source 2 instead focuses on Helix’s ability to run PC games, the reported dispute over handheld software and the possibility that the handheld could be cancelled. It also explicitly says the 2028 window is later than previously expected. These are differences in emphasis and detail; both attribute the main price estimate and hardware timeline to Fortune.