Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma has said the company must consider affordability when designing its next-generation console, blaming what she called a "Rampocalypse" – a surge in component costs, partly driven by AI firms buying up hardware such as Ram for data centres. She also confirmed that owners of physical game discs will soon be able to claim digital versions of their titles, a move that could allow old games to be played on future consoles without a disc drive, and comes as rivals such as Sony move away from physical media.

Sharma said Xbox is granting digital entitlements for 1,000 titles to players who own the discs, though it remains unclear whether these rights would transfer if a disc is sold second-hand. She declined to confirm whether the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will include a disc drive, but stressed the firm must focus on "efficiency and affordability alongside performance". Sharma, who has led Xbox for six months after moving from Microsoft's AI division, previously oversaw major job cuts as part of a restructuring she described as necessary to secure the brand's future, and acknowledged the coming years would be "challenging".