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Microsoft reportedly projects $1,200 to $1,800 price for 2028 Project Helix

  • On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Fortune reported Microsoft's internal projections for Project Helix, targeting a 2027 holiday handheld release and 2028 holiday console launch. Internal estimates suggest a consumer price between $1,200 and $1,800 without subsidies.
  • Xbox CEO Asha Sharma cited a "hardware component crisis," noting memory costs have surged to over five times levels seen two years earlier. Rising DRAM and NAND costs, driven by AI data-center demand, have prompted this pricing pressure.
  • Additionally, Microsoft plans a "major overhaul" of its Game Pass subscription service to an à la carte model. Meanwhile, internal friction persists between the Xbox division and Windows team regarding the handheld's operating system.
  • Helix could become the most expensive Xbox console at launch, with analysts warning that without significant subsidies, the $1,200 to $1,800 price point remains unsustainable. Executives face mounting pressure to balance profitability with hardware affordability for mass audiences.
  • Microsoft continues this rebuilding phase as it navigates the transition toward its next-generation family of hardware devices. These developments occur amid a broader restructuring, with Sharma implementing layoffs across the division in October, November, and January.
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Lean Left

Microsoft's internal estimate suggests that the next Xbox console, planned for 2028, could cost up to $1,800.

·Zagreb, Croatia
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Lean Right

The cost of Project Helix components, the provisional name of Microsoft’s future console, would exceed the cost of PlayStation 6 by about $200.

·Madrid, Spain
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+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Center

Microsoft could have important innovations reserved for the future of Xbox, starting with a new portable console that, according to the latest leaks, could be destined to animate the Christmas season of 2027. Meanwhile, Project Helix, the next generation platform officially announced by Redmond's company also has a possible release date at the end of 2028.

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TheGamePost broke the news on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
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