Next gen Xbox console out in 2028 and more expensive than PS6 claims report

Microsoft is planning to launch its next Xbox console by Christmas 2028, according to a new report, and it will cost more than Sony’s PS6. 

Thanks to the ongoing component crisis, the cost of the PlayStation 6 and Xbox’s Project Helix is expected to be way higher than your average console generation. 

We’ve already heard how both consoles could cost in excess of $1,000 (£750) based on the hardware’s raw materials, and with the high-end PS5 Pro already priced at £790 in the UK, you’d naturally expect the bill to be higher for the next wave of tech. 

For Microsoft, these ballooning costs are a massive hurdle because the company’s current console, the Xbox Series X/S, has been a clear failure. As it stands, Xbox needs to undercut Sony in a big way to stand a chance against the PlayStation 6 but, according to a new report, Project Helix is likely to turn out to be even more expensive than initially projected. 

This comes from a profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma on Fortune, which makes several claims around the company’s future plans, based on internal sources. 

According to the report, Project Helix will cost between $1,200 (£896) and $1,800 (£1,344), ‘unless Microsoft decides to subsidise the cost’.

Additionally, it’s claimed Microsoft will release a next generation handheld device by Christmas 2027, with Project Helix set to follow ‘by the holidays in 2028’. 

Neither Sony or Microsoft have officially announced release dates for their next consoles, but the general expectation was sometime in 2027. Based on this report however, and the fact Sony is also believed to be cooking up a handheld, they might both have the same strategy of pushing back their home consoles to 2028. 

The big question is, even at the lower end of that potential price window, who will be able to afford it? Xbox is struggling to make a convincing case for the Xbox Series X/S right now, never mind a more expensive machine around the £1,000 price mark. 

There are ways Xbox could aggressively lean into its assets. Following its pivot back to exclusive games, the company could take a big swing by making the next Fallout, or The Elder Scrolls 6, exclusive to Project Helix. However, it would almost certainly lose money in the long run by doing so, especially when it’s seen what it can make off PlayStation players through successful ports like Forza Horizon 5. 

Alternatively, the next generation race might lean harder on subscriptions to help subsidise the cost in some way. According to Fortune, Xbox is planning a ‘major overhaul’ of Game Pass that will see ‘players choose features à la carte’, like add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer.

Could a more expensive tier, perhaps, allow you to pay off your console through monthly instalments, after a cheaper down payment? Microsoft has dabbled with similar ideas in the past, but none have proven very successful.

Based on the raw materials alone, Xbox has a difficult road ahead. Trusted leaker Kepler_L2 has claimed the bill of materials for the PlayStation 6 is ‘approximately $200 (£149) lower’ than Xbox’s console. While this doesn’t factor in all of the costs involved, it still suggests Project Helix will end up being more expensive than Sony’s machine overall. 

To put it bluntly, Xbox isn’t in a position where it can call the shots with a pricier machine, compared to the competition, so it’s going to have to figure out some way to either subsidise the costs, or aggressively leverage its IP in a way that will make the console more enticing. 

There’s not a clear answer, but at a time when Xbox is butchering studios like id Software with widespread layoffs, and when Microsoft is actively contributing to the memory crisis by investing in AI data centres, it’s hard not to think they’ve made this bed themselves. 

According to the same report, more layoffs at Xbox are on the horizon too. It’s claimed the next round of cuts will take place this month and again in January 2027. 

This comes after Xbox announced plans to lay off 3,200 people across its division. This began in July, when it cut 1,600 jobs, while an additional 268 people were let go in September.

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