Project Helix could break the bank due to high part costs and shortages.
Xbox
Fortune published a lengthy profile of new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma that included some snippets of information about the company's upcoming plans. The much-discussed Project Helix, Xbox's a next-gen gaming console that will also play PC games, got some mentions, including potential pricing and release timing. The next hardware release from Xbox is reportedly a handheld device that's slated to arrive for the 2027 holiday season, with the full console to come in the same time period during 2028.
In a different interview in August, Sharma hinted that Project Helix would be a "family" of gaming devices, so the news of multiple releases isn't a surprise. The more shocking development is around price. Fortune reported that the Project Helix console is currently projected to cost between $1,200 and $1,800 unless Microsoft opts to subsidize the hardware.
If that does turn out to be the going rate, and it definitely could be given the ongoing explosion in prices for RAM and other components driven by AI development, it might be a major roadblock for Sharma's goal of seeing Xbox reach more than 1 billion people daily.
A lot could still change in the next two years. It's possible this high figure is being teased so that when the actual price is lower, Microsoft and Xbox might appear more benevolent toward customers. Or the price really will be that eye-poppingly high, and Xbox will face a steep climb to grow from its current reported level of 100 million daily active users. It's hard to imagine people shelling out that much for hardware from the beleaguered brand when they could opt for the currently cheaper Steam Machine.
Another detail shared with Fortune includes a potential overhaul of Xbox's Game Pass to have a la carte pricing with add-ons for "console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer," according to unnamed insiders. The next rounds of layoffs in Xbox's ongoing downsizing effort are also expected to come this month, followed by additional cuts planned for November and January.