Microsoft's Project Helix Console Tipped for $1,200 to $1,800 Price Range in 2028

Projected 2028 Console Price

Microsoft announced Project Helix in March as a device that will "play your Xbox and PC games," but few details had emerged since. According to Fortune, the company has internally projected a price of $1,200 to $1,800 for a console targeting the 2028 holiday season.

The consumer price could come down if Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost, Fortune says, as many console makers have done in the past.

Even accounting for inflation, a $1,200 starting price would be historically high for the game console market. Fortune attributes this to a new normal in which the slowdown in Moore's Law and AI-driven component shortages make cutting-edge gaming hardware more expensive. This year, the Steam Machine broke the $1,000 starting price, the PlayStation 5 Pro with two-year-old technology now goes for $900, and the six-year-old Xbox Series X starts at $750.

Handheld OS Dispute

Fortune also reports internal clashes over whether the upcoming Helix handheld, planned for release by the end of next year, will run a trimmed-down version of Windows Home, similar to last year's ROG Xbox Ally, or a bespoke operating system built and controlled by the Xbox group.

Citing people briefed on the clash, Fortune writes that one high-level executive threatened to cancel the handheld altogether if forced to use Windows. The dispute has seemingly led to the current situation, with the Xbox team now largely controlling the operating system direction for the project. Sharma said the two groups are still working closely together.

Faster Timelines and Game Pass Changes

The profile adds that Microsoft has pressured the hardware team to move up the timelines for Project Helix hardware by at least several months, in part by using AI tools where applicable.

Separately, Fortune cites people familiar with the strategy in reporting that Xbox Game Pass will soon shift to a heavily tiered "a la carte" structure. Subscribers would pick and choose add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming, and multiplayer, a shift from current Game Pass plans, which all include some level of cloud-based gaming, console exclusives, and console multiplayer even for players who do not use them.

Sale and Spinoff Speculation

Fortune also addresses concerns from several current and former staff members that Sharma was put in place merely to enact painful cuts before an impending sale of a spinoff of the Xbox group. Microsoft executive Judson Althoff pushed back against that idea, saying, "We would not have put [Sharma] on a business we intend to sell. There's going to be a ton of speculation about all this. Time will tell."

Sources: Ars Technica · Engadget