- Primary Subject: Next-Gen Xbox Pricing
- Key Update: The next Xbox console, Project Helix, may be delayed until 2028 and could cost up to $1,800.
- Status: Analysis
- Last Verified: 2026-10-21
- Quick Answer: Check out the potential for the next Xbox console, Project Helix, to face delays and a significantly high price point due to component shortages and market trends.
Surprise: not only could the newest Xbox be delayed until 2028, but it might also carry a ludicrous initial price tag that could reach as high as $1,800.
The information comes from a massive Fortune feature and interview with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. The piece states that internal cost projections put the Helix console at somewhere between $1,200 and $1,800.
If you’ve been paying attention to the current landscape of hardware components, this should come as no surprise. AI data centers are hoarding key components required for the mass production of consoles, PCs, and practically every other technological gizmo.
It’s the main reason why you’ve constantly seen the PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X rise in price—making this the first generation of gaming consoles that, instead of depreciating over time, have actually become more expensive.
In any case, considering there is currently an Xbox console on the market that retails for $800, it’s not at all shocking that Project Helix far surpasses that figure. After all, the Series X is turning 6 in a couple of months, so it’s far from being a cutting-edge piece of hardware.
Microsoft could ultimately decide to subsidize some of those costs. The company, alongside Sony, has long sold its consoles at a loss while betting on recouping those margins via software sales. That would be the best-case scenario, but we can’t really speculate on how much money that would save consumers until we get more concrete information.
Another major factor that will likely work against the new generation of hardware is that we’ve entered a period of diminishing returns. Developers are still trying to fully grasp Unreal Engine 5, and even when they manage to ship a mostly bug-free title, the bump in visual fidelity that a prospective new set of consoles could achieve would likely be minimal—especially when considering tools like DLSS, which help even the more modest Nintendo Switch 2 run current-gen games at respectable resolutions.
It’s a troublesome time for console manufacturers, and it could prove just as grim for consumers if the price of the upcoming Project Helix turns it into an exclusive luxury item rather than a mainstream gaming device.
And that’s it. Stick with us at Gfinityesports.com: your go-to source for all things Xbox.