Microsoft's 2028 Project Helix console reportedly projected at $1,200 to $1,800
Microsoft has said little about its "Project Helix" gaming hardware since announcing it in March as a device that will "play your Xbox and PC games." A new wide-ranging Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma now adds some detail, as relayed by Ars Technica.
Fortune alludes to a dual release strategy. One part is "a next-generation handheld device" planned by the end of next year. The other is a console release in the 2028 holiday season that could cost between $1,200 and $1,800.
That console price range is based on what has "internally been projected" at Microsoft, according to Fortune. The outlet adds that the consumer price could come down if "Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost," as many console makers have done in the past.
Ars Technica notes that a $1,200 starting price would be historically high for the console market, even accounting for inflation. It calls this a new normal: the slowdown in Moore's Law and AI-driven component shortages mean cutting-edge gaming hardware is not as cheap as it used to be. As reference points, the Steam Machine broke the $1,000 starting price this year, the PlayStation 5 Pro, built on 2-year-old technology, is now going for $900, and the 6-year-old Xbox Series X now starts at $750.
Fortune also reports that Microsoft is beset by internal clashes over what the Helix handheld will run. One option is a "trimmed-down version of Windows Home," which Ars Technica compares to last year's ROG Xbox Ally. The other is a bespoke operating system built and controlled by the Xbox group. Citing "people briefed on the clash," Fortune says one high-level executive threatened to cancel the handheld altogether if they were forced to use Windows.
Key facts
- Fortune reports that a Microsoft console planned for the 2028 holiday season could cost between $1,200 and $1,800, based on what has "internally been projected."
- Fortune alludes to a dual release strategy: a next-generation handheld by the end of next year, then the console in 2028.
- The consumer price could come down if Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost, per Fortune.
- For comparison, Ars Technica cites the Steam Machine above $1,000 at launch this year, the PlayStation 5 Pro at $900 and the Xbox Series X starting at $750.
- Fortune also reports internal clashes over whether the Helix handheld runs a trimmed-down Windows Home or an Xbox-controlled operating system; one executive reportedly threatened to cancel the handheld if forced to use Windows.
Why it matters
Microsoft announced Project Helix in March as a device that will "play your Xbox and PC games" and has shared few details since. This is the first indication in the source of timing and price: a handheld by the end of next year and a console in the 2028 holiday season. A $1,200 starting price would be historically high for consoles even after adjusting for inflation. Ars Technica ties that to the slowdown in Moore's Law and AI-driven component shortages, and points to this year's Steam Machine passing $1,000 as a sign of where pricing is heading.
Who it affects
Console and handheld buyers are the most obvious group, since the projected range sits well above today's $750 Xbox Series X and $900 PlayStation 5 Pro. It also touches the Xbox group, which Fortune says is split with other parts of Microsoft over whether the handheld should use Windows or an Xbox-built operating system. Rival hardware makers appear in the comparison only as price reference points.
How to use it
There is nothing to buy or configure yet. Treat the $1,200 to $1,800 range as a signal about where Microsoft's planning has been, not a price list. The handheld is described as arriving by the end of next year and the console in the 2028 holiday season. The source gives no price for the handheld.
How solid is it
Weak to moderate. Everything here is Fortune's reporting as relayed by Ars Technica, and Fortune only "alludes" to the release strategy. Microsoft has not confirmed the price, the release dates or the dual release strategy in this text. The price range rests on internal projections, and the clash over the operating system rests on anonymous sources who are not named. The executive who threatened to cancel the handheld is not identified.
Risks and caveats
The projected price is a figure from internal planning, not a decision, and Fortune says it could fall if Microsoft subsidizes the cost. The source does not say whether a subsidy is planned. No specs, official name or hardware details of either device are given. The reported dispute over Windows could change the handheld's plans, and the cancellation threat is one anonymous-source claim. Dates this far out, especially for a 2028 console, can easily shift.
“Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost”
— Fortune, quoted by Ars Technica, on how the consumer price of the console could come down