The Next Xbox Could Cost Up to $1,800: What We Know About Project Helix's Price

The next Xbox could cost up to $1,800. That's the number Microsoft has reportedly projected internally for its next-generation console, codenamed Project Helix, if it sells the hardware without taking a loss. It's not an official price, but it fits a pattern every gamer has already felt: consoles keep getting more expensive, not cheaper. Here's what was reported, what's confirmed, and whether anyone would actually pay that.

Last updated October 26, 2026. The original report is from October 21. This is a report, not an announcement.

What was reported

The numbers come from a Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, first reported around October 21 and picked up by Forbes, Kotaku, GameSpot and others. This article looks back at what was reported and how it compares with today's prices. According to those reports:

• Microsoft has internally projected a price of $1,200 to $1,800 for its next console, Project Helix, if it's sold unsubsidized, meaning at or above what it costs to make.
• The console is reportedly targeting holiday 2028. Video Games Chronicle describes that as an internal target, not a locked date.
• A separate Xbox handheld could come first, around holiday 2027. No price was reported for it.
• Sharma is also reportedly looking at reworking Game Pass so players can pick some features à la carte, such as cloud gaming or multiplayer, while keeping subscription tiers.

What's not confirmed: Microsoft hasn't announced a price, a release date or specs. No named Microsoft executive has confirmed the $1,200 to $1,800 range on the record. Xbox's CTO also publicly disputed parts of the Fortune story about how the Xbox and Windows teams work together.

Why it could be that expensive

This isn't coming out of nowhere. Microsoft has already raised Xbox prices three times in about 15 months, and the latest increase, on August 1, 2026, put the Xbox Series X at $799.99 in the US. Microsoft blamed memory and storage: it said those costs have risen more than 2.5 times and could double again by fall 2027, largely because AI data centres are buying up the same chips.

A next-gen console needs much more memory and a much stronger chip than a Series X. If parts keep getting pricier and Microsoft stops selling hardware at a loss, a four-digit price stops sounding crazy.

How it compares with today's consoles

Here's what Microsoft charges for the current Xbox Series X on its own US store right now:

And how all the main consoles compare (see the chart at the top):

• Xbox Series S: $499.99 (512GB)
• PlayStation 5: $649.99, after Sony's April 2026 increase
• Xbox Series X: $799.99 with a disc drive, $749.99 All-Digital, $899.99 for the X25 Limited Edition
• PlayStation 5 Pro: $899.99
• Next Xbox (reported projection): $1,200 to $1,800

Even the low end would be more than the PS5 Pro. The high end is gaming-PC money.

Will Microsoft really charge that?

Probably not the full $1,800, at least not for the main model. Console makers have usually sold hardware at a loss and made the money back on games, subscriptions and accessories. Kotaku notes that Microsoft says it already subsidizes each Xbox by roughly $100 to $200. The projection is what the console would cost without that help, so the real price depends on how much Microsoft is willing to eat. A cheaper model, the handheld, or more expensive Game Pass tiers could all be part of the answer.

It's also two years away. Memory prices could fall, plans could change, and Sony's next PlayStation will put pressure on Microsoft from the other side.

My take

$1,800 for a console is a joke. Most people buy a console exactly because they don't want to spend PC money. If Xbox launches at anything close to that, it's not a console for normal families anymore; it's a luxury gadget, and plenty of players will just switch to PlayStation, a gaming PC or the cloud. I'd bet Microsoft lands somewhere lower, but the direction is clear: the era of the $400 console is over. Would you pay over $1,000 for the next Xbox?