Xbox Project Helix Could Cost $1,200 to $1,800 in 2028

Microsoft is reportedly preparing players for a premium price tag on its next Xbox hardware. According to the report, the company is projecting that Project Helix, its planned 2028 console, could sell for somewhere between $1,200 and $1,800. That range would sit far above today's consoles and suggests Microsoft expects high-end hardware to stay expensive through the end of the decade.

The figures are a projection, not a confirmed retail price, and the report does not explain how the company arrived at them. Still, they are a notable signal. Console prices have been climbing for years as component, memory and manufacturing costs rise, but a four-figure sticker would be a first for a mainstream Xbox. The report also leaves open whether that number applies to a standard model, a premium variant or a bundle.

The same report says Microsoft is working on its own gaming handheld, with a launch apparently aimed at next year. Details about that device were not part of the summary. Portable PC gaming is already a crowded field, with Valve's Steam Deck and a number of Windows-based handhelds on the market, so a first-party Xbox handheld would give Microsoft a direct stake in that space.

Until Microsoft confirms either plan on the record, both should be read as reported expectations rather than announced products. Pricing and launch timing can shift considerably between a leak and a release, so readers should treat these numbers as an early indication of where the company may be heading.