Fortune has spoken with Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, who has given them a great deal of information about the company’s new console, Helix. With a new handheld slated for Christmas 2027, and the main console for Christmas 2028, perhaps the most surprising thing is the price. According to the brand’s chief, its price would be between $1,200 and $1,800.
Xbox goes all out
That said, there’s a catch to this price. This would be the console’s production cost. At Xbox they’re still deciding whether the console will be subsidized or not and to what extent. If they decided to do so, that would mean they would sell it at a loss, on the assumption they’d make money elsewhere—subscriptions, peripherals, and games, mainly—in order to build a larger installed base. A strategy that both Sony and Xbox have used in the past, but which Sony have already confirmed they don’t plan to repeat in the next console generation with PlayStation 6.
In addition, Sharma has confirmed some other interesting details about the console. For example, while Microsoft wanted the new console to use Windows, the Xbox team flatly refused, insisting on using its own operating system. To the point of considering canceling the project.
Also, Sharma has confirmed that the plan to lay off 3,200 Xbox developers is continuing and that these rounds of layoffs will happen, most likely, in October, November, and January. Although these dates have not yet been finalized. This only adds more uncertainty for people who see their jobs hanging by a thread in a company that seems less and less welcoming.
