Xbox Project Helix Official Price Update Is Bad News

Published Jul 30, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Xbox Project Helix absolutely has the potential to be something amazing. Before Asha Sharma took over, the console was rumored to ostensibly be a PC, a boutique device that would practically remove the disparity between consoles and their superior counterpart. Even now, it seems like Project Helix could be the console to end all consoles, should the many leaks and rumors surrounding its design and specs actually end up coming true. However, one consistent major concern about Xbox Project Helix has been its price. Many have feared that it could cost an extortionate amount, which would, invariably, lock a significant portion of the Xbox fandom and any future gaming enthusiasts looking to invest in the Xbox ecosystem out of their favorite hobby. Until recently, the price has largely been speculative, with many basing it off of vague comments and unrelated details. However, now, we practically have confirmation that Project Helix won't be cheap, and it's a terrifying prospect. Xbox's Project Helix Won't Come Cheap We've all known for quite some time now that Xbox's Project Helix will cost a small fortune due to the rising cost of RAM. These parts are essential for console hardware production and have, sadly, drastically increased in price over the past few years due to AI companies swallowing them up in droves. It has become far too expensive to produce the number needed at mass scale, and thus prices have soared to meteoric heights in a move that has completely destroyed any potential of getting a reasonably priced next-gen console before 2030. Naturally, people were expecting Xbox Project Helix to cost around $1,000, which would have already been prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of gamers. However, it would appear that the situation is significantly more dire. According to Windows Central, Xbox is losing around $150 per Xbox Series X/S sold as they cost more to produce than the company is selling them for. To be clear, this is after the most recent round of Xbox price hikes, meaning that even at upwards of $800 for a current gen piece of hardware, Xbox is losing money. To put that into perspective, Xbox has to be paying around $950 per console that uses hardware that's over half a decade out of date. If users want an updated piece of kit that more closely resembles a PC, then they'll need to charge well over $1,000 for it to be even remotely profitable. Additionally, they wouldn't be able to make Xbox Project Helix compatible with storefronts like Steam, as this would potentially eat into its software sales that subsidize much of the hardware expenses, which would, in turn, make the console even more expensive. This Is Bad News For The PlayStation 6, Too Those on PlayStation won't fair any better, as the situation is likely the same over there too. Even after Sony gutted physical media and thus the need for a disc drive, and even if it offers a cost-efficient console (which is the current rumor), it will still need to charge more than the PS5 Pro, a console that currently costs $900. A handheld PS6 device could make things a little cheaper, but even the cheapest Xbox ROG Ally costs $600, which is far more than the PS5 cost at launch, and more than it should cost now. Even if the report by Windows Central ends up not being true, unless both Sony and Microsoft wait until 2030 at the absolute earliest, these console prices will be so unaffordable, they may end up being the worst selling consoles of all time, irrespective of quality or how well their games are reviewed. Unfortunately, Sony absolutely cannot afford to wait until 2030, as its reputation is currently in tatters, and it needs some form of good will. Additionally, if it wants to sustain the PS5 into the PS6's lifespan (much like it did with the PS4 when the PS5 came out), then it'll need to start soon, as the PlayStation 5 will be 10 years old by 2030, which is older than the current Switch. The same can be said for Xbox, whose Series X/S consoles have always sold poorly and will only continue to do so. Suffice it to say, the situation is dire, and the Xbox Project Helix console could end up being a disaster based solely on price. Xbox Founded November 15, 2001 Owner Microsoft Known For Halo, Forza, Gears of War