Since the release of the original Xbox, Microsoft has kept fans on their toes (and wrists deep in their pockets) with generational console launches that change the gaming landscape for years to come. As of this year, it’s officially been six years since the launch of the Xbox Series X|S, which means that it’s high time for the next one to come out.
Project Helix, the codename for Microsoft’s flagship console for its tenth-generation gaming lineup, is expected to be announced soon, along with its price. Tech journalist Moore’s Law is Dead posted a YouTube video that paints a pretty simple picture of what we can look forward to concerning price, and he thinks it will go for a minimum of $999.
What Do We Know About Project Helix?
Currently, there’s not a lot to be known. However, for anyone who’s tried to build a PC in the last year or so, you can imagine how much the hardware is likely going to cost. If the console really does end up letting you play console and PC games, then the rising costs of things like RAM and GPUs in this current market are already a red flag.
That’s exactly what Moore’s Law is Dead thought too. He roughly broke down the potential costs that Xbox would likely pay for parts and said,
“If Microsoft wanted to sell this thing at cost, they could probably do so at about $900, if it was mass manufactured at a large scale. So, I will say that. So, anyone who thinks it will be $2000, I don’t think the bomb cost suggests that. However I do expect them to at least make a small profit on it, so my estimate would be that if Xbox wanted to be kind of aggressive, it would go for $999.”
Gamers also have to take into consideration that Valve just yesterday announced that it intends to launch the Steam Machine at some point this year. While the hardware’s price has not been announced yet, the competition is already there, and that will also factor into the final price.
Project Helix has reportedly been in development for a decade, according to an article posted to Kotaku by none other than Jason Schreier (now of Bloomberg) in 2017. While the console itself was not referred to by the codename, it did reference Microsoft’s overall strategy to converge Xbox and PC. Now, Xbox has officially brought it to life via an Instagram post that officially recognizes it as more than just a codename.
Once Project Helix does launch, it will definitely set a record high for console prices. It’s likely still a year or two away, but with rising hardware costs, the reality is that the console is looking to be a lot higher than just $999.