What we know so far: Memory shortages from the AI boom have cast doubt on the release timing and pricing of Sony's and Microsoft's next-generation consoles. While rumors had pointed to a possible 2027 launch, a new report pushes that back another year and supports estimates that both devices could break the $1,000 barrier.
According to Fortune, Microsoft is aiming to launch its next-generation console, codenamed Helix, in time for the 2028 holiday season. As memory costs climb, its price has internally been projected at anywhere between $1,200 and $1,800, unless the company subsidizes the hardware.
Another new Xbox, a handheld, could arrive by the 2027 holiday season. It would presumably support digital Xbox console games, unlike Asus' Xbox-branded ROG Xbox Ally, which is little more than a Windows handheld.
The details come from the outlet's extensive profile of Xbox's CEO, Asha Sharma, who replaced Phil Spencer earlier this year. Sources also told Fortune that Sharma plans to overhaul the Game Pass subscription service into an à la carte model, where users pick specific add-ons and online features.
The CEO has previously said she wants to make the service more affordable, and Microsoft has already partially reversed its disastrous price hikes.
Helix could cost more than double, and possibly more than triple, the Series X's $500 launch price from 2020, because AI data centers have absorbed most memory and storage manufacturing capacity, quintupling DRAM and NAND costs. Microsoft, a major player in the AI boom, has already raised the Series X's price several times.
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