As if game consoles had not risen quite a bit in price in recent years, everything indicates that things are going to get better with the tenth generation. Microsoft’s next Xbox could hit the market with a price of between 1,200 and 1,800 dollars, between 1,070 and 1,605 euros in exchangeaccording to internal company forecasts reported by Fortune in a report on Asha Sharmahead of Xbox.
According to the media, Microsoft plans launch a portable game console firstof which no expected price is mentioned, in Christmas 2027 and the successor to Xbox Series X/S in 2028. It is what is known as Project Helix. Microsoft presented it in March as its next generation of consoles, designed for run Xbox and PC games. It will use a custom chip amd and the company plans to begin delivering preliminary versions of the hardware to developers in 2027, although it has not yet detailed its full specifications.
But the price buyers pay when the time comes could be lower than those internal estimates if, as Fortune notes, ‘Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost’. The company would thus assume part of the cost of each video game console, a common practice in the sector to facilitate its sale and then obtain income from the games and services.
The possibility of such an expensive Xbox comes after This generation has broken the trend of making consoles cheaper as they age.. Moore’s Law Slowdown and AI-Caused Component Shortages Make Next-Gen Gaming Devices continue to rise in price despite the passing of the years.
In Spain, the PS5 with reader currently costs €649.99the PS5 Pro €899.99the Xbox Series X part of 749.99 euros in its digital version while the model with reader amounts to €799.99 and the recent Steam Machine of Valve exceeds the 1,000 euros starting
Microsoft’s latest rise has also affected the most economical Xbox Series S. Since August, the increases in Spain are 150 euros for the model 512GB and of €200 for the of 1TBwhich happen to cost 499.99 and 599.99 eurosrespectively, a decision that the company attributes to the sharp rise in memory and storage costs. That €499.99 that the Xbox Series S now costs is what the Xbox Series X was worth when it was launched in 2020.
The development of the future laptop has also caused clashes between Xbox and Windows teams. Those responsible for Windows defended a simplified version of Windows Home as the operating system of the next game console, while Xbox wanted to develop and control its own software.
The dispute reached the point that a senior executive threatened to cancel the laptop if he had to use Windows. According to Fortune, the Xbox team ‘now largely controls the direction of the project’s operating system’although Sharma assures that both groups continue to collaborate closely.
The changes will also reach Xbox Game Passwhich will adopt an à la carte structure divided into numerous levels. According to Fortune’s sources, subscribers will be able to choose add-ons for console games, cloud gaming and multiplayer, although their prices and when this reorganization would take effect are not yet known.