Earlier this week, Microsoft announced its next Xbox, which is codenamed Project Helix. Aside from its ability to play Xbox and PC games, there haven’t been many details released about it. But according to analyst and Kantan Games founder Dr. Serkan Toto, the price for Project Helix could be $900 or even higher.
“The PS5 Pro is $750 in the US, while the Xbox Series X with 2TB is [$800],” Toto told GamesRadar. “There is absolutely no reason to expect Project Helix to be cheaper, so a base model could be priced at $900 and a more premium version at even more than that.”
Toto believes that the RAM crisis could be over by the time Project Helix is put into production, but he added that “fans should brace for an expensive machine in any case.”
Project Helix’s PC capabilities mean it won’t just be competing with PlayStation 6. Valve’s Steam Machine has to be seen as a major competitor as well, especially since it’s expected to be released this year. The company has been very vague about Steam Machine’s pricing, but Valve software engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais told Skill Up that the price will be close to what it might cost to build a PC with “basically the same level of performance.” The Steam Machine was delayed earlier this year due to the ongoing RAM shortages.
Toto also noted that Project Helix “might be Microsoft’s last attempt to make their hardware business work.” PlayStation 5 has an insurmountable lead over Xbox Series X|S for this console generation, and many of Xbox’s exclusive titles are already on or heading to PS5. However, Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO Asha Sharma has seemingly expressed a willingness to consider going back to Xbox-exclusive games in the future.