A gaming industry leaker has stated that the upcoming Project Helix console from Xbox could set consumers back at least $1,000 after factoring in the costs of some key components. However, the next-gen Xbox system could be much faster in rasterization and ray tracing performance than the current Xbox Series X console, and could rival some high-end gaming PCs as well.
The news came a day after Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma revealed the codename of the next-gen Xbox system as Project Helix. Sharma stated that Project Helix would “lead in performance” and allow gamers to play both PC and Xbox games on the same device. Sharma stated that she would discuss Project Helix with Xbox’s partners and studios at GDC’s Festival of Gaming next week in San Francisco, starting March 9. Sharma’s statement about giving users the ability to play PC and Xbox games on the system essentially confirmed some long-standing rumors about the next-gen Xbox console’s game library. However, other official details remain elusive.
Diablo 4 is Officially Crossing Over With Doom
Diablo 4’s ‘Season of Slaughter’ is set to begin in a few days’ time, and it’ll bring with it an official crossover with Doom: The Dark Ages.
Next-Gen Xbox Buyers May Need to Set Aside a Grand
Although the cost of Xbox’s Project Helix has not been officially revealed by Microsoft, that has not stopped a gaming and tech industry leaker from making a prediction based on the costs of its components. Moore’s Law is Dead stated during a March 5 YouTube stream that the price of Xbox’s Project Helix could easily reach $1,000, but would not cost more than $1,500. This predicted MSRP would put Xbox Project Helix in the same price range as the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X handheld console, which currently costs $999 before taxes and fees are applied. However, this cost could be offset by Project Helix’s capability of acting as an affordable gaming PC that can run Windows, along with apps like Steam and Battle.net out of the box. Moore’s Law is Dead also stated that Project Helix would have five times more rasterization performance and up to 20 times improved ray tracing compared to the Xbox Series X.
Moore’s Law is Dead broke down how much the specs of the next-gen Xbox could be priced compared to other components on the market. Given that both Xbox Project Helix and Sony’s PlayStation 6 are stated to use an AMD Magnus APU, it will use the same RDNA5 graphical architecture as AMD’s yet-unnamed successor to the Radeon RX 9070 XT. By comparison, the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5 utilize a custom version of AMD’s RDNA2 graphics with a Zen 2 processor. AMD stated that the predicted cost of its next-gen GPU is around $550, a slight decrease from the original $600 MSRP of the RX 9070 XT.
Project Helix’s Specs and Features Could Justify the Potential Cost
While the proposed AMD GPU cost would already put it within $100 of the Xbox Series X console, Moore’s Law is Dead added in how much the system’s CPU and RAM could increase the price. Project Helix’s price could be further exacerbated by the ongoing DRAM shortage crisis, as the costs of essential PC and console components have risen exponentially since the fall of 2025. With Microsoft also not looking to sell the console at a loss, the total cost of Xbox Project Helix could also be justified by the technical leap in performance, as well as its compatibility with PC and Xbox games. However, Moore’s Law is Dead stated that, despite how prices are in flux, users would “riot” if Project Helix was $1,500 or higher.
As of this writing, other rumors have stated that the next-gen Xbox console may not launch in 2027 due to market uncertainty amid the RAM crisis. Given that the price of Xbox’s Project Helix has not been officially stated by Microsoft, all rumors about it should still be taken with a fine grain of salt. Time will tell when Microsoft will share more details about Project Helix, and how much users will have to pay for the new system.
