Microsoft reportedly projects $1,200 to $1,800 price for 2028 Project Helix
Fortune reports that Microsoft plans to release Project Helix hardware in 2028 at a price of roughly $1,200 to $1,800. The same profile covers expected changes to Xbox Game Pass and shifts inside the company's Xbox division.
Fortune magazine reports that the technology company Microsoft plans to release hardware under the name Project Helix in 2028, with a price that could range from $1,200 to $1,800. Ars Technica relays the information as a report, not as an official company announcement.
Xbox team steers the operating system
According to Fortune, the Xbox team now largely controls the direction of the project's operating system. Sharma, who was placed in a leadership role at the Xbox division, said the two groups are still working closely together. The magazine also says Microsoft has pressed the hardware team to bring Project Helix timelines forward by at least several months, partly by using AI tools where applicable.
Game Pass may change
People familiar with the strategy told Fortune that the Xbox Game Pass subscription service will soon move to a heavily tiered, a la carte structure. Subscribers could pick add-ons for console-only games, cloud gaming and multiplayer. Today, all Game Pass plans include some level of cloud gaming, console exclusives and console multiplayer, even for players who do not use them.
Concerns about a sale
Fortune also covers worries from several current and former staff members that Sharma was installed only to carry out painful cuts ahead of a sale of a spinoff of the Xbox group. Microsoft executive Judson Althoff rejected that idea. He said the company would not have put Sharma on a business it intends to sell, adding that there will be a lot of speculation and that time will tell.
