£1,500 for the next Xbox? That is gaming-PC money, not the sort of price most players expect to see on a console. But a new report about Microsoft’s Project Helix has made that uncomfortable prospect worth considering.
Fortune says Microsoft has considered an internal consumer-price projection of $1,200 to $1,800 for Project Helix. There is no confirmed Xbox Project Helix UK price, and the finished console might cost less. Still, with a standard Series X now listed at £669.99, a four-figure successor does not feel quite as far-fetched as it once did.
A simple currency conversion will not tell us what British shops might charge. Nor is the next generation a straightforward Xbox-versus-PlayStation contest: Microsoft is working on a machine for console and PC games, while Sony has yet to announce when its next PlayStation will launch or what it will cost.
Where the $1,800 Xbox figure comes from
The price claim comes from a 20 October investigation by Fortune into Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma’s plans for Microsoft’s gaming business. Fortune reports that Project Helix has been internally projected to cost consumers $1,200–$1,800, unless Microsoft chooses to subsidise it.
That is not a retailer listing, an official price announcement or a promise that an $1,800 model will exist. It is reporting about an internal projection for hardware that is still in development. A change to the specification, the manufacturing deal or Microsoft’s profit margin could alter the eventual price substantially.
Microsoft might also decide to absorb some of the hardware cost. Console manufacturers have traditionally been willing to take smaller margins on the box itself, hoping to earn money from games, accessories and services afterwards. We do not know whether Microsoft plans to use that approach for Helix.
Fortune also reports a planned late-2028 release for the next home console and a separate next-generation Xbox handheld targeted for late 2027. Those dates have not been confirmed by Microsoft either.
Xbox Project Helix UK price: what could it cost?
On 3 November 2026, £1 was worth approximately $1.34. At that rate, the reported US range converts to about £895–£1,343 before considering UK tax or regional pricing.
British shelf prices normally include VAT, currently 20% for games consoles. American advertised prices generally exclude local sales taxes. If we take the reported dollar figures as US pre-tax consumer prices, convert them to sterling and then add 20% purely as an illustration, the numbers look like this:
| Reported US figure | Direct conversion | Illustration with 20% UK VAT |
|---|---|---|
| $1,200 | About £895 | About £1,074 |
| $1,500 | About £1,119 | About £1,343 |
| $1,800 | About £1,343 | About £1,611 |
£1,500 sits inside that illustrative range. But these are sums based on a reported projection and one day’s exchange rate, not evidence that Microsoft has set a £1,500 UK price.
A manufacturer does not simply convert the American price and add VAT. Exchange-rate planning, shipping, retailer margins, competition and any hardware subsidy also affect the final sticker price. The pound could move substantially before Helix launches. The table shows how expensive the reported figures are in British terms; it is not a forecast.
Today’s console prices make the concern harder to dismiss
The Xbox Series X arrived in Britain in November 2020 at £449. The standard 1TB model with a disc drive is now listed by Microsoft at £669.99 estimated retail price. That is roughly 49% above its original launch price for the same console generation.
Sony has raised prices too. Its April 2026 recommended UK prices put the PS5 Digital Edition at £519.99, the disc-equipped PS5 at £569.99 and PS5 Pro at £789.99.
| Console | Published UK price |
|---|---|
| Xbox Series X, 1TB, disc drive | £669.99 ERP |
| PS5 Digital Edition | £519.99 RRP |
| PS5 with disc drive | £569.99 RRP |
| PS5 Pro | £789.99 RRP |
£1,500 would still be an enormous jump — more than twice today’s Series X list price, and far above PS5 Pro. The £500 ceiling that many players associate with console launches is already gone, however. That is why the Helix report deserves attention, even if the final price ends up much lower.
What would players actually get for that money?
Microsoft has confirmed one important difference. In its Project Helix briefing in March, it described a next-generation first-party console designed to play Xbox console and PC games. A custom AMD chip is in development, with Microsoft promising major improvements in rendering and ray tracing. Developers are due to receive alpha hardware in 2027.
So this may not be a conventional Series X replacement. A machine that plays both Xbox and PC games from the sofa has genuine appeal, especially for people who like PC libraries but would rather avoid driver updates, launchers and endless settings menus.
There are catches. Microsoft has not confirmed that Steam, Epic Games Store or every other PC storefront will work on the finished console. It has not explained exactly how existing Xbox purchases, older games, physical discs or PC licences will carry over. Nor has it published a final specification or told us whether there will be several Helix configurations.
That is where an expensive console could win or lose people. Anyone who has spent years building an Xbox library will care at least as much about keeping those purchases as gaining another few frames per second. Our look at what Helix means for Series X|S owners covers the unanswered questions about compatibility and existing games.
Microsoft has also talked about a broader family of Xbox devices. That does not mean a possible handheld and the flagship console would have identical specifications, stores or prices. They could be aimed at quite different players.
At £1,500, the competition is a gaming PC
A £500 or £600 console can win people over by being easy to use. At £1,500, shoppers will understandably look at gaming desktops and laptops too. Windows hardware at that price can offer access to several game stores, plus uses beyond gaming. Helix would need a reason to sit alongside those alternatives.
A fixed-spec Xbox would still have advantages: a controller-first interface, predictable performance targets for developers and fewer settings to manage. For someone who wants to settle onto the sofa and play, those things count. Nobody should have to become their own IT department to start a game.
Sharper graphics and better ray tracing look great in a demonstration. Whether they are worth hundreds of pounds more at home is another matter. If a Series X already runs the games someone loves, the next Xbox must offer something they will genuinely use.
Microsoft may be able to provide that reason through genuinely straightforward PC compatibility, a broader library and enough performance headroom to last years. It has not demonstrated the finished experience yet, so treating Helix as an obvious replacement for a gaming PC would be getting ahead of the evidence.
Could PlayStation 6 be the cheaper choice?
Sony has said far less about its next console. That makes the precise PS6 prices circulating in social-media graphics especially suspect. Claims of a guaranteed 2027 release or a $900–$1,000 starting price are not official PlayStation announcements.
In a May 2026 investor Q&A, Sony said decisions on the timing and pricing of its next-generation platforms had not been made. It also pointed to rising memory costs and tight supply conditions expected to continue through 2027. Those pressures affect the cost of building consoles, regardless of which manufacturer is selling them.
It is tempting to imagine Sony sticking to a traditional PlayStation at a lower price while Microsoft builds an expensive console-PC hybrid. The companies may indeed choose different strategies, but there is no confirmed PS6 price to compare with the Helix projection.
The £789.99 PS5 Pro also shows that Sony sees room for premium hardware. A cheaper mainstream PS6, a more expensive premium model or another pricing approach are all possibilities, not announced plans.
There is no meaningful Xbox-versus-PS6 price comparison yet. We have Microsoft’s reported internal range, Sony’s acknowledgement of rising manufacturing costs and the prices on today’s shop shelves. Anything firmer would be a guess.
The purchase price is only part of the bill
Even a console that costs £1,500 can look relatively affordable when spread over several years. Across five years, the hardware alone works out at £300 a year, or £25 a month. That calculation does not reduce the amount of money a buyer needs upfront, though, and it leaves out everything else.
New games, Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, extra controllers, storage and accessories can all add to the total. A player with a large existing library may spend less than someone regularly buying full-price releases. A family purchasing more than one device faces a much bigger outlay.
Compatibility could be decisive. If Helix makes older Xbox purchases and supported PC games easier to use together, owners may get more value from money they have already spent. If libraries remain split between accounts, platforms and storefronts, the supposed freedom of a PC-style Xbox will feel much less convincing.
For anyone buying today, the practical question is whether a current console already does the job. Our long-term look at Xbox Series X in 2026 is a useful starting point before setting aside money for hardware that has neither a final specification nor a UK launch date.
When could Xbox Helix and PS6 arrive?
Microsoft plans to get Project Helix alpha hardware into developers’ hands in 2027. Fortune reports a late-2028 target for the home console and a possible handheld in late 2027. Neither retail date has been announced by Microsoft. Sony has not confirmed a PS6 release window.
They might not even arrive in the same year. If Xbox and PlayStation take different routes on hardware and price, the next contest could look nothing like the simultaneous Series X and PS5 launch. There is no sensible launch-day budget to set for either yet.
Tech Torque Verdict
A £1,500 Xbox is no longer an absurd thought. It is also nowhere near a confirmed UK price. Fortune’s reported internal projection is credible enough to investigate, and the sums show how a premium US price could turn into a daunting figure for British buyers. But Microsoft could still cut the retail price through subsidies or a different commercial strategy.
Project Helix could earn a premium by making console and PC gaming work together without sacrificing the simplicity people expect from Xbox. Do that well and there will be buyers who see the appeal. Offer little more than sharper graphics and a higher frame-rate target, and £1,500 would be a much harder sell.
Sony has yet to put PS6 pricing or timing on the record, so there is no honest basis for declaring it the bargain option. Until both companies show their finished plans, the sensible move is to judge the consoles already available on what they do today, rather than the price rumours attached to tomorrow’s hardware.
