Xbox Prepares New Console for $1800, Portable System, and Major Game Pass Reform

The full-fledged console will not be released before 2028.

Xbox head Asha Sharma discussed Microsoft's plans for the next generation of gaming hardware, the future of Game Pass, and the division's development strategy. According to Fortune, the company expects to release a new portable system by the 2027 holiday season, and a full-fledged next-generation console by the end of 2028. The cost of the latter may be significantly higher than the market's usual level.

According to Fortune, Microsoft expects to release its next-generation console in the 2028 holiday season. Internally, its cost is reportedly estimated to be in the range of $1200 to $1800, unless Microsoft decides to subsidize part of the production costs.

Simultaneously, Xbox plans to introduce a new portable device by the 2027 holiday season. The development of both products is linked to broader changes in the division's strategy, which aims to strengthen its position in the gaming market.

One of the key projects remains Project Helix — the next-generation hardware platform. Disagreements have already arisen between the Xbox and Windows teams regarding its software.

According to Fortune sources, Windows executives wanted to use a lightweight version of Windows Home in the future portable device. Sharma's team, on the other hand, sought to create and control its own software to achieve maximum gaming performance.

The disagreements were so serious that one high-ranking Xbox executive, sources claim, threatened to abandon the portable system project if the team had to accept the Windows option.

Ultimately, Xbox gained significantly more control over the direction of operating system development for the project. However, Sharma emphasized that the division cannot work in isolation from other Microsoft teams.

According to Fortune, Microsoft is considering allowing users to individually select the Game Pass subscription features they need.

This refers to a multi-tiered subscription system where players can combine various features, including:

• console game access
• cloud gaming
• online multiplayer
• additional options related to individual games and platforms

This model could significantly change the familiar Game Pass format. Instead of choosing exclusively between ready-made plans, users would potentially gain more control over what features they pay for.

However, specific prices, the composition of future packages, and the timing of the new system's implementation have not yet been disclosed.