Further details emerged today regarding Xbox’s hardware roadmap for the coming years, with Fortune reporting that a next-generation handheld is targeted for 2027, alongside the Project Helix console in 2028.
Regarding the handheld, the outlet describes it only as a “next-generation handheld device” expected to arrive “by the 2027 holiday season,” while also noting internal disputes at Microsoft over which software it should run.
“Windows leaders wanted an upcoming handheld device to use a trimmed-down version of Windows Home. Sharma’s team, meanwhile, has sought to build and control its own software to get the best gaming performance.”
A senior Xbox executive apparently even threatened to scrap the project entirely over these tensions, but Xbox is now “largely controlling the direction” of the operating system. Asha Sharma nonetheless emphasised to the outlet that the teams remain closely collaborative and still require Windows’ support to build Project Helix.
Sharma emphasized the two still collaborate closely, saying, “We can’t build Helix on our own.”
Xbox has already kind of released a handheld over the past two years in the form of the ROG Xbox Ally, Ally X and Ally X20, but this appears set to be a first-party device rather than one produced by ASUS.
Meanwhile, the next-generation Helix console is reportedly now slated for 2028, with a potential price described as steep – it is said to cost anything up to $1,800 unless Microsoft decides to subsidise it.
“As it stands, the price of the Helix console has internally been projected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800, unless Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost.”
Xbox’s Asha Sharma was quoted just a few weeks ago teasing multiple hardware devices for the next generation of Xbox. In a statement to employees, she reportedly told them that Xbox will develop some things internally and partner with external companies on others, leaving open whether more affordable options are being prepared to sit alongside the main Project Helix console when it releases in 2028.
Many unknowns remain as things stand, and the ongoing component crisis will undoubtedly have a major impact on the price tags attached to Xbox’s hardware over the coming years.
As always, reports and rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt, and it is worth remembering that things can change quickly in gaming. For now, these are the plans as reported.
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