Microsoft is targeting the 2027 holiday season for a new Xbox handheld and the 2028 holidays for its next home console, according to a new Fortune report. The publication attributes the roadmap to people familiar with Xbox’s strategy, and Microsoft has not officially announced either launch window.
The report describes the next-generation hardware program as Project Helix. Work is said to be taking place inside Microsoft’s Building 87 hardware lab, where Xbox leadership and designers are evaluating prototypes and potential partnerships.
Fortune also reports that Xbox and Windows teams have disagreed over the software planned for the handheld. Windows leaders reportedly favored a streamlined version of Windows Home, while the Xbox team sought greater control over the operating system to improve gaming performance. According to the report, Xbox now has primary control over the project’s software direction, although the two groups continue to collaborate.
Project Helix price projection remains unsettled
One of the report’s most striking figures concerns the next console’s possible price. Fortune says the Helix console has been internally projected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800 unless Microsoft subsidizes the hardware.
That range is an internal projection reported by Fortune, not an announced retail price. The article does not provide a final hardware specification, manufacturing plan, price, or release date, and any of those details could change before Microsoft formally presents the devices.
The reported schedule would put the handheld roughly a year ahead of the next home console. For now, however, holiday 2027 and holiday 2028 should be treated as reported targets rather than commitments from Microsoft.
Would an Xbox handheld interest you more than the next home console, or are you waiting to see the final hardware and price?
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