Xbox Project Helix could hurt Sony PS6 with $1,000 price and Positron program

Many people see the price of the Sony PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series consoles, and the Valve Steam Machine and think that the next-gen consoles are bound to be super expensive. However, things might not turn out to be as depressing, as Moore’s Law Is Dead thinks that the Xbox Project Helix price could be around $1,000.

In the latest episode of his Broken Silicon podcast (linked at the end), Moore’s Law Is Dead explains that the Xbox Project Helix employess an AMD Magnus APU that uses a mid-range desktop GPU die. AMD was reportedly planning to use this GPU die inside an RX 9070 XT-successor RDNA 5 desktop card that was meant to retail around $550. MLID explains that, since AMD has a fat profit margin on desktop GPUs, the Magnus APU is likely to be much cheaper for Microsoft. Since Microsoft is also unlikely to sell the Xbox Helix at a big profit margin, we might end up seeing a $1,000 Project Helix.

Here, many people would point to the Valve Steam Machine using an inexpensive CPU and GPU and still coming in over $1,000 as an example of why the next-gen Xbox would cost much more than $1,000. While that could certainly end up being the case, we think Microsoft is in a much better position than Valve when it comes to the hardware business.

Microsoft knows how to design affordable gaming consoles like the Xbox Series S. Microsoft, like Sony, is also willing to sell consoles at a loss to move more units. Does that mean that the Xbox Helix will be a loss-leader like the Sony PS6 is expected to be? We don’t think so. What can happen, however, is that Microsoft can sell the console at cost or just a slight profit, and that could be enough to make the Project Helix a fantastic value.

This is also where MLID thinks that Sony should be wary of underestimating Xbox Helix. If Microsoft delivers a console around $1,000 that is much more powerful than the cheaper PS6 and allows you to bring your physical games forward through the Positron program, that could be enough to entice many gamers to get an Xbox Helix. Asha Sharma is also reportedly doubling down on Day 1, console-selling exclusives for the Project Helix.

So, MLID suggests that Xbox Helix could seriously hurt Sony’s business. Whatever happens, we are in for a pretty fierce clash with the next-gen consoles. All we have to do now is wait till 2027 to see these consoles in action.

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