In an interview, Xbox head Asha Sharma sets “affordable” Xbox hardware as a goal—but at the same time makes it clear: there are no guarantees regarding the price of Project Helix.
The current generation of consoles is now more than five years old; accordingly, all eyes are on the successors – including Microsoft Xbox’s “Project Helix.”
However, the recently appointed Xbox head Asha Sharma has little good news to share regarding the next-gen console. Of course, the RAM crisis is the underlying factor influencing the plans for Project Helix, as she explains in an interview withGame Fileat least indirectly confirmed.
Sharma promises affordability – with one major caveat
The original trigger for the interview was apublicly available memofrom the new Xbox leadership to its employees, intended to outline the future of the Xbox platform.
According to this, it is to be built to be “affordable, personal, and open.” When asked by Game File what this specifically means for Project Helix, however, Sharma became significantly more cautious.
There is a reality in the market we find ourselves in—so no promises on price points or the like. But I want to ensure that people all over the world can play.
This reality is (almost) guaranteed to be found in the ongoing memory crisis. Expensive memory ensures that the cost of the upcoming Xbox console will likely skyrocket into the four-digit range—but for you, that seems to be only a minor factor!
Project Helix: Announced, but with no details
Sharma had officially announced Project Helix just two weeks after taking office, thereby symbolically taking over the baton from her longtime predecessor, Phil Spencer. Accordingly, the Xbox head takes plenty of time in the interview to discuss the direction of the new console.
- In the interview, Sharma confirmed that Project Helix is intended to “play both console and PC games.”
- When asked whether this means an open platform with third-party stores, however, Sharma distanced herself from the idea, at least temporarily: “I wasn’t part of those discussions, so we’ll make those decisions together with our partners.”
No Helix Without a Stable Foundation
Alongside the Helix plans, Sharma does not want to neglect the current console generation. “We’ve formed a team and are investing in console features,” the Xbox head continued in the GameFile interview. The Xbox Series X|S are to be treated as a “first-class experience” again—regardless of the storage crisis.
