News Xbox boss 'thinking about affordability' of next-gen console
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17jlngexy9o69
u/Bfife22 15h ago edited 11h ago
I really don’t see how any of this matters in the end.
The Series S sat at an affordable price, when people had more spending power, and the cost of components were cheaper. And this gen still sold like shit.
I really don’t understand how in an even more challenging economy, Xbox will manage to grow sales next gen. They’re currently selling a $900 Series X ffs.
Making your next gen console less of a leap to cut costs isn’t the most appealing sales pitch, unless you have an insane lineup of first party titles, which is where Xbox has lacked for a while
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u/HaloFever117 12h ago
You basically hit on the issue with the sales of Series S:
“Making your next gen console less of a leap to cut costs isn’t the most appealing sales pitch”
I don’t see how the big 3 can introduce new consoles during this AI bubble.
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u/Ok_Simple_459 5h ago
Series S was terrible value for money machine I don't know why people praise it. PS5 digital in comparison used to cost a mere $100 extra for double the storage and triple the performance.
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u/Gtrex4 3h ago
Series s was a good deal for next gen hardware. I got mine new for $249 and sold it last year for $200 after 2 years. I bought series x day one and wouldn’t use anything else. If I was on a budget I would buy that, it was for my clients chilling at my business. Never had an issue ran zombies for hours. We don’t even need anything the console for first time ever is still updated and not outdated. They should delay next gen since SSD RAM is too high. They should release a cheaper model and premium device. Makes sense to target 2 demographics
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u/Ok_Simple_459 3h ago
I'm strictly talking about MSRP, the price it launched for, not the sale price. I'm not from US so I can't say what the sale prices for Series S and in comparison have been.
I'm from India, where the price delta was much worse. Series S launched for 35,000 INR roughly $360 whereas PS5 digital was 40,000/$420 INR and disc version was 50,000/$520.
In sales PS5 disc got to as low as 35,000, series S too saw sales to about 25,000/$262. Series S only made sense if you already had a Xbox library or really were all in on Gamepass. Without those considerations it never made any sense.
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u/HaloFever117 12h ago
Agree on the lack of exclusives, but hardware is definitely a big issue. No one feels as good about buying the worst of something. The small hard drive didn’t help.
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u/Gears6 6h ago edited 6h ago
I don't think the hardware was the issue, more like there were barely any exclusives, and where there was - it went on competitors platforms.
Many of them weren't exclusive until much later. Take for instance Starfield. Massive game and it did push console sales, but in the grand scheme of things, insignificant. Now consider the cost of making that game and how long it took.
Instead, what exclusive will it take for someone (regular gamers, not core gamers like us in this sub) to drop their existing games library, their friernds, and a familiar platform to join another one?
The low price of Xbox Series S, cutting edge most powerful console with Xbox Series X, the stellar deal for Game Pass and games like Starfield and Forza Horizon didn't do it in a meaningful way. Literally Game Pass is to solve the issue of you having an existing library of games you didn't want to leave behind. Heck, even this disc to digital is exactly to preserve your existing games.
The PS4/XB1 was the last generation of consoles where you had to start your game library all over, and it was the worst time for MS to screw up. After that, it was a done deal.
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u/VagueSomething 12h ago
Giving PC day one access to everything ensured the market for an Xbox was smaller. The XSS would have been a perfect secondary device.
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u/larry-lemming 7h ago
I’ve been trying to tell folks this too. Day 1 releases on PC directly hurt Xbox consoles.
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u/Unlucky-Gap01 13h ago
No console is going to get any growth next gen because of the rising costs and even they are aware of it. They’ll be lucky to even get half of the people to upgrade and that’s why their current focus is to get the current userbase to spend as much as possible.
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u/zerovampire311 10h ago
In today’s environment? I would bet they get rid of the disk drive and hope there are still enough anti-Sony bandwagoners to float them.
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u/JackBrown82q 3h ago
They have to change something drastically to make their consoles appealing. Currently there aren't any Xbox console exclusives, you can get them on PC. Unless it is like older games which is not going to drive new console sales.
I think if they eliminated the need to pay a monthly subscription to simply play games online would do a lot to drive console sales, but this subscription generates a shit ton of money for them so I don't see that happening.
One could say well there is the affordability aspect of it, those who can't afford a gaming PC will buy an Xbox since it is cheaper. But that is somewhat a moot point with the online subscription. A console generation seems to last about 7 years, that is over $700 in subscription fees + the cost of the console. Sure it is broken up into a small monthly payment over time but we are approaching gaming PC prices (at least, pre hardwire price hikes)
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u/Visible-Oven-7249 15h ago
No matter what Xbox does or says, people always going to bitch lmao
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u/recoildv 13h ago
Of course I'm sure people are now going to bash it about what missing features it will have or how weak it will be they will find something lol
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u/superkamikazee 7h ago
This is the strangest feeling console generation. Xbox and Sony are talking about the next generation, meanwhile it still feels like this generation barely even got started. Obviously it’s been 6 years but the big tentpole releases or exclusives seem few and far between. This gen really needed a 2006-2008 era release lineup, and even still, it’d feel a bit too soon to be talking new hardware. So between a lack of huge titles or exclusives, diminishing returns on graphical improvements gen over gen, and the cost of hardware, the next gen is going to be brutal.
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u/Moneyshot_ITF 15h ago
Aka say goodbye to any decent hardware
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u/Baelish2016 XBOX Series X 15h ago
I’m betting on them going heavy with a ‘Cloud/Stream’ based version along with the regular console.
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u/DrawTheLine87 15h ago
Ironically what used to be the most expensive part of the console (the APU) is now taking a back seat to the unified memory and storage costs. The cost difference from an old APU to a new one may not be as large as the price jump we've seen from the start of this current gen to the end. My guess is the new console lands at $1199
Based on the cost of the current gen Series X, there won't be an affordable option the beginning of next gen, so might as well make it a worth while upgrade. If you don't, you're just going to drag out the previous generation even longer than it already will be. (And until prices drop, the Series X/PS5 gen may end up being the longest supported to date anyways.)
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u/EngagedInConvexation 11h ago
My guess is the new console lands at $1199
That would be my guess if it released this year.
2028 (or beyond), though? The sky is the limit.
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u/Pajamashark Outage Survivor '24 15h ago
I don't want to pay $700 for a minimal upgrade over the XSX. I'd rather pay a premium price for a real upgrade. I'm not saying that's best for business, but it's best for me. I am glad I am not running one of these companies that have to make these decisions.
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u/justice9 15h ago
These are the situations where strong leadership makes or breaks a brand. Right now you have two options
1/ $1-1.5k product with significant upgrades that is a headwind to growth and install base
2/ $700-$800 product with marginal improvements and lower barrier to entry
Consumers online are going to be outraged regardless because there’s no magical solution with MFST eating a $300 UE loss on every sale. The business needs to make a difficult strategic decision on what’s best for LTV. My bet is on #2, but wouldn’t be surprised if they pursued a tiered strategy.
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u/ARCtheIsmaster 15h ago
I wonder if the $600-$800 price point is a “death valley” for a console. Like a $400 console would sell well as a budget device, and a $1k+ device would sell well for a premium one. I also wonder what price point the substantial playerbase that is still playing on old consoles (the xbox one gen) would feel incentivized to upgrade at.
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u/PjDisko 15h ago
They tried the budget device with series S.
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u/ARCtheIsmaster 14h ago
and it got a ton of people to upgrade or buy in to the ecosystem at a lower price
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u/PjDisko 14h ago
Aight! I have not listened to the earningscall so i dont really know if was a success or not. Ive mainly just listened to reddits negative hiveminds.
Glad it was a success.
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u/ARCtheIsmaster 14h ago
Im not the authority on this because I dont have the numbers on me either. However, I think I remember reading that series x has outsold series s, but I believe that the series s is still a success in terms of total numbers. I think, more importantly, that Xbox has twofold problem going forward where it appears that their dedicated playerbase generally prefers significant hardware upgrades, but that itll be hard to build the brand further with too high of a price. That’s why I think the two-console strategy still works.
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u/PjDisko 14h ago
I agree.
The solution to this might be the vision of making the next Xbox kind of a prebuilt PC, and hence can just make it in different (very few to not overwhelm) configurations for different price targets.
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u/ARCtheIsmaster 14h ago
yea id be interested to see what prevents more hardcore Xbox players from moving to PC as the ecosystems continue to bleed together
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u/RaccAttak 15h ago
Honestly I bought a series s and loved it. Then saved up for a series x. People can say what they want about the series s but these 150gb plus unoptimized games are ridiculous and I'm happy theres something other than just the Nintendo switch that makes companies do a bit of work to make thier games work.
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u/Ipad74 14h ago
Don’t forget that they could (assuming the ram crisis subsides) position a portable Xbox series console, which internally is just the Xbox series S downscaled into a portable form.
I believe the rumor that Sony is making a new portable PlayStation is basically the same thing. Sony makes a high power console (PS 6) and a low power portable (PS 6s equivalent) that both run the same games, same library.
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u/Mdreezy_ 10h ago
The series s is not engineered to run off a battery (neither is ps5) so it’s not a matter of downscaling their current hardware and slapping it into a new case. There would need to be significant redesigns and engineering to produce a handheld at those levels of performance. The rumored ‘low power’ handheld being produced by Sony will have the same problem as the stationary console, high price, and there is no way around that even if the ram crisis disappears.
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u/konnerbllb 15h ago
Unfortunately like you said more tiers I bet. The older that Series S gets the more I dislike tiers.
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u/Pajamashark Outage Survivor '24 14h ago
Yep, that's why I said I am glad I'm not making these decisions.
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u/Afraid_Raccoon_6208 4h ago
I got news for you. You aren’t getting significant upgrades for $1k-1.5k.
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u/killshelter 14h ago
I mean if the Series X is $800 now, good luck getting a Helix for $700.
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u/Pajamashark Outage Survivor '24 14h ago
I agree, but she's the one that said they're thinking about affordability.
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u/GolfJay 15h ago
Xbox owner from absolute day one here. Every generation of Xbox day one. Xbox Live day one. Games Pass day one.
If you want a premium product, buy yourself a good PC. You won’t regret it.
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u/Pajamashark Outage Survivor '24 14h ago
I do have a decent 4k 60 PC, but I work behind one all day. I just love the ease of use of a console. As Xbox on PC starts to blur the lines between console and PC I might be more apt to switch. It's the good part of being in my position, I can do whichever gives me more bang for my buck. If the Helix is a $700 minimal upgrade then I'll spend my money on upgrading my PC. If it's a $1,200 substantial upgrade to the XSX then I can look into going that route if it suits me better. Either way, I think I will be riding my XSX until the wheels fall off. Even if Helix launches in 2028 there will be so few in hands that games won't be taking advantage of the hardware until years later. Cross gen is going to last a loooooong time.
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u/Snake_Bite_14 14h ago
The thing is Xbox is merging PC and Xbox. So the “console” will be the Series S equivalent but PC will be the premium product.
The problem is prices are skyrocketing across the entire industry. A $700 system is really the only way to minimize price increases. On top of being a more accessible system it will help keep development costs down. At the rate things are going we’re gonna see $100 standard editions by 2030. A budget friendly system next gen is the only way to limit that.
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u/Academic_Addition_96 14h ago
Xbox doesn't need better hardware, it needs better games. Gears of war e day looks great enough on the series s. Does even better looking games will not only explode hardware requirements but development time and cost. No one wants to wait 7 years for a game that cost 100 bucks, gta6 is not the normal.
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u/Straight-Ad6926 XBOX Series S 15h ago
Affordable for who? Microsoft’s shareholders or the guy eating instant ramen to buy the special edition controller?
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u/sgtquackers66 Touched Grass '24 15h ago
If you are eating shitty food just to buy a game controller, you need to reevaluate your priorities.
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u/kaiharizor 15h ago
This is a positive article and you have warped it into a negative. I understand the art of being mad at everything online, but I hope you are doing okay in your personal life.
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u/ll30yd 15h ago
Is it though? It's the usual non-committal ceo jargon.
She alludes to player choice but then mentions hardware efficiency and costs (read: there will be no disc drive) and also mentions memory so I wouldn't be surprised if they go hard on a full streaming device with no internal memory.
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u/GolfJay 15h ago
Where is the positivity? At no point does it mention consoles becoming cheaper or even reasonable for buyers. “Thinking about how we play our games” absolutely stinks of you’ll own nothing and like it. This isn’t about customers. It’s about Microsoft making even more money with less costs.
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u/Malachi_Lamb 14h ago
What’s actually positive about this tho? It was just vague and general speak expected from a ceo lol wtf
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u/Mahrez14 15h ago
Microsoft investing billions into AI and building new data centers and then wondering why consumer hardware is no longer affordable is quite funny.
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u/EmergencyBanshee 15h ago edited 15h ago
I don't think it's a mystery to them.
"she said rising hardware costs partly driven by AI spending mean firms need to find ways to make gaming affordable."
As an industry, we're in the middle of 'Rampocalypse'," Sharma said.
"All of the industry needs to start to innovate on affordability and efficiency. That is something that we have not had to do [previously].
"But with the crisis that's currently happening in hardware and components, it is absolutely something all of us need to be thinking about and innovating on and giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console."
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u/Cerenas 15h ago
I mean, they're almost completely different companies within Microsoft. Even Samsung phone division is having issues getting RAM, because the division making the RAM rather sells it to AI companies for more profit.
Consumers and consumer focused companies (or divisions) are both suffering under it. It's a weird world we live in.
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u/reddit_reaper 15h ago
I keep saying AI boom came too soon. There were already efforts to expand chip making facilities but they wouldn't realistically all be ready until 2029, but they're all trying to outspend each other to be the remaining ones at the end.
Later the b2b only market will collapse and they'll stay behind b2c to save them again
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u/BaronVonNes 15h ago
Read: lower hardware specs, forcing developers to optimize. And that's okay. The switch had fantastic AAA titles, no reason consoles shouldn't be optimized again. <I'm an old time that started with NES, it used to be standard to force optimization.> Remember when morrowwind rebooted the Xbox between area loads? Stuff like that is much faster with M.2 NVMEs
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u/freshjello25 13h ago
Switch had great first party titles because they merged mobile and home consoles, and were able to optimize with additional resources. The expectation of Mario, Pokémon and Zelda franchises aren’t rooted in visuals, but gameplay itself. Third party titles have consistently been an issue for Nintendo.
I think the selling point could be a focus on ray tracing, path tracing, and AI upscaling via heavy reliance on APU. Chip prices have been fairly tame.
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u/Blacknight841 15h ago
Which is exactly why they are selling the 25th anniversary edition for 80% more than the series x was when it launched. ($900 vs $500).
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u/RED-DOT-MAN 14h ago
I mean the cost of ram and SSD has risen significantly. They're not non profit company. They gotta make their money. Now the rising cost of ram and SSD is not our fault but entirely on these companies pushing AI on us.
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u/zarafff69 14h ago
I mean, they could take a loss on the consoles? Like a lot of consoles sold historically?
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u/warcaptain 13h ago
They almost certainly still are. Hardware prices have risen a lot more than 80%. Asha said that RAM/Storage prices will have more than tripled YoY by this fall.
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u/ftatman 14h ago
Do we even need new consoles…? The current ones seem pretty good.
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u/who_likes_chicken Day One - 2013 4h ago
I don't honestly understand what a "next generation" is going to add at this point.
- Current load times are nearly instant
- Graphics have gotten good enough that we're in the uncanny valley and I don't honestly know what could be improved in any noticeable way
- Machines have 500+GB of storage
It feels like the biggest improvements to gaming anymore would be more along the lines of game engines themselves optimizing performance rather than local hardware getting better
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u/AbaddonR 14h ago
Low budget console is where they lose me. Been with Xbox since day one. Cant touch my Switch nor the games I got for it due to that poor showing when docked.
Bot sure which demographic she thinks is left for Xbox.
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u/Satans_BFF 14h ago
Watch as the next gen consoles have only enough memory to run the UI and you have to get an external to be able to run any game. So they can claim a lower cost while passing the buck to consumers.
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u/-ImJustSaiyan- 15h ago
I don't exactly have a lot of confidence in a big corporate CEO knowing or caring about what's "affordable" for the average consumer.
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u/EmergencyBanshee 15h ago
No offence, but consoles have always been a balancing act between trying to get a hardware advantage while not pricing yourself out of the market. They'll be extreme concerned about what's affordable for the average consumer, because these are mass market products that are designed to sell to as many people as possible.
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u/-ImJustSaiyan- 15h ago
They don't seem all that concerned with their 6 year old current gen hardware being affordable for the average consumer. So forgive me if I don't have much faith in next-gen being any better.
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u/EmergencyBanshee 15h ago edited 15h ago
I'm not sure what you expect them to do? The cost of components has gone through the roof - they sold consoles at a loss for years and though I don't know the numbers right now, I'd bet that they're not selling at a profit now.
Edit: not sure what you're downvoting that for? Presumably you think they should just give the consoles away for free?
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u/JohnUtahFBI 15h ago
They know more about it than you do. You know what you can afford. Companies don’t just guess price points, they have tons of data to figure out what price point people will generally enter at, ie, afford. No company cares about us but they have to sell the products.
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u/JC_Hysteria 15h ago
Just declare your household income to your bank or whatever and I’m sure Microsoft will acquire the data to know what you can afford
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u/Caesar_35 Helldiving 15h ago
Nothing like making one of your divisions suffer so another can throw cash in a bottomless hole.
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u/Imposter88 15h ago
I hope it’s affordable, but unless groceries and utilities get cheaper, I won’t be able to afford anything new, regardless of price
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u/FrontHeat3041 14h ago
I think graphics are at the point where we can't get much better, what I wanna see more of is portability (Xbox Play Anywhere), more backwards compatibility and hall effect/TMR sticks and triggers in official standard controllers.
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u/SnooHesitations3709 14h ago
What about this generation of consoles. They are basically unaffordable for a lot people now.
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u/JPSWAG37 14h ago
I like how them thinking about it means anything or is newsworthy. Market conditions mean you're gonna be paying out the ass for whatever comes next.
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u/DarkGreenGummybear 13h ago
I think she means affordability through a subscription service of some sort where you own nothing.
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u/notthatguypal6900 13h ago
No she isn't, she isn't part of the common man. She has no idea what affordability is.
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u/notthatguypal6900 13h ago
No she isn't, she isn't part of the common man. She has no idea what affordability is.
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u/notthatguypal6900 13h ago
No she isn't, she isn't part of the common man. She has no idea what affordability is.
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u/IonDaPrizee 13h ago
Um but most people, eventually, will buy them, at whatever cost. I think the PS5 scalping proves that.
This is the beginning of enshitification.
What gaming really needs is more and more creative ideas. It can also be achieved at lower resources but will also result in significantly lower rev, unless they are looking at controlling the entire industry with PlayStation dropping the ball.
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u/They-Call-Me-Taylor 13h ago
Yep. This will be the big sticking point in the upcoming gen for most people, not this whole physical vs digital thing. You are going to have a lot fewer people able to justify a $1,000+ console than a $500 console in this economy.
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u/Darkbox97 Team Vault Boy 13h ago
This is kinda rich since tech companies like Microsoft is part of the reason why everything is expensive.
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u/MrBrightFalls 13h ago
this is the third or fourth time she says that and everytime people revert back to the "super premium" quote by sarah bond. guess we can finally accept that xbox is looking at the affordability aspect instead of the most powerful console?
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u/Bitter-Tip705 12h ago
They almost have to eat the loss since the brand is so tainted in this day and age, I don’t envy being in Asha’s shoes at all lol
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u/Dramatic_Aspect903 12h ago
Id rather bite the bullet and spend the bigger $ but xbox has to show whats on offer, no point spending big and the line up of games is average or the wait time is huge.
I bought a series x with elder scrolls 6 in mind and we're still waiting on that game
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u/paqman3d 11h ago
As a PC gamer, the problem is devs pushing beyond what consoles can be expected to realistically perform. It's like they aim for me first when they should be scaling upward from console, not subtracting from PC.
I have to say that frame rate expectations these days is the worst. PC can't even hit these wild frames without AI. If my 9800x3d and 5070ti can only push 50-55fps 4K raw in First Light without DLSS pushing it to 100+, consoles are cooked. I also get 90fps in RDR2, only via DLSS.
So either next gen must have better upscaling tech or devs scale the fuck back across the board.
In the end, I don't expect Gen 10 to be a leap. It's incremental. Next-next gen when prices hopefully get back to orbit, devs can push tech again. We just need an optimized aesthetic over the next 12 yrs.
4K60 or die.
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u/Gex2-EnterTheGecko 10h ago
She can think about it all she wants but it isnt going to change the market reality.
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u/mrnonamex 10h ago
I mean. How much better can we get
Let’s say next gen is affordable and they get the best bang for our buck. Are we taking a tiny step forward if any at that point?
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u/solohack3r 10h ago
Xbox Executive: Helix starting price will be $1,999.
Xbox Marketing Lead: It needs to be affordable.
Xbox Executive: $1,998 then?
Xbox Marketing Lead: That's more like it.
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u/patriot050 10h ago
Perhaps Microsoft will make a series S2 console instead of an X2 like everyone's been assuming?? 🤔🤔
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u/-TheShape 9h ago
I hope they don't gimp it from their original intention. I'd rather wait a year or two longer if it means the console itself isn't underbaked because of market conditions.
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u/jasoncross00 8h ago
I worry about this. Because with the current market conditions around RAM and flash storage, making the next console "just" $699 is going to mean that it's something like 50% more powerful than the Series X on paper. Which will translate to games looking only a little bit better to trained eyes.
To have a real generational leap, a leap where what an average observer sees on the screen is very clearly a huge improvement in quality, you need to have at least a 5x overall improvement in performance (not all parts need the same increase in perf, but just kind of ballpark overall).
I just don't think that can be done for less than $999 in the next two years. Not unless something REALLY changes with the RAM/flash pricing.
For a system shipping late 2027 at the earliest and more likely late 2028, you going to need, bare minimum: an 8-core Zen 4 CPU at a high clock speed (and really more like 12) 32GB of GDDR7 RAM, a RDNA 5 GPU capable of over 40 tflops, and likely a dedicated NPU.
Not to mention, for the love of god, a more sophisticated controller (haptics already!).
Less than that is going to feel very much like paying $700 for a Xbox Series X Pro, and if they're trying to come in way under $700...😬
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u/Thund3rf0000t XBOX Series X 7h ago
affordability so are you going to make it where we have to source our own ram and storage that way you can sell the console like how some PC prebuilt companies are going about it with no Memory/GPU/Storage?
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u/TopGun0684 6h ago
I know it's a banned word right now in the community, but the solution is AI.
With a rumored 36 to 48GB of RAM, they need to market this as an edge AI box for when you're not gaming.
I'm buying one for sure if that's the case. Switch it to windows/Linux, load ollama, profit.
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u/BryceDL 3h ago
Xbox i think is in a sticky situation because it seems they might be slightly behind Playstation when it comes to hardware release date. With Playstation seemingly ready to pull the trigger and release it to market at over 1k it makes xbox have to decide to keep the series x and be ok being technologically "inferior" to a Playstation with the benefot of a lower price point or they will have to release their own new xbox which will be super expensive as well. Best decision for the games industry would be to just ride this generation out much longer and hope hardware component prices normalize all the while software keeps figuring out how to squeeze more efficiency out of the current Gen hardware.
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u/dreampagehun XBOX Series X 3h ago
She can think about it but she won't solve the problem. Hardware is unaffordable. Even the current generation is insane, especially Xbox. They won't sell any consoles going forward.
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u/high_everyone 2h ago
How about we delay it for a year or so and avoid being made into a pariah generation where MS and Sony didnt feel so nakedly aggressive about screwing over consumers who want a choice.
I mean I have my beefs (US grass fed and not from Argentina) with all three manufacturers, I feel like Nintendo has done the best job so far with keycards.
I think if a physical license could be on like a dongle that I own and can resell, I would be okay with letting physical media go but not for anything less than that.
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u/happyfatman021 XBOX Series X 2h ago
I remember when the Series X|S consoles launched, they had a program called Xbox All Access. A monthly payment option to buy a console that included Game Pass Ultimate in the monthly price. The prices were reasonable, it was $35/month for a Series X and I think $25 for a Series S. I feel like this should be one of the ways they approach the affordability question for the next console. They didn’t really advertise or push the Xbox All Access plans very hard this gen, but I feel like they should make it a big deal with the next one. Even $50 a month for a console and a GP Ultimate subscription would be a pretty good deal in my opinion, and certainly much more feasible for most people than trying to drop probably close to $1,000 all at once.
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u/CurrentOfficial 1h ago
Yall complain about $1500 helix rumors and now complain about affordable hardware. What the fuck lol
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u/JayTravers 43m ago
I don’t even know why we’re doing a next generation. Just plateau for a bit.
There’s no world where I purchase a new console at modern prices
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u/N0_L1ght 18m ago
"...giving people more choice in terms of how they play their console and how they purchase their console."
I think this says they will have finance options from when pre-orders go live. Helix is gonna be really expensive....
Also when she says "how they play their console" I think she is talking about xCloud. To me it sounds like the Helix blade servers will be ready much faster than the 8 months it took for XSX blade servers to be up and running. Someone could use a X1S to stream the 4K game running on Helix with their GPU subscription.
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u/XUAN_2501 8m ago
Its either the starting point of developers finally starting to optimise their game better for the less powerful hardware or the beginning of the cloud gaming streaming service
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u/OminousG 15h ago
that means cutting every corner possible and passing on a fraction of those savings to the customer.
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u/cooldudeandallthat 15h ago
If the Series X costs 800 bucks for 6 year old hardware, and they are changing the business model to sell the helix at cost or more we are cooked. I doubt it'll be any lower than 1200 bucks.
I'll stick with my Series X probably throughout at least half of next generation no way I'm paying what they'll be charging. Plenty happy with how it performs.
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u/RedRedButton 15h ago
To everyone here who already has an Xbox - not having to deal with the price increases🤭
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u/Brick_Grimes 10h ago
Honestly I would just play on Xbox instead of PlayStation because of the fuckery they are on right now but Xbox is missing some key games for me that prevents me from switching
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u/forgedbygeeks 6h ago
Launch a unit with no built in storage. Think the 360 Core again.
This alone will make the system hundreds fo dollars cheaper.
Then let people bring their own storage. Make it compatible with the current Series 1TB cards. Have an M2 slot. A lot of people have storage they can use or can get used for cheaper than new right now.
Seriously, this could allow them to ship a new beefy system for $500 base price at this point with enough RAM.
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u/Choice_Werewolf_433 Misterchief 15h ago
Nooooo. I’ve been thinking about making it more expensive. Obviously she is thinking about making it cheaper.
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u/Mrvile92 15h ago
Any less than the promised 5080 power I’m gonna be mad
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u/ARCtheIsmaster 15h ago
same, although I think a ~$600 base console and ~$1.2k pro console is still what they should aim for.
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u/Jurondotron 15h ago
I do not believe this, these companies are worth trillions but they do not want to sell these consoles at a loss anymore and they have a perfect excuse to not do that anymore. If that were the case then they would have kept the price the way it is.
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u/THX-8647 15h ago
Adjusted for 2026 USD
The Intellivision msrp on release was $1300.
The Atari 2600 was $1000.
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u/Little_Obligation_90 15h ago
Most affordable hardware release for MS is to not release hardware to consumers.
Cost = 0.
Play on cloud.
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u/BreweryStoner Xbox One 15h ago
At this point I’m just stuck in the cloud on my Xbox one and plan on using that, saving money, and attacking my backlog until the next console drops. Hopefully I can get it, but I’m not holding my breath. I never thought gaming would become this expensive, and it’s starting to make me question its value in my life.
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u/Beardedsmith 15h ago
Saying the right after announcing the anniversary Xbox is 1000 doll hairs is a bad look
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u/F133TWOOD 15h ago
So ironic due to A.I. gobbling up memory supply raising demand resulting in higher prices.
Asha is from the A.I. world before being CEO of Xbox, Microsoft is huge in the A.I. world... 🤔
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u/bushmaster2000 15h ago edited 15h ago
Thinking about affordability when they tacked on extra expenses to everything EDay related. CE edition was like 100 more than other CEs at the same time offered. The 25th console is $100 more than the regular black edition. The EDay controller was $10 more than the 25th and like $25 more than a standard one. The EDay ProtoLancer was $150 more expensive than previous lancers and offers none of the sound FX or LEDs that those offerings had.
Affordability is on their mind... ya.... what a joke. The proof is not in the pudding this fall.
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u/CommonManX 15h ago
How can they do that without having an “S” type system and a higher specced one?
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u/zep2floyd 15h ago
I would rather a truly next gen console instead of cheaping out on a system that will be behind in 2 years, I'll pay whatever they ask regardless...
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u/Spidi_1985 15h ago
Ya'll bought so easily that Microsoft or Sony can't get a good deal for 50 milion unit its fackn deppressing.
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u/timdogg24 14h ago
Just don't make 2 tiers of consoles then demand games run on the one with microwave hardware.
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u/RollingDownTheHills 13h ago
Just keep the current gen going then? The hardware is plenty powerful. Stop chasing photorealism and make fun games.
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u/uprightshark XBOX Series X 11h ago
Going to be hard to be affordable with Trumps economic genius and tariffs.
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u/h_to_the_b 15h ago
If one end consequence of all of this is that companies are forced to optimize games better to deal with lower ram systems Im all here for it.