Katarzyna Petru
Microsoft isn't planning to give up on consoles, but it's preparing for the biggest change in years. The head of the Xbox department, Sarah Bond, confirmed in an interview with Mashable that the next generation of hardware will be "very premium" and "very high-end". The industry is abuzz – as more and more sources are reporting a price reaching 1000 dollars.
Premiere in 2027, AMD under the hood
The new generation of consoles is set to debut in autumn 2027, and both Microsoft and Sony have already confirmed that their consoles will be based on AMD chips. This is a natural continuation of the trend, but this time the differences may be significantly larger than in previous launches.
Xbox is heading towards PC
In an interview with Mashable, Sarah Bond was asked about the rumours that the new Xbox is set to resemble a gaming computer more than a traditional console. Her response leaves no room for doubt:
“I can say you are right – the next Xbox console will be very premium, very high-end, and will offer a carefully designed experience. Some of this approach you can already see in our handheld, but I don’t want to reveal everything just yet.”
Bond did not say this outright, but the tone of her statement suggests that the new Xbox will be more expensive – much more expensive.
End of the cheap model?
It is unknown whether Microsoft plans a successor to the cheaper version of Series S. The company has confirmed, however, that the new console will no longer be limited to the Xbox Store, which could pave the way for greater freedom – and at the same time bring Xbox even closer to an open PC platform.
At the same time, Microsoft is announcing “the biggest technological leap between generations in history,” indicating a completely new architecture and a significant increase in computing power.
$1000 – truth or rumour?
According to leaks from WCCFTech, the production cost of the new Xbox is expected to be twice as high as the Series X, which would translate to a launch price of around $1000.
Model | Release Year | USD | AUD | GBP | EUR | PLN* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xbox Series X | 2020 | $499 | ~A$780 | ~£410 | ~€470 | ~2,250 zł |
Xbox Series X (2025) | — | $549 | ~A$860 | ~£450 | ~€510 | ~2,500 zł |
Xbox Series S | 2020 | $299 | ~A$470 | ~£250 | ~€280 | ~1,350 zł |
Xbox Series S (2025) | — | $349 | ~A$550 | ~£290 | ~€320 | ~1,600 zł |
New Xbox (rumours) | 2027 | $999 | ~A$1,560 | ~£820 | ~€940 | ~4,600 zł |
It's worth noting that the ROG Xbox Ally X, created jointly by Asus and Microsoft, costs exactly that – $999.
And what does Sony say about this?
Sony is officially silent, but analysts predict that PlayStation 6 will be cheaper than the new Xbox, although also more expensive than the current generation. Both companies plan to use powerful graphics chips and AMD processors, but Microsoft is clearly targeting the ultra premium segment, where price is no longer the main barrier.
If the rumours are confirmed, the new Xbox will be the most expensive console in history, with a price reaching the level of high-end PCs. Microsoft is betting on a luxury experience and an open architecture, while Sony will likely stick to a more traditional model.
Everything indicates that 2027 will bring not only a new generation of consoles but also a change in the entire philosophy of gaming.
