Katarzyna Petru
Microsoft does not intend to give up on consoles, but is preparing 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 has been abuzz – as more and more sources are talking about 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 could be much greater 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 PC more than a traditional console. Her response leaves no room for doubt:
“I can say that you are right – the next Xbox console will be very premium, very high-end, and offers a carefully designed experience. Part 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 is planning a successor to the cheaper version of Series S. However, the company has confirmed that the new console will no longer be limited to the Xbox Store, which may 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 – fact or fiction?
According to leaks from the WCCFTech portal, the production cost of the new Xbox is expected to be twice as much as the Series X, which would translate to a starting price of around $1000.
Model | Year of Release | 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 is worth noting that the ROG Xbox Ally X, created jointly by Asus and Microsoft, costs exactly that – $999.
And what about Sony?
Sony is officially silent, but analysts predict that PlayStation 6 will be cheaper than the new Xbox, although it will also be more expensive than the current generation. Both companies plan to use powerful AMD graphics chips and 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 focussing on a luxury experience and an open architecture, while Sony will likely stick to a more traditional model.
Everything suggests that 2027 will bring not only a new generation of consoles but also a change in the entire philosophy of gaming.
