The next Xbox could cost $1,000 to $1,200 – and at that point, is it even a console?

The next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, could cost somewhere between $999 and $1,200. That's the estimate from tech reporter Moore's Law Is Dead, who has a solid track record of breaking details on the next Xbox generation before anyone else – so it's worth taking seriously.

New Xbox head Asha Sharma recently confirmed the Project Helix codename, saying the console will "lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games."

That statement immediately raised questions about what actually separates this thing from a regular PC running an Xbox-style interface. And if Moore's Law Is Dead is right, the price will fit right in with that comparison.

The pricing estimate comes from the reporter's read on the hardware architecture. His take: building one of these machines would cost around $900. To turn any kind of profit on the Helix, Microsoft would need to charge at least $1,000 – while still keeping it within range of a Call of Duty audience.

That said, Microsoft is rumored to have never actually made money on Xbox hardware, relying instead on game sales and Game Pass subscriptions to keep the business afloat. So the final price is anyone's guess.

"Hybrid console" is the term being thrown around for devices like this, though in practice it's a PC in a console-shaped box. What's more concerning is what that might mean for upgradability – swapping out RAM, the GPU, or other components could be heavily restricted by warranty terms and unconventional hardware design, effectively walling off the kind of openness PCs normally offer.

The Xbox PC-console hybrid is reportedly targeting a 2027 launch.