A former Xbox executive believes that consoles must remain affordable to be appealing
, by Thibaut
This week, a rumor sent shockwaves through the gaming industry. According to currently unofficial estimates, the next Xbox console (Project Helix) could cost between $1,200 and $1,800. These prices are absolutely outrageous when compared to previous generations.
On X, Mike Ybarra, former vice president in charge of Xbox Live and Game Pass and former president of Blizzard Entertainment, spoke openly on the subject. In his view, a console must remain affordable. If that’s not the case, there would simply be no point in selling it.
"I find this very hard to believe.
A 'console' is a mass-audience device and you need great games and a low entry price (IMO $399 to $499). A console at the prices rumored below will never sell meaningful units to be of any value vs. alternatives. Zero.
I wouldn’t release it at all.
Stick with PS5 Pro/Series X until prices normalize. The capabilities of those boxes are both fine for 99% of the audience. No one is screaming "I need a more powerful console" right now and I believe tons of optimization can and is happening on those platforms (see Xbox's AMD announcement on FSR 4.1 today - which is fantastic)."