Project Helix
It's the next Microsoft console, in case you hadn't heard. Available holiday 2028, allegedly.
Priced at $1,200-$1,800. Also allegedly.
Memory prices aren't going down anytime soon, so the price point seems plausible, really.
Here's the question, though: what are they doing?
They've already gutted the gaming division. The pullback is so substantial that releasing a new console makes zero sense, especially at that price. No one's going to buy it, and why would anyone make games for it?
Clearly, it's not just just a console.
It's the only answer that makes sense. When I say "not a console," I don't mean it also has streaming and whatnot like the current-gen Series X. I mean it has to be substantially more than that.
No one will pay $1,500 for a console, not even me.
What if it wasn't just a console, though? What if it had some kind of dual boot setup where it was also a PC? $1,500 for a console gaming machine AND a Windows PC is not an unreasonable price.
Okay, here comes some unwarranted speculation. If "Helix" refers to DNA, then it could be referring to a double helix, which makes sense if you're referring to a multi-function console with two distinct purposes. I know--stupid--but sometimes the people running large business projects are obsessed with the name (based on my own experience at Dell, many years ago).
The gaming division is hemorrhaging enough money that Microsoft would seemingly be on track to shut it down if it can't contribute to other parts of their business in substantial ways. A dual function PC/console could be that way.
<< Home