Xbox boss 'thinking about affordability' of next-gen console

Asha Sharma, chief executive of Xbox, has stated that the company must consider the affordability of its next-generation console due to a crisis in computing prices. During an interview with the BBC, Sharma noted that rising hardware costs, partly driven by AI spending, necessitate finding ways to make gaming more affordable for consumers.

Additionally, Sharma revealed that gamers will soon have the option to obtain digital versions of many physical games they currently own, allowing them to play old games on future Xbox consoles without needing a disc drive. While digital games can currently be downloaded and played across Xbox consoles or PCs, some players still prefer physical discs due to the ability to buy, sell, and trade them second-hand.

This issue has been controversial, with Sony announcing that new PlayStation games will not be released on discs from January 2028, and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI also lacking a physical disc. Sharma mentioned that Xbox will offer digital entitlements for 1,000 titles with physical discs, but the process of transferring digital rights upon second-hand sales is unclear.

She also hinted that the next-generation console, currently codenamed Project Helix, may not have a disc drive. Sharma emphasized that during this next generation, Xbox must prioritize hardware efficiency in terms of storage, memory, price per unit, and components. She stated that the industry is in the midst of a "Rampocalypse," with price hikes for consoles partly due to skyrocketing component costs like RAM, driven by AI companies purchasing parts for data centers.