A mere six days remain before pre-orders for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S go live. After years of rumors and months of official announcements, fans have less than a week before they can put their money down on the next generation of Xbox consoles. Unfortunately, Microsoft has made it clear that not everyone who wants to get their hands on an Xbox Series X or S at launch may be able to.
Demand often outweighs supply when a new console launches, and it seems safe to assume that will be the case with the Xbox Series and its main competitor, Sony’s PlayStation 5. Add on the disruption that COVID-19 has caused to major manufacturing supply chains, and many people have suspected that Microsoft and Sony won’t be able to produce as many next-gen consoles as they were once hoping to, even if Sony officially denied rumors that it cut PS5 production numbers.
Whatever factors are to blame this time around, it probably won’t shock a lot of fans that Microsoft is saying supplies of the Xbox Series may be short. Today, it was discovered that emails have been sent out to Microsoft Store customers in the UK hyping the start of pre-orders for the Xbox Series X on September 22. These clearly state that “consoles are limited, while supplies last,” and tell customers to “mark your calendar to ensure you’re first in line.”
Some fans have written the email off as typical marketing one would see for pre-orders of a new console, which is understandable, but Microsoft isn’t the only one stressing this point. Just a few days ago, Best Buy stated that it expects the Xbox Series to sell out quickly as well. It’s possible that the shortages this time around will be noticeably worse than in previous console launches, given circumstances surrounding the ongoing pandemic, but it’s worth pointing out that Microsoft’s warning of supplies being “limited” is still vague, so fans shouldn’t panic about their odds of getting a new Xbox shrinking just yet.
That said, it’s clear that anticipation is high for the next Xbox console, what with its promise of fast load times, 120FPS gameplay, extensive backwards compatibility, and appealing pricing options for the Xbox Series. Even if there’s no discernible dip in supply compared to previous launches, fans should prepare to pre-order as soon as possible next week, just in case.
The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will launch on November 10.