Microsoft Says Xbox Series X and S Shortages Could Last Until April 2021

Microsoft Says Xbox Series X and S Shortages Could Last Until April 2021

While Microsoft has declared the release of the Xbox Series X and S as its biggest console launch ever, one thing that could seriously sales of Microsoft’s next-gen system over the new few months is limited supply, which based on some recent info, could continue until April of next year.

The latest on the Xbox Series’ supply woes comes from Xbox CFO Tim Stuart, who in a recent talk at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment Conference (transcribed here by Seeking Alpha) said “I think we’ll continue to see supply shortages as we head into the post-holiday quarter,” which based on Microsoft’s financial calendar would end on March 31, 2021.

Then, starting in April, Stuart said that “all of our supply chain [will continue] to go full speed heading into kind of the pre-[winter] months,” which is when Stuart said he expects Xbox Series supply should begin meeting demand. “We’ll have supply cranking over the next, what, 4, 5, 6 months. And that’s when I expect to see really that demand profile start to be met, which will be really, really great.”

While this news is sure to be a disappointment for anyone hoping to snag a new Xbox before the end of the year, Microsoft’s production timeline could be critical to the Xbox Series’ success, especially after Halo Infinite — which had originally been scheduled to launch this spring — was been postponed until sometime in 2021.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the console divide, while the PS5 has also been in short supply following its launch last week, it seems big U.S. retailers like Best Buy and Walmart have been doing more regular restocks of Sony’s latest console, with another round of systems expected to be stocked online this Friday.

Unfortunately, with the limited number of new consoles available from both Microsoft and Sony, it appears you may need a fair bit of luck if you’re hoping to pick up a next-gen console this holiday season.