Xbox Series X stock shortages could last 'for a few months' after launch, admits Microsoft

Xbox Series X release date
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has warned that Xbox Series X stock shortages could last "for a few months" after launch.

Pre-orders quickly sold out when they opened on September 22, but if you've been waiting to buy Xbox Series X on launch day, you might be disappointed.

Speaking in appearance on the Dropped Frames podcast, Spencer conceded that demand will continue to outstrip supply for its new consoles this year, and into 2021. 

"We know what our supply will look like basically for the rest of the year. We're going to have more demand than we do supply," Spencer said. 

"And I will apologize in advance to people for that. We saw it with pre-orders, how much energy there was, and we were basically out [of stock] in a couple of hours, which is unfortunate. I think we are going to live in that world for a few months. We're going to have a lot more demand than we do supply."

Demand is high for next-gen

The situation echoes what Sony Interactive Entertainment's CEO Jim Ryan said in a recent interview regarding PS5 stock. 

Ryan said that "the demand as expressed by the level of pre-order [sic] has been very, very considerable" and that "not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one."

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release on November 10 and are priced at $499 / £429 / AU$749 and $299 / £249 / AU$499 respectively. We don't know what this might mean for those looking to buy Xbox Series S at launch.

You can read our Xbox Series X hands-on preview now, and also watch us unbox Microsoft’s new premium console, as well as the smaller Xbox Series S.

Via GameSpot

Adam Vjestica

Adam was formerly TRG's Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.