The demand for flagship gaming consoles and accessories remains high amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and there appears to be no respite to this problem. Microsoft has said that its flagship Xbox Series X console’s supply will continue to remain short until June 2021 months after warning about its short supply until April. The announcement came from Microsoft’s head of investor relations, Mike Spencer in an interview with The New York Times. The Xbox’ supply chain is hindered by several factors including a shortage in supply of AMD chips – the Zen 2-based CPU and RDNA 2-based GPU – that feature on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.
Back in November 2020, Xbox Chief Financial Officer Tim Stuart had said that Microsoft would continue to face supply shortages even during the post-holiday quarter (January to March 2021), adding that the supply chain is expected to return to normal in the fourth quarter of Microsoft’s financial year, that is, post-April 2021. Spencer had also issued an apology in “advance” for failing to meet customers’ demand. Notably, some official retail partners like Amazon had also sent out emails regarding shortages in supply to customers who pre-booked the consoles in early September. Some retailers were forced to cancel pre-registrations due to the shortages in Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
Interestingly, companies and some individuals are banking on this opportunity to make an extra buck due to the shortage in Xbox Series X consoles. According to The New York Times report, resellers have listed the consoles on eBay and Facebook Marketplace for up to $1,000 – double the retail price of Rs 49,990 in India ($499 in the US). Recently, Taco Bell India also announced a new offer where the company is distributing Xbox Series X consoles with 6-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership to 60 lucky customers throughout February. The offer by Taco Bell in now live in India.
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