The head of the Xbox brand has revealed the reasons why we’re likely to see ongoing shortages of Microsoft’s consoles into next year.
While both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X greatly impressed us when we put them under review, there was a lingering shadow cast by both launches because fans have found it so difficult to be able to buy the consoles for themselves. It’s all very well delivering terrific standards of performance, but what does that count for it the products themselves can’t actually be delivered?
Unfortunately, the shortages are set to continue for Microsoft’s flagship console along with its smaller sibling, the Xbox Series S — however we do at least finally have an explanation for the drought from one of the company’s head honchos.
Related: Vote for the best games console here
In remarks reported by Video Games Chronicle, Microsoft’s executive vice-president of Gaming, Phil Spencer, said: “I think it’s probably too isolated to talk about it as just a chip problem. When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is, there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process. And I think regretfully it’s going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year.
“The thing that’s most disappointing is just the fan disappointment. People really want this new generation of consoles — they’re good consoles, both from us and the other platform holders — and they want the new functionality. We’re working hard to bring them to market but it’s going to be a challenge that we’ll work through for quite a while.”
It’s deflating to hear that you might have to wait patiently until next year to finally get your hands on a next-generation games system, but at least we’ve got a bit more of an insight into why the production has been so troubled.
Leave a Reply