‘Expect more consoles [at launch]’
Did you get an Xbox Series S or Series X pre-order today? Chances are that, no, you didn’t. As Chris pointed out this morning, even though everyone knew exactly when these things would go up for sale, it really didn’t go any smoother than the PS5 pre-order debacle. There’s just too much demand and not enough supply. That only leads to retailers getting hammered and a lot of frustrated would-be consumers.
There might be some more bad news for anyone who was unsuccessful this morning. It sort of seems like those were the last of the Xbox Series X pre-orders until launch. Maybe I’m reading too much into this tweet:
We are humbled by the record-breaking demand for Xbox Series X and S. Huge thanks to everyone for the excitement. ðŸ™
If you weren’t successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10. 💚
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 22, 2020
To me, that reads like there will definitely be units available on November 10 but not before then. Apparently this might’ve been a one-time thing. Sony’s opening a second wave of PS5 pre-orders in the coming days, so no one could be faulted for assuming Microsoft’s strategy would be similar. But, anyone who missed out this morning might just be out of luck until launch day.
We’ve reached out to an Xbox representative for clarification as to whether this was the one and only shot at getting an Xbox Series X pre-order. We’ll update this article when/if we receive a response.
[Update, except not really: A Microsoft representative sent along an official statement that sheds exactly no light on the situation. Here it is in full: “We anticipate high demand for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this holiday. Like previous pre-order programs, retailers and availability differ across regions, so please check with your local retailers for more information on availability in your market.]
