According to several specialists in the sector, the shortage of Xbox Series X could soon be coming to an end. Why ? Thanks to investments from Microsoft, which has made sure to prioritize the production of chips essential to the manufacture of the console.
Since their launch at the end of 2020, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are still as complicated to find on the market, the fault of the shortage of electronic chips which greatly limits the production capacities of Sony and Microsoft. To this must be added the difficulties caused by the pandemic.
More than a year after their career began, getting their hands on a next-gen console remains a real obstacle course for players. However, the situation could improve very soon, especially regarding the Xbox Series X. That’s according to Xbox Era’s Nick “Shepeshal” Baker.
Microsoft has invested heavily to ensure the production of Xbox Series X
According to him, Microsoft has put the means to solve this problem. In April 2021, the Redmond firm made a significant investment to give priority to the production of chips for the factories in charge of manufacturing the console. “Almost a year to the day, on April 5, 2021, I received a DM saying “Microsoft is going to have a lot of consoles available this fall. They’re going to have a lot. And they ended up doing it, right? Why this ? Microsoft paid for chip priority,” he explains.
He pursues: “Microsoft paid, in fact, to increase production and have more inventory. For me, it’s a smart investment. Now is the time to do it. People want stock. If you want more Xbox Game Pass subscribers, you won’t get them if people can’t get the console,” he deduces.
It must be said that recent sales figures prove Nick Baker right. In February 2022, Xbox Series X and Series S sales exceeded PS5 sales in Europe for the first time. However, it should be noted that this performance is mainly due to the wide availability of the Xbox Series S. Microsoft’s 100% digital console has the advantage of being easier to manufacture, in addition to being offered at a price more accessible, which dissuades scalpers from reselling it at a price much higher than that of the price recommended by the manufacturer.
Source: Xbox Era
