Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft) “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/microsoft/ “> Xbox boss” href = “https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/”> Xbox Phil Spencer “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/people/phil-spencer/ “> Phil Spencer said the platform owner is“ working as hard as we can ”to get more Xbox Series X | S” href = “https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/scarlett/”> Xbox Series X / S console actions for the market.
Speaking of a new Xbox podcast, the executive revealed that he even contacted chip maker AMD – which makes the CPU and GPU inside the Xbox Series X and Serie S consoles – to ask if it could increase manufacturing.
Like its PlayStation rival “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/playstation/ “> PlayStation, Microsoft has been struggling to meet the demand for the launch of the Xbox Series X and S. Since November, consoles have been fully depleted at retailers and Microsoft said it expects supply problems to continue until spring.
“I have some people [asking], ‘why didn’t you build more? Why didn’t you start earlier? Why didn’t you dispatch them before? ‘All these things, ”said Spencer on a Larry Hryb podcast” href = “https://www.videogameschronicle.com/people/larry-hryb/”> Major Nelson podcast published this week.
“It’s really just a matter of physics and engineering. We are not retaining them: we are building them as fast as we can. We have all the assembly lines up and running. I was on the phone last week with Lisa Su at AMD [asking], ‘how can we get more?’ So it is something that we are constantly working on.
“But it’s not just us: the games really stood out in 2020. Obviously, the PlayStation 5″ href = “https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/playstation/ps5/”> PlayStation 5 is on a very small offer. When you look at AMD and Nvidia graphics cards “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/nvidia/ “> Nvidia … there’s a lot of interest in games now and console sales are just a sign of that , game sales are a sign of this and hardware is out of stock.
Xbox Series X / S retail
“But we are working as hard as we can. The teams are incredibly dedicated and I appreciate people’s patience as we work to build more. “
The scarcity of the Xbox Series X / S and PS5 is believed to have been exacerbated by groups of scalpers who use software to automatically buy consoles as they arrive in stock, before selling them at exorbitant prices in markets like eBay.
A recent study suggested that so-called “money changers” made more than $ 28 million in next-generation console profits through the auction site eBay.
According to analysis by data engineer Michael Driscoll, the average selling price of the Xbox Series S (MSRP $ 300) on eBay was $ 469 and the most powerful Xbox Series X (MSRP $ 499) was $ 865, generating more than $ 9 million in profits for resellers.
In a November interview, Phil Spencer expressed frustration with how pre-orders for the Xbox Series X / S went to some customers and suggested that Microsoft could introduce a new model for pre-order consoles, such as making a deposit.
“I think this will lead us to think about new models,” he explained. “It can be, reserve your seat. It can be doing things more directly with the customer. Still, the retailer can fulfill the order, but only so that people can be more clear about when they can get a console. It is something we are working on ”.
He added: “The biggest disappointment for me in this release – but I’m also happy with that – is that people love the product. The demand is high, so much so that when you go to see the product reach the shelf, it goes very fast. If you want one, I look like a seller now, but I recommend buying one when you see it. “