The next generation of consoles is here but in only a few lucky hands.

And that could be the case for quite some time as Microsoft is now reporting that their latest consoles, the Series X and S, could be in short supply until at least April 2021.

Blame the weird nature of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic or really high demand for the system, either way, it looks like things are going to be tough for Xbox diehards that weren’t lucky enough to get a console in the first wave.

Xbox’s experiences and platforms boss Liz Hamren acknowledged the gap between demand and supply, noting, “We know that not everyone was able to get an Xbox Series X|S immediately and are working tirelessly with our partners around the world to bring as many new consoles to as many of you as possible over time and encourage you to check in with your local retailers directly for more details on availability in your market.”

That doesn’t mean it will be totally impossible to get Microsoft’s newest machine. Retailers are being told to expect “sporadic” shipments of the system, Video Games Chronicle reports. Naturally, you’ve always got eBay as an option with scalpers already filling the search results with overpriced next-gen hardware. Of course, this isn’t an Xbox-exclusive phenomenon as much the same thing is happening with Sony’s newest platform.

Microsoft’s brass expects the “demand profile” for their newest systems to level out in the spring of next year.

Or, as Xbox chief financial officer Tim Stuart said at the Jefferies Interactive Entertainment conference, “I think we’ll continue to see supply shortages as we head into the post-holiday quarter, so Microsoft’s Q3, calendar Q1…And then when we get to Q4, all of our supply chain continuing to go full speed heading into kind of the pre-summer months. And that’s where I start to — I expect to see a little bit of the demand — the supply profile, meeting the demand profile. You’ll be outside of a holiday window. We’ll have supply cranking over the next, what, 4, 5, 6 months. And that’s when I expect to see really that demand profile start to be met, which will be really, really great.”

In other news, it seems like random issues are plaguing both the latest Xbox and Sony’s PS5. Outside of that, Microsoft clarified their stance with Bethesda releasing games on other platforms with a “first and best” experience being reserved for their systems – whatever that means. Reading between the lines, it doesn’t look like Microsoft is going to prevent Bethesda from releasing its games on other consoles which is a good thing for the industry overall. 

Did you pick up a new Xbox Series X or S? What do you think of the system so far? Does the prospect of a long wait make you impatient or are you cool with getting Microsoft’s latest at a later date? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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