Here's When You'll Actually Be Able To Buy A Series X

The Series X and its little brother, the less powerful (but cheaper) Series S, launched on Nov. 10, 2020. The Series X was generally well-received by critics, and for all intents and purposes, it appeared that Microsoft had delivered on its promises for next-gen gaming.

Of course, making it to launch day is far from the end of the story for any console debut. As soon as the Series X hit the market, reports started circulating about scalpers demanding thousands for new consoles, preorder delays, and component scarcity causing major production problems. Post-launch shortages are nothing new for the brand, as both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One were hard to find immediately after they arrived, but often these problems cleared up after the initial holiday rush. This has not been the case with the Series X.

Due to a combination of pandemic-related issues, such as supply chain problems and soaring demand from locked-down gamers, many have found it challenging to buy a Series X well into Spring 2021. So when will you actually be able to find a Series X?

The nearly simultaneous release of the Series X|S and the PlayStation 5 has been an incredibly successful debut of a new generation of console technology. Both consoles have enjoyed strong sales, with the Series X|S trailing close behind the PlayStation 5 in the number of units sold.

In fact, The New York Times reports that Mike Spencer, Microsoft's head of investor relations, said that the entire supply of Series X|S had been sold through the holiday season and into the winter quarter. As a result, consumers can really only buy a Series X as fast as Microsoft is able to produce them. The major bottleneck seems to be in the production of next-generation CPUs and GPUs that the Series X depends on, both of which are made by AMD. In a quarterly earnings report, AMD's CEO Lisa Su said that the company predicts a "tightness" on gaming chip production to last through the first half of 2021. 

This prediction matches a statement made by Spencer, which described Series X supply to be limited until June. As such, it's looking very likely that the Series X will remain in limited supply until Summer 2021 at the very earliest.