Fans have been left furious by Microsoft’s handling of its 25th Anniversary Xbox Series X console launch, after stock sold out within seconds online.
Social media is awash with reports from players who attempted to purchase one of the company’s snazzy translucent green 25th Anniversary consoles from the Microsoft Store, only for stock to sell out before they could finish making their order.
To be fair, Microsoft had previously stated it would only have a “limited number” of consoles to sell at launch. In a social media post earlier this week, the company noted that availability would begin at midnight Eastern time and that quantities and availability would “vary by market and retailer.”
Still, numerous fans were left empty-handed, or angered by retailers such as GameStop taking advantage of the low stock situation by selling the $999 console at a huge markup. For a time, GameStop was shifting its stock allocation at the eye-watering price of $4,950, although even this now appears to have sold out.
Much of the criticism has been levied against Microsoft itself, however, for only making a small number of consoles available and for not having a better online queueing system available. Some fans have suggested that purchases could have been limited to customers with Xbox accounts to prove their legitimacy and limit bulk buying. This option could have even been tightened further to offer the console first to Xbox’s most dedicated fans — perhaps those with older account status, or those who have collected a certain amount of Gamerscore.
Whatever the potential solution, however, Microsoft appears to have just let its stock go on sale via a first-come, first-serve basis. Inevitably, this has lead to numerous consoles being placed upon eBay at a notable markup. Looking online this morning, IGN has seen dozens of Xbox 25th Anniversary consoles that have already been sold through eBay for $1,500, and up to $2,500.
“At this point I don’t even care anymore,” one Xbox fan wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “I tried back in August, I tried last night and I tried tonight. Yea im upset I cant get one of these due to scalpers but, I just cant find it in myself to care anymore. I love Xbox, but what a mess.”
“It’s all a joke,” another fan added, comparing the launch to Sony’s similar PS5 anniversary consoles. “They’re made specifically for bots, scalpers and to be backdoored. No genuine fans actually get these.”
“I have been a Xbox loyal fan for 20+ years and I can’t even get my hands on this,” added another fan. “I stayed up and have been trying to get one since 12pm YESTERDAY. You do nothing for the loyals and let these scalpers and bots take them all. Nothing restocked. When I ended up getting one in my cart the f***ing website just loaded and loaded until it disappeared. Just a f***ing shame. Beyond pissed off rn.”
Last month, Xbox boss Asha Sharma insisted that falling sales of Xbox consoles had been hampered by supply constraints, and that there was “more demand than consoles available.”
