Xbox boss Phil Spencer had promised that the Xbox Series X and Series S devices will be made available globally on the same day, and it did follow through on that promise. And unlike the Sony PlayStation 5 the new Xbox consoles regularly received restocks in India.
But that flow of restocks seem to have hit a snag with the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic hitting India hard. According to a report by IGN India, the stocks of both Xbox Series X and S are running low with retailers.
This was apparently reported by consumers that wanted to get their hands on the new Xbox consoles following a strong showing from the company during E3 2021. But people are having a hard time finding the consoles in stock at most retailers.
And retailers on their part have apparently reported that Redington which is Microsoft’s Xbox distributor in India has been non-responsive. “Our last supply was around a month ago,” says a Delhi-based retailer. “Redington has been non-committal on stocks since then.”
Another Mumbai game store owner had similar things to say, “We were told there would be a big restock this month. But that hasn’t happened yet.” The report claims that the multiple sources confirm that the lack of stocks is mainly due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in India.
According to the report the Redington’s main warehouse in Chennai had a Covid-19 outbreak last month. This is the probable cause of the delayed distribution of Xbox Series X and S.
And like the Sony PlayStation 5, some retailers that have a bit of stocks left are taking advantage of this situation and over-pricing those units by as much as Rs 20,000. But it seems like the situation would be resolved in the near future and those that do want to get their hands on the Xbox Series X or S should wait it out.