Even Microsoft can't get its hands on enough Xbox Series X consoles for its first major Halo Infinite tournament

Despite being on sale for over a year now, it is just as tough as ever to get your hands on an Xbox Series X. The reason as has been the case with components shortages from CPUs through to just about anything else that uses a semiconductor has been the ongoing global chip shortage. The problem is so bad, it seems, that even fully-owned Microsoft subsidiary 343 Industries hasn’t been able to get its hands on enough Xbox Series X consoles for its first major Halo Infinite tournament.

Instead, 343 Industries has revealed that it has had to resort to using Xbox Series X dev kits to run the Halo Championship Series (HCS) Kickoff Major in Raleigh this weekend. These units will be reserved for the open bracket players and will operate in “Retail” mode, so players shouldn’t notice any differences between the playing on the dev kit and the real thing. On the plus side, it is good to know that Microsoft hasn’t re-prioritized supply of its Series X consoles for its own purposes, but is still doing its best to get them in the hands of gamers.

Intel CEO Pat Gelisinger recently told reporters that he believes the global chip shortage will continue through 2022 and into 2023 before supply starts to level off with demand. Getting a next-gen PS5 console from Sony is just as difficult through normal retail channels. Both next-gen consoles can, however, still be found at significantly higher prices through online marketplaces. So, it’s not a great time to be a gamer, particularly with GPU prices still through the roof and also hard to come by. At least it seems we are all in the same boat on this one, from the average consumer to megacorporations like Microsoft.

Buy an Xbox Series S from Amazon for US$299.