Microsoft may lack Xbox consoles for GTA 6 release date, as high memory prices continue

Even after price increases, the GTA 6 release date should boost console sales significantly. The Rockstar Games project is an opportunity for Microsoft to prosper from its recommitment to hardware. Unfortunately, hindered by the memory shortage, there may not be enough Xbox Series X|S units to meet demand.

Are Xbox consoles still popular?

In a Windows Central article, Jez Corden discusses the pursuit of an unrealistic 30% profit margin. One casualty of this initiative was Xbox console sales. Corden argues that buyers’ appetite for the PS5 alternative remains at least respectable. However, they have become difficult to locate at retailers. In some countries, like Japan, they are even rarer finds.

The company deemed the hardware wasn’t lucrative enough to prioritize. Now, with the GTA 6 release date looming, it may regret that decision. New CEO Asha Sharma had pledged support for the Series X|S, but high memory prices could make it impossible to replenish inventory.

Corden notes how Microsoft’s competitors are better prepared to survive the component shortage:

The memory has already been purchased by PlayStation and other firms that think annually rather than quarterly.

This short-term thinking has left Xbox consoles vulnerable. As a result, the PS5 will likely expand its sales lead in November. There have already been rumors that Rockstar has made marketing deals with Sony. Other leaks indicate that PS5 or PS5 Pro bundles featuring the title will debut.

Sony's plans for GTA 6 on the PS5

Without a confirmed date for a PC or Switch 2 version, the PS5 is set to become the dominant platform for GTA 6. That has led some insiders like Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier to call it “kind of like a PlayStation Exclusive.” Polygon highlighted a podcast in which he declared that “Xbox is almost a non-factor” in the game’s expected success.

Despite the memory shortage limiting manufacturing, Schreier projects that millions of Xbox Series X|S copies will sell. Microsoft could also have another opportunity to cash in on GTA 6 with Project Helix in 2027. By then, a Windows port may be available, though compatibility with the console/PC hybrid is unclear.