Xbox boss Phil Spencer says console shortages will continue into 2022

Xbox boss Phil Spencer now says to expect Xbox Series X/S console shortages to continue through the rest of 2021 and into 2022.

In an interview with TheWrap (thanks VGC), Spencer says it isn't just the global chip shortage that's making it hard to keep retailers stocked with enough Xbox Series X and S consoles to keep up with demand.

"I think it's probably too isolated to talk about it as just a chip problem," Spencer said. "When I think about, 'what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is', there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process. And I think regretfully it's going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year."

Since the dawn of the pandemic, chip shortages have bottlenecked production across a few global industries, but in the gaming sector specifically, the issue has created a supply dearth affecting GPUs and consoles. Bloomberg reported today that the chip supply shortage is what caused Nintendo to release the Switch OLED instead of a 4K-capable Switch Pro.

"The thing that's most disappointing is just the fan disappointment," Spencer continued. "People really want this new generation of consoles—they're good consoles, both from us and the other platform holders—and they want the new functionality. We're working hard to bring them to market but it's going to be a challenge that we'll work through for quite a while."

Just because there's a console shortage doesn't mean it's impossible to find out, but you'll want to keep up with our Xbox Series X stock updates guide to better your chances.