Microsoft executive and Xbox boss, Phil Spencer, has said that the ongoing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S shortages can’t merely be blamed on chip supply constraints – the most commonly-cited reason for the issue. According to him, there are multiple “pinch points” in the process of manufacturing and delivering consoles to the market, which have yet to be smoothed out.
“I think it’s probably too isolated to talk about it as just a chip problem,” Spencer told The Wrap (via Video Games Chronicle). “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.”
Spencer went on to say that he, too, is disappointed that fans haven’t been able to get their hands on the new hardware, and noted that both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are “good consoles” that people have been eager to get their hands on.
“The thing that’s most disappointing is just the fan disappointment,” Spencer added. “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.”
If you haven’t been able to secure a new console, rest assured that there are plenty of cross-gen games on the horizon.
