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Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s trick to secure more supplies

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There’s a reason Microsoft seems to have less trouble ensuring the continued availability of its next-generation Xbox Series X console . And no, it has nothing to do with the lower popularity compared to the Playstation 5.

According to industry insider Nick “Shpeshal Nick” Baker , Microsoft would almost certainly pay chip vendors to skip the line and lessen the damage done by the so-called semiconductor crisis. It is simply a hypothesis, but according to the expert, who spoke during an episode of the XboxEra podcast, it would be an extremely likely scenario.

Microsoft has managed to ensure the availability of its console thanks to frequent restocking , during the same period competing companies, such as Sony, have not been able to do the same. Not only that: since the launch of the console, Microsoft has also managed to market a limited edition of the Xbox Series X branded Halo Infinte . Sony has not yet announced a single special edition of its new consoles.

One of the podcast hosts revealed that he had received a message from his source warning him that in the fall of 2021 Microsoft would significantly increase the availability of the console. And, indeed, that’s how it went.

The increase in console availability is well evidenced by the price trend in the secondary market. Brand-new PS5s still sell at crazy prices on platforms like eBay and StockX, while Xbox Series X resellers often have to settle for a ‘crest’ of just $ 50.

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The reselling of the Xbox Series X is no longer convenient. Consumers can purchase the console from official channels with greater ease.

Chip crisis

We repeat, there is no official confirmation, but the thesis of Nick “Shpeshal Nick” Baker still appears quite plausible, if we look at what has happened in other sectors.

Tesla was one of the few automotive brands not to suffer particularly from the so-called semiconductor crisis – even managing to increase the number of vehicles registered in both 2020 and 2021. In the smartphone sector , it was Apple that won the chip war. , another brand penalized only marginally by supply-chain problems . Both companies have one thing in common: they were both forward-thinking enough to close profitable deals with suppliers before things got too bad.

So yes, in times of crisis, companies can pay a premium to suppliers in order to guarantee supplies to the detriment of competing companies that do not have the means or the ability to make the same agreements.

The cause of the chip crisis is mainly explained by Covid-19 . On the one hand, the pandemic has blocked the production chain for months, with the factories of Asian suppliers subject to frequent lockdowns imposed by the Chinese authorities (it continues to happen, just look at Shenzhen); on the other hand, consumer demand has also skyrocketed, forced to stay at home due to lockdowns or the transition to so-called smart working. The result was the bogging down of the entire supply chain, with very serious delays that had serious repercussions on the entire consumer electronics industry.

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