Xbox Series X and S pre-orders have gone live in the US today, but retailers are struggling to cope with the demand. The Amazon store pages for the next-gen consoles went down almost immediately, showing readers various images of “the dogs of Amazon,” while Best Buy is displaying incorrect pre-order information altogether.
The pre-orders went live today at 8 AM EDT, with various retailers putting their next-gen Xbox console listings online. However, the number of users trying to access their websites forced widespread outages and errors, with many struggling under the weight of prospective Xbox Series X and Series X buyers.
Amazon, Best Buy, Microsoft struggle with Xbox Series X pre-orders
Microsoft’s homepage immediately went down as users attempted to pre-order the console from its official site. Meanwhile, Best Buy is still displaying the console as “coming soon.’
Amazon fares a little better, with the listing at least appearing, though clicking directly to its page prompts an error message informing users that “something went wrong on our end.”
Oh boy https://t.co/XzNUDOlcrp down pic.twitter.com/PNDCh7q21a
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 22, 2020
Unlike Sony, which sprung pre-orders on customers less than 24 hours after announcing the PS5’s pricing, Microsoft gave prospective buyers a comparatively lengthy amount of time to contemplate their pre-orders. However, this hasn’t meant that retailers have been any more well-equipped to deal with this high demand, currently leaving plenty of prospective buyers empty-handed.
Hopefully, these retailers will be able to rectify their technical issues, and Microsoft will be able to supply enough Xbox Series X and S consoles to meet demand. However, considering that demand seems particularly high for all next-gen consoles, those currently unable to purchase a new Xbox will have to keep their fingers crossed while all parties attempt to make this situation easier for both retailers and consumers.
