Microsoft is set to do the impossible in India — release the Xbox Series X and Series S at the same time as the rest of the world on November 10. Traditionally, console launches in the country take places months or even years after the rest of the world. While the Xbox Series S is still available for pre-order at offline and online retail, it appears that its more powerful sibling may be tougher to get.
Earlier in the week, Chennai-based Game Shopee sent out a message to its customers stating that the Xbox Series X would, “as per company info, [d]ue to logistics delay, Xbox Series X delivery will be postponed to 3rd week of Nov”. We reached out to Microsoft for comment and were told that the Xbox Series X and S will be available at launch. Furthermore, our readers have tipped us off that their Xbox Series X pre-orders have shipped. For what it’s worth, I have yet to receive any communication about my Xbox Series X shipping.
First reports of @Flipkart shipping preorders of #XboxSeriesX coming in.
— Jishnu (@ks_jishnu) November 8, 2020
Stay frosty boys, it's coming 🤩
Source: @ishan2345
However, Game Shopee’s communication is not entirely untrue. The company is one of Microsoft’s sub-distributors tasked with supplying the Xbox Series consoles, accessories, and games along with Venus, Zupitex, and Sunder Electronics. These four companies ensure that India’s game stores and retailers get access to Xbox-related products while principal distributor Redington supplies Amazon India, Flipkart, and Reliance Digital.
Considering the Xbox Series X sold out in 15 minutes after going up for pre-order and the Xbox Series S is still available (despite Xbox boss Phil Spencer claiming otherwise), chances of getting an Xbox Series X at launch are slim. Multiple retailers have confirmed that their Xbox Series X shipments from Microsoft have been drastically reduced and in some cases, cut entirely.
Reason being, close to 90 percent of Xbox Series X and S stock has been allocated to Amazon India, Flipkart, and Reliance Digital sources tell us. So much so that they have been told that they will only get stock when the next shipment of Xbox Series X consoles land in the country, which should be towards the end of the month.
Xbox Series X and Series S India release date quantities and availability
So how many Xbox Series X and S consoles are making it to India on launch day? Sources amongst multiple stores all independently confirmed that roughly 150 to 200 Xbox Series X and S consoles in total will be available for the entirety of retail in India excluding Amazon India, Flipkart, and Reliance Digital.
Assuming the 90 percent allocation to these three stores is accurate and you have at best 2,000 Xbox Series X and S making it to India on November 10. Throw in the 5:1 ratio of S to X that we reported of earlier and you’re left with optimistically around 333 Xbox Series X and 1,667 Series S for India on the release date. This isn’t too bad when you consider around 1,500 Xbox Ones sold in India the first three months of launch. We contacted Microsoft to verify these numbers to which we received no comment.
Considering how poorly the Xbox One sold through its lifecycle, Microsoft has more to prove but at the same time, limit its risk. As some may recall, the quantity of Xbox One consoles brought in at launch was so high that Amazon India had to discount them by 20 percent a few weeks in.
What does this mean for you? Well if you want an Xbox Series X at launch, your best bet remains Amazon India, Flipkart, and Reliance Digital. Though given their track record (and Microsoft’s) you may be better off waiting. Other stores should have it available in larger quantities towards the end of the month.
Nevertheless, Microsoft’s moves may force Sony to do more than just announce a PS5 price for India, which it did last month. Despite being the market leader, there’s been no clarity on a PS5 release date for the country let alone pre-order information. Although some may feel shortchanged by the Xbox Series X’s short pre-order availability window for India, it’s more than what we got from Sony.
