Earlier in the week, The Mako Reactor reported that the Xbox Series X sold out in India mere minutes after it went up for pre-order on sites like Amazon while the Xbox Series S is still available. Our suspicion was that the quantity of the Xbox Series X for India was on the lower side, even speculating that it was in line with what we saw from the Xbox One X India launch. While Microsoft India does not comment on quantities per region, it did not give us a date as to when Xbox Series X India pre-orders would resume either.
That said, we reached out to our sources in retail. While the consensus from several game stores across the country was that the Xbox Series X and S are in short supply, it seemed to be more evident in the case of the beefier console. Some stores stated they were getting a couple of Xbox Series X at best and at worse, none at all. Probing further, we were told that for India, the allotment is approximately five to six Xbox Series S for every Xbox Series X. We discussed this and more on NDTV Gadgets 360’s Orbital podcast hosted by Pranay Parab, which you can check out here. It comes up around the 10:10 mark during the show.
The ratio of 5:1 or 6:1 between Xbox Series S and X would explain why the latter sold out in India and you can still buy the former. It appears that Microsoft and its distribution partner Redington had assumed there would be a bigger audience for the cheaper console, possibly not taking into account that those pre-ordering would not mind spending more for a console with a potentially longer shelf life and a disc drive.
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. Despite being the market leader, there’s been no clarity on a PS5 release date for the country let alone price or pre-order information, though this may change.
And for its part, 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.
If you’re interested in what to expect from the next-generation of video games, PS5, and Xbox Series X you can can check out this week’s episode of Orbital via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS, or download the episode.
Disclosure: the editors of The Mako Reactor have worked at Gadgets 360 in the past in full-time and freelance roles.
