Apparently, Microsoft is having as much trouble acquiring Xbox consoles as everyone else, as some of the players in the first big Infinite halo tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina are forced to play on Xbox Series X dev kits (via Kotaku). Game development kits consist of hardware that developers use to create games and are generally not available to the public, much less used in official game tournaments.
Heads up open bracket players – You’ll be playing this weekend on the Series X dev consoles. They are functionally identical and will work in “Retail” mode, so it’s the exact same experience, just that they look a little different.
Why? The global supply chain shortage is real.
– Tashi (@ Tashi343i) December 15, 2021
Tahir Hasandjekic, the aura The esports leader and audience at 343 Industries sent out a tweet ahead of the tournament, warning some gamers that they will have to play with the Xbox Series X dev kits instead of the real ones. It notes that the development kits are “functionally identical and will work in ‘Retail’ mode.” Players will still have the “exact same experience” as others playing on the standard console, but the hardware will obviously look very different. As for the reason for using development kits, Hasandjekic bluntly explains that “the shortage in the global supply chain is real.”
The chip shortage has made it difficult to find everything from PC parts, game consoles, vehicles, and even household appliances. In September, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that supply chain constraints could last into next year. It’s gotten so bad that not only is Microsoft struggling to get enough consoles of its own, but even Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, doesn’t seem to be able to get his hands on a new Xbox either. Cue took to following @XboxStockAlerts, a Twitter account that posts about Xbox console refills, proving that even having the most connections cannot guarantee you access to the console.
