What’s the one thing in common between Microsoft and Sony with their respective Xbox One and PlayStation 4 next generation consoles? It seems like both of them are running out faster than we think via pre-orders and feels like on the launch day, a lot fans will walk away home empty handed.
There have been reports in the past from the likes of GameStop, Best Buy, and other retailers are running out of next generation console units with so many people pre-ordering them. GameStop is apparently the latest retailer mentioned, back in news with Microsoft announcing that the chain has run out of its allocated Xbox One units.
Xbox chief of staff Aaron Greenberg recently took to Twitter to reveal the news for all those still waiting to get their hands on the Xbox One. "Demand was through the roof, so preorders stopped for now," Greenberg wrote on Twitter. "Get on the GameStop first to know list for preorder updates."
GameStop began accepting pre-orders for the Xbox One back in June when Microsoft announced the console's $500 price tag and a November release window. The scenario is quite similar with Sony’s PlayStation 4, also sold via GameStop, with the retailer citing "high demand" as the reason for once refusing to accept pre-orders for the system.
With all the PS4 units allocated to GameStop “selling out” via pre-order, the retailer has now listed it as "currently sold out" with the page prompting users to sign up to be notified if pre-orders are re-opened for Sony’s upcoming next-generation console.
Now, all this seems like a big thing that these next generation consoles are running out even before you can access the pre-order page, but remember that pre-order sales hardly have any impact on the game’s overall sales figures. Consider Nintendo’s Wii U for example.
If fans and critics can remember correctly, the Wii U also saw a similar kind of popularity and craze when it was first put up for pre-ordering. That level of anticipation and expectations even reached a zenith when the stores started compiling waiting lists for those who were in line for pre-ordering the device. But what was the end result of it all? A “success” story gone horribly wrong.
Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are scheduled for release later this year.