The Xbox Series X and S preorders are live, but retailers are having issues. Buyers of the game have crashed websites with the record-breaking demand.
Xbox Series X and S are going much better compared to the PS5 preorder fiasco. Even then, the preorders for the Microsoft console are not without a hitch. Almost all major U.S. retailers are experiencing considerable downtime.
At the same time, Microsoft notes the record-breaking demand for the game. Xbox is so hot that some people even mistakenly bought the wrong “X” console.
Best Buy, Amazon, and others went down during preorder period
Over the last 24 hours, multiple reports of website downtime have come out. Downdetector, a website that compiles site downtime reports, listed significant outages across retailers. These all coincide with the pre-order timeline for the Series X and S.
For example, Best Buy received report spikes between 11 AM to 1 PM. The spikes came as the pre-orders opened for the Series X. By around 11:01 AM, Best Buy had close to 500 reported downtime errors.
Amazon also spiked during this time, with seven to ten times the usual reports. The trend continued for Amazon throughout the day but waned after 1 PM. Target was virtually inaccessible for an hour, between 11 AM to 12 PM.
Both GameStop and even the official Xbox website showed an error message at the time. As the day went on, the websites started working again, especially as buyers gave up.
Microsoft thankful for record-breaking demand
During the Xbox Series X and S preorder, Microsoft was thankful for the hot start. They detailed that the preorders are record-breaking, and fans can expect more consoles.
We are humbled by the record-breaking demand for Xbox Series X and S. Huge thanks to everyone for the excitement. 🙏
If you weren't successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10. 💚
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 22, 2020
“We are humbled by the record-breaking demand for Xbox Series X and S. Huge thanks to everyone for the excitement,” said the Xbox official Twitter account. “If you weren’t successful today be sure to sign up with retailers for updates, and expect more consoles to be available on November 10.”
For fans who can’t get pre-order on time, Microsoft asks the fans to give their local retailers a visit. Many local retailers would have their own pre-order options. It’s best if they check with their retailers about the next availability of the consoles.
For gamers who don’t mind going beyond the launch date, more consoles will come after launch day. What’s surprising, however, is the sheer amount of people who mistook the Xbox One X as the Series X.
Xbox One X sales rank is up 747% on Amazon lol…
Wonder how many people bought an Xbox One X instead of an Xbox Series X https://t.co/atj4thPwqD pic.twitter.com/CUzRkib3Sr
— Andrew Alerts (@AndrewAlerts) September 22, 2020
According to reports, Xbox One X received a 774% boost in sales over the past 24 hours. Some Twitter users report they mistakenly bought it, while others made sure they bought the Xbox Series X and S instead.
Featured image courtesy of Xbox/Youtube Screenshot