No Surprise Microsoft's Xbox Series Preorder Launch Was Also A Mess

Source: Microsoft / Xbox Series X

Remember when some folks were clowning Sony for its chaotic PS5 preorder launch boasting Microsoft’s would be more organized? Welp, that wasn’t the case at all. Despite Microsoft sharing a detailed plan for the preorder launch for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S revealing the exact time and retailers, it was still a mess. Immediately following the drop of links, retail websites had issues handling the surge of traffic of gamers trying to get their hands on one of Microsoft’s next-generation consoles.

Witnessing it first hand, when a console is placed in the cart, and the purchased button was pressed, nothing happened. I did it enough times before finally, I received a notification from Target telling me the console was sold out. Amazon was no better. After you click on the link, you are greeted by the fail page featuring cute canines. If you keep hitting refresh, you can cycle through different breeds before you eventually get to the Xbox Series X landing page only to learn they are out of stock.

How about GameStop? That was a fail also. The company thought they were onto something, immediately putting you in a virtual queue until it’s your turn to purchase one of the consoles. That also was a fail. Once I got through, the only thing available was the video game retailer’s expensive online bundles.

Oh, and Microsoft, who was selling consoles directly, wasn’t any better. The website seemingly crashed while customers were trying to get an Xbox Series X or Series S. https://twitter.com/juanjomm99/status/1308427850849099779?s=20 While not apologizing like Sony, Microsoft thank those who were able to get a console and adding to the “record-breaking demand,” stating more consoles will be available on November 10.

Both launches were a sh*t show, with both companies basically taking the Hunger Games approach to their launches. We hope both Sony and Microsoft learn from this going forward. You can peep more reactions to the Xbox Series X preorder debacle in the gallery below. — Photo: Microsoft / Xbox Series X