Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S pre-orders in the UK have caused the websites of retailers GAME and Smyths Toys to go down, while online retailers such as Amazon sold out of the Series X almost immediately. While some managed to pre-order the next-gen Xbox consoles, many more were left empty-handed, particularly those who wanted to purchase the consoles as part of the Xbox All Access program.
Xbox Series X and S pre-orders went live at 8 AM BST, with Microsoft giving plenty of advance warning following Sony’s issues with its PS5 pre-orders. However, those looking to invest in a new Xbox faced similar issues to PlayStation buyers, with retailers swiftly selling out of the consoles after pre-orders went live.
Xbox All Access breaks GAME and Smyths Toys
UK followers… Did you get your #XboxSeriesXpreorder yet?#XboxSeriesX #XboxSeriesS
— GameRevolution.com (@Game_Revolution) September 22, 2020
The Xbox All Access program, which allows buyers to purchase an Xbox Series X or S as part of an interest-free monthly payment plan, was only made available via retailers GAME and Smyths Toys. However, promptly following the pre-orders going live, both sites faced technical issues as a result of the influx of new users.
GAME placed prospective buyers in a queue before its site went down, while Smyths Toys posted a statement explaining that users “can still pre-order the new Xbox consoles in any of our stores,” though All Access would remain unavailable while they attempted to rectify the site’s technical issues.
While the Xbox Series S still remains available to pre-order from Amazon UK, the Xbox Series X sold out shortly following the 8 AM pre-orders going live. Online retailers such as Very also sold out of their stock almost immediately.
The stock shortages faced by retailers with the new Xbox consoles and the PS5 are an early indication that many may struggle to pre-order a next-gen system ahead of their respective launches in November. Hopefully, both Microsoft and Sony have more stuck they can supply to retailers ahead of time, so buyers aren’t left empty-handed when attempting to make the upgrade to the new consoles.
