On Nov. 10, Microsoft released their two new next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S. Both consoles were in high demand, and most people had pre-ordered back in September. However, that preorder day wasn’t without issues, which meant a good majority of people were not able to get a console that day. This left their only option as buying a console from either Microsoft or a retailer that was carrying it on release day.
Due to COVID, a lot of places were either doing strictly online or were only allowing a certain amount of people in stores. Another option, still online, was to buy online and pick up curbside or in-store at places like Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
I was one of the people who didn’t preorder. To be honest, I’d never bought a gaming console when it was released, so I didn’t think I needed to. I was very wrong. Leading up to release day, I’d ask around at retailers to find out what my chances were of scoring a release day console. Everyone told me the same thing – it’s possible, but it’s very hard.
COVID restrictions only worsened this. Not only did stores already get a limited number of consoles, but due to the pandemic, it was possible that some places would have little to no extra consoles other than pre-orders. People would be lining up as early as 4 am, and who knew how many people there would be? So I made my plan.
I started looking at who was going to be doing a midnight release on November 10th, and who was the most likely to have consoles that would be possible to get. I knew a few sites that have issues with things like this, so I wanted to avoid them. Target and Microsoft were my best options, with Walmart on standby.
Midnight came and I was refreshing like crazy. Target’s site never updated and never showed any consoles in stock. I later found out that they sold out in under a minute, and my connection apparently hadn’t been fast enough.
Microsoft was my only option, as Walmart wasn’t until 12 P.M. the next day and I knew more people would be around. I got on Microsoft’s site a little after midnight and figured it was a long shot. When I checked, they had consoles! I put one in my cart anxiously and proceeded to check out. I messed up the payment information slightly, which made me think they’d sold out, but seconds later it was confirmed! I had my Xbox!
The only thing left to do is to wait for it to get here.
Jeri Hensley
Creative Director/Reporter