Since 2020, the global economy faced the chip and other components shortage problem. It was related to the lockdowns and other factors. According to various predictions, the world wonāt recover from this problem until 2023. So the manufacturers have made some adjustments, corrections, revised their strategies to somehow solve the current problems. But now, they face another problem ā the war between Russia and Ukraine has worsened the situation in the industry. Ukraine supplies 40-45% of the neon gas in the world. Itās an essential raw in chip manufacturing. As you understand, the Ukrainian factories canāt operate normally nowadays. All these problems have affected not only the smartphone and car industries but also the field of gaming consoles.
Forbes has described the situation in the gaming consoles field in vivid colors. āā¦stock shortages having changed the current generation console race into something more akin to throwing a couple of boulders down a hill and watching them crash into things along the way.ā
Currently, demand for the latest gaming consoles outdoes supply a few times. The two most popular gaming consoles Xbox Series X/S and PS5 are performing quite well. So looking at the sales numbers, we can understand which brands run a better strategy. In this sense, the latest data concerning this niche in Europe show that Xbox Series consoles outrun PS5 for the first time.
We'll have the February European market report for you tomorrow, courtesy of GSD. It was a great month for new games. Console sales continue to struggle. PS5 stock levels meant that, for the first time, more Xbox Series consoles were sold than PS5s (in tracked European markets)
Gizchina News of the week
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) March 14, 2022
As Christopher Dring mentions, the Xbox Series S is more widely available than either the Series X or PS5. Moreover, you will not find the latter in most stores. It has got the āout of stockā status long ago. We should also point out that PS5 has been expected to be more popular. It is. But if it is not available for purchase, people will look for relevant alternatives. In this sense, the Xbox Series S is the best option.
Further reading: Time To Buy An Xbox? Lots Of Top Games May Leave PlayStation Soon
Hardware Sales Dropping In Europe
Anyway, because of shortage problems, in Europe, hardware sales are down 32% from January and down 44% compared to the same month last year. Over time, various companies not only couldnāt solve the problem in Europe but also dived into the swamp.
We canāt predict when the shortages will end. The world faces various disasters. And we canāt know what is next. But if returning to the gaming consoles, according to CBS News, many online retailers are due for restocks in March. However, this doesnāt mean that all Xbox products will be available for purchase freely. We think the Xbox X will still be hard to find.
