Giving Xbox fans and retailers advance warning that pre-orders would open on Tuesday at 11 am ET didn’t seem to alleviate the issues that plagued Sony last week when it announced pre-orders with only a day’s warning. Stores just can’t seem to keep up with the demand for these consoles, which have been reported to be in short supply due to manufacturing and shipping delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Microsoft is putting a positive spin on things, of course, citing “record-breaking demand” for the Xbox Series X and Series S on Twitter. While the Xbox Series X and Series S boast quite a bit of next-gen power as well as the excellent Xbox Game Pass (now with cloud gaming for Android devices), it’s likely that Microsoft’s acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent company of the famed game publisher Bethesda Softworks, helped boost the pre-order rush. After all, it’s no accident that Microsoft announced its deal with the Elder Scrolls and Fallout publisher a day before pre-orders were set to go live. It turned out to be a brilliant way for Microsoft to create even more excitement for its next-gen consoles. The Xbox Series X and Series S, which are priced at $499 and $299 respectively, will launch on Nov. 10. Here’s a guide on how and where to pre-order these consoles. And once you secure your pre-order, here’s the complete list of confirmed games coming to the Xbox Series X/S at launch.
