Microsoft still can’t manufacture enough Xbox Series X/S units six years into the current console generation. That was one of the messages from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma coming out of this week’s earnings call with analysts. The company is trying to push a refurbishment program to help increase the available supply ahead of the 2026 holiday season and the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6.
“Console sales remain constrained by supply, with more demand than consoles available,” she posted on X. “We’re working to get more consoles into players’ hands, including through our expanded refurbishment program. We’re making progress, with a lot more work ahead.”
This strategy echoes an email that was sent out to some Xbox owners who hadn’t turned their console on in a long time. Rather than let it sit there unused, Microsoft urged those lapsed players to trade their Xbox Series X/S in at places like Best Buy for a decent deal given the repeated price hikes. Even though Microsoft doesn’t earn profit off a used console sale, getting its machines into the hands of active players means increased revenue on the back end from subsequent purchases on the platform like, say, GTA 6.
I think you should clarify your message about console stock in regions you’ve neglected (like Europe). Claiming that Xbox console sales (unless in ur #1 market US) are being held back by supply constraints doesn’t really align with what customers actually experience when trying… pic.twitter.com/n86AgmOjU1
— eXtas1s 🎮 Noticias & Rumores (@eXtas1stv) October 29, 2026
But there’s also been some skepticism about just how “constrained by supply” Xbox actually is at the moment. In major markets like the U.S., you can frequently find consoles in stock on Xbox’s website or through retailers online. Even if there are plenty of stores that don’t have stock on the shelves, anyone who really wanted an Xbox in the U.S. could order one without too much difficulty.
The U.S. isn’t the only market that Xbox competes in, however, and there are large swaths of the world where Microsoft has seemingly failed to maintain adequate supplies or pulled out of servicing entirely. The reason for any global shortage in hardware is obvious: the AI-fueled RAM crisis. That supply shock is forecast to only get worse heading into 2027 and potentially beyond.
With Project Helix devices reportedly set to arrive around holiday 2028, the big challenge for Xbox is whether it will be able to avoid the supply issues that have hurt the trajectory of the Xbox Series X/S and, even more importantly, deliver a machine that’s not wildly overpriced. A recent report put the projected price of Xbox’s next-gen console at between $1,200 and $1,800 if Microsoft declined to generously subsidize it as it has done with past hardware launches.