After assurances that there wouldn’t be a shortage of consoles at launch, Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer has also stated that despite high pre-order numbers, ordinary consumers will be able to pick up an Xbox One on launch day without issues.
Speaking to Game Informer, Spencer stated that, “You want people to be able to walk in the store and buy one on day one, so you’re trying to manage the inventory that isn’t pre-sold. It’s not a yield problem, it’s us trying to manage the hardware side.
“I want parents who don’t think about pre-ordering electronics to be able to walk in and have a chance to find a box. There might be a line, but I don’t want it to be that if you didn’t pre-order in September, you can’t get one. That doesn’t feel like a great consumer experience.
“Availability should feel a lot better than it did for 360. If people want to pick up more controllers and games, they’ll be there. We feel really good about our pre-order number, and we’re managing it through allocation rather than demand. [Pre-order] isn’t the business. It’s way more important to me what happens when people walk in the store. The business is selling consoles.”
The Xbox One launches on November 22nd worldwide.