Xbox Series X and S go on sale amid desperate hunt for stock

(Xbox)

The Xbox Series X and S have gone on sale – to those people who can find one to buy.

As with Sony's new PlayStation 5, both versions of Microsoft's next-generation console are near-impossible to buy amid huge interest and stock shortages.

Microsoft has repeatedly stressed that it is doing all it can to provide new stock. But it is unlikely that anyone trying to buy one until release date will actually be able to get hold of one, and they may be left waiting for months.

Even those who had successfully pre-ordered, which happened in a similarly frenzied process in September, may be left waiting. Some Twitter users shared emails from Amazon informing them that their Xbox Series X may not arrive until after Christmas.

Some retailers in the UK were showing stock on launch day. At the time of publication, John Lewis had some stuck of the Xbox Series X, and so did George at Asda; those websites seemed to be struggling, however, and every other major retailer was seemingly out of stock.

In England, all of those orders will be required to be sold through click and collect or delivery, because of lockdown rules. Game had urged players to ensure that they had made preparations for that process, and had warned them that turning up at its stores on release day would not only be dangerous but fruitless too.

The Xbox Series X costs £450 or $500, and the Series S costs £250 or $300. It goes on sale everywhere on 10 November.

The PS5 is on a staggered release schedule: it will be available in some countries, including the US and Japan, on 12 November, with the rest of the world including the UK getting it on 19 November.