The gaming industry has been no stranger to the global supply chain shortage that’s been going on since mid 2020. Graphics cards, SSDs, consoles, and now even Xbox controllers have fallen victim to shortages. Microsoft has recently confirmed the latter (cheers, IGN), stating that customers worldwide will be hard-pressed to find a new Xbox controller for a while.
Microsoft confirmed the shortage of Xbox controllers in a statement to VGC. The company acknowledged that it’s been “hard finding Xbox Wireless Controllers right now due to supply disruptions.” In the meantime, it’s trying to pacify consumers by stating that it’s “working as fast as possible with our manufacturing and retail partners to improve this.”
Based on exactly where you are in the world, you may or may not strike some gold. For instance, at of the time of writing, the official Xbox Amazon US storefront has listings that indicate controllers won’t be delivered until July 10, July 20, or July 30, depending on the color. Another official listing that includes a USB-C cable strangely has an earlier delivery date of June 30.
Frozen buttons and sticks
These dates could very well just be placeholders, and of course will change depending on availability. For folks who need a controller a little quicker, used options are still available to be delivered within a matter of days. But this will likely change quickly depending on how stock continues to flow.
Of course, there’s still the alternative of buying a reputable third-party controller. Options such as PDP, SCUF, and PowerA exist if you don’t mind going unofficial. Those are currently far more readily available. But, of course, nothing still beats the genuine originals.
At least PC users need not stick to a single controller type. While Xbox controllers are the most efficiently compatible, there has been growing native compatibility for other controllers such as the DualSense from the PlayStation 5 and even the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. These stand among classics like the Xbox 360 controller, which can still rock with most modern games easily.
