Xbox head Phil Spencer says console shortage to continue into 2022

The shortage will continue in 2022

Sony and Microsoft have struggled with supplying units of their next generation consoles, since COVID-19 became a thing. Not many people have managed to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X or S. To make matters worse, scalpers have become a real problem, charging astronomical prices in the face of short supplies.

For people expecting the situation to improve in 2022, be prepared to fight some more because as Xbox head Phil Spencer puts it, "We're working hard to bring them to market but it's going to be a challenge that we'll work through for quite a while."

In an interview with The Wrap (via gamesindustry.biz), Phil Spencer said that the problem goes beyond just chip shortage.

" When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is, there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process," said Spencer.

"And I think regretfully it's going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year," he added.

Toshiba, Japanese manufacturer and supplier of materials needed for semiconductors to console makers, said that the problem would persist in 2022 and they expect the shipments to remain problematic till at least September 2022.

"The thing that's most disappointing is just the fan disappointment," said Spencer on the predicament.

"People really want this new generation of consoles -- they're good consoles, both from us and the other platform holders -- and they want the new functionality."