Xbox Series X and S pre-orders have proven so popular that online stores have been taken offline.
Amazon, the official Microsoft store and other websites appeared to struggle with the demand for the console, with users saying they were unable to even get online, let alone order.
The problems follow similar issues with the PlayStation 5, which went on sale last week. That surprise announcement also broke a number of retailers’ websites, leaving fans unable to get hold of the console.
Xbox Series X and S pre-orders have now gone online around the world, with the process going in the morning local time.
Users across the UK, US and elsewhere said that as soon as they had opened, they had struggled to get online, even on the biggest websites.
Those retailers that did stay working had trouble offering enough of the consoles for the fans that wanted them. Microsoft had warned in advance of the pre-orders that supply would be limited, and there did seem to be far more people wanting to reserve the consoles than there were Xboxes available.
Some instituted queueing systems, asking customers to hang around for upwards of an hour to get through to the actual store. Others asked people to sign up for notifications that would arrive when the console finally became available.
The cheaper Xbox Series S appeared to be more readily available than the more powerful Xbox Series X. It is not clear whether that is a result of a greater supply of the former consoles, if more fans are looking for the more expensive one, or some combination of the two.
Both versions of the next-generation Xbox will arrive on 10 November.
