A new Xbox rumor started this weekend that’s now blown out of proportion, as usual. Late into the evening on Saturday, Redditors flocked to the Xbox subreddit as someone claimed their local Target had begun removing the Xbox section from their store. Then, various blog sites who seem oddly invested in the concept of “Xbox dying” ran with headlines based on said anonymous reports. Likely buoyed by the fact that Costco recently has reduced its Xbox offering, compounding expectations of a wider retail rout.
From this post spawned a number of stories where other Redditors began sharing that they hadn’t seen stock within their local Target or Walmart stores for months. Counter reports came in from various sources, like Destin Legarie, who shared the following.
“I just called my local Walmart to ask if they were discontinuing or pulling Xbox stock. They said, ‘At least to my knowledge, I haven’t heard anything about like clearing inventory or anything like that. Or about being discontinued.” They also said still have them in stock.”
We also spoke to a Target employee at our end, who also discredited claims of a wider Xbox removal.
Even the legendary Xbox alumni Larry “Major” Nelson chimed in, stating, “All I know is I went to a couple of Target and GameStop stores this week, and did find Xbox hardware and games for sale.” I even did a little investigative work by going to my local Target during an unrelated errand, where I stopped by to check the shelves.
Sure enough, everything was there except for the consoles themselves. When I checked their website, I noticed that not a single Xbox Series X was available, but multiple Xbox Series S consoles were for purchase. But, Xbox stock does tend to fluctuate heavily, as Microsoft seems to manufacture them practically to order these days.
The Xbox Series X is regularly sold out, as Microsoft seems particularly fearful of creating “over supply” situations, for whatever reason. Some of that silicon is being used to power Xbox Cloud Gaming, however, which is another angle likely at pl ay here.
At least at Walmart, we found both consoles in stock. So wait, are they or aren’t they getting rid of them? Well, Microsoft has given us a statement, noting that Walmart and Target, at large, are still “committed partners” for Xbox hardware.
“Target and Walmart, among other retailers, remain committed partners for Xbox consoles, accessories, and games.”
Misinformation is generally been worse than ever thanks to AI, bots, and the like, but Microsoft has earned itself plenty of negativity over the last year. Where is all this misinformation coming from? And what will it take to turn the tide?
“Target and Walmart, among other retailers, remain committed partners for Xbox consoles, accessories, and games.”
Microsoft
The battle ahead for Microsoft began with itself
Twice this year, Microsoft has announced price increases across the board for all Xbox-branded consoles, largely due to tariffs. All variations of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have seen a jump in price from their original prices of $499/$299 to $649/$399 respectively.
Then, to add insult to injury, the Game Pass Ultimate price took a 50% hike this past month, which will take effect at the start of November. Since then, Microsoft has been dealing with a tidal wave of claims that Microsoft is exiting the hardware business entirely, much like Sega did at the turn of the millennium. This is hot on the heels of Microsoft’s summer reveal of a decade-long hardware partnership with AMD, for Xbox consoles.
Forcing another response, Microsoft chimed in, stating that it has no intentions to exit the Xbox console hardware business, and that seeking more information could refer to their latest partnership announcement with AMD.
Microsoft has always wrestled with its image, but it has reached new lows as of late. When you combine mass layoffs to fund investments into AI products only shareholders seem to want, aggressive price increases while posting record revenues and profits, and a sprint of unpopular business decisions — Xbox’s public image has taken a battering.
Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass had a stellar year up to the price hikes, and its first party output has been better than ever, after years of struggling to finds its footing. The Xbox Series X|S consoles were also among the best pieces of hardware the firm has ever put out, again, before price hikes. All you need is a cursory glance over replies to its social posts to get a sense of how up against it Xbox is with its image.
As one of the world’s most privileged companies, it deserves similarly powerful scrutiny. But, the sheer volume of misinformation and negativity out there risks turning others away from the ecosystem in its entirety — potentially harming customers, employees, and third-party developers alike who rely on Xbox’s continued existence. Microsoft needs to do more here.
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