Xbox One Will Be Available On Launch Day Without Pre-Order

According to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, who has been talking to Game Informer, there will be no shortages of inventory on launch day for the Xbox One. The Xbox One will be launched on November 22nd and Microsoft wants to reassure consumers that inventory should be substantial enough to provide every customer with an Xbox One in the 13 countries the device launches in.

“You want people to be able to walk in the store and buy one on day one, so you’re trying to manage the inventory that isn’t pre-sold. It’s not a yield problem, it’s us trying to manage the hardware side…I want parents who don’t think about pre-ordering electronics to be able to walk in and have a chance to find a box. There might be a line, but I don’t want it to be that if you didn’t pre-order in September, you can’t get one. That doesn’t feel like a great consumer experience.”

Microsoft believes that there will be no stock shortages similar to what the Xbox 360 had when it launched.  In theory you should be able to go to your nearest store and pick one up off the shelf.

“Availability should feel a lot better than it did for 360…If people want to pick up more controllers and games, they’ll be there. We feel really good about our pre-order number, and we’re managing it through allocation rather than demand. [Pre-order] isn’t the business. It’s way more important to me what happens when people walk in the store. The business is selling consoles.”

Image courtesy of Microsoft