In one more example of how terrible the ongoing global chip shortage is, Microsoft couldn’t get sufficient Xbox Series X consoles for Halo Infinite’s first Halo Championship Series competition and instead had to use a mix of retail and development consoles.
Tahir Hasandjekic, the Halo esports and viewership lead at Microsoft/343 Industries, shared the news on Twitter, saying open section players would play on Xbox Series X improvement consoles. Luckily, there is no requirement for these players or fans to stress as they are “functionally identical” to retail Xbox Series X hardware.
“Heads up open bracket players – you’ll be playing this weekend on Series X development consoles,” Hasandjekic said. “They’re functionally identical and will be operating in ‘retail’ mode so it’s the exact same experience, they just look a little different. Why? Global supply chain shortage is real.”
Indeed, even Microsoft can’t track down an adequate number of consoles for the first major competition for Halo Infinite
For those uninformed, dev kits are the systems used by game designers while making the games we know and love. They are by and large not made accessible to the public and it’s uncommon to at any point see one at an official competition.
This chip deficiency is affecting numerous beyond Microsoft, as Nintendo cut its Switch production down 20% because of it and Sony supposedly cut production of its PS5 consoles by 1,000,000. A new report said that this lack influencing gaming “will remain very tight” until at minimum September 2022.
The first Halo Infinite Halo Championship Series competition features runs from December 17-19 and features 272 teams going after a prize pool of $250,000 + Crowdfunding.
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