Chip shortages have been a problem in the gaming industry for a while, now Microsoft couldn’t even get enough Xbox Series X consoles for Halo Infinite’s first Halo Championship Series tournament and instead used a mix of consoles to go on sale and consoles for development.
Tahir Hasandjekic, the Halo esports lead at Microsoft/343 Industries, shared that Twitter. He said the open bracket players would be playing on Xbox Series X development consoles. Fans don’t have to worry about that because the consoles are “functionally identical to each other”.
“A message to open bracket players: you will be playing on Series X development consoles this weekend,” Hasandjekic said. “They are functionally identical to the consoles that went on sale, it’s the exact same experience, they just look different. Why? Because of the worldwide chip shortages.”
So even Microsoft can’t find enough consoles for the first major Halo Infinite tournament.
Dev kits are the systems developers use when they create games for a console. Normally these are not intended for the public and are not used in official tournaments.
These chip shortages affect many more companies besides Microsoft, as Nintendo cut Switch production by 20% and Sony had to cancel a million PS5 consoles. A recent report says the shortages “will continue” until at least September 2022.
The first Halo Infinite Halo Championship Series will run from December 17 to 19 and will see 272 teams competing for a share of the $250,000 prize pool with additional crowdfunding.
