Santa can’t buck laws of supply and demand

• Date: 19 December 2020
• Published date: 19 December 2020

The two brand new consoles are at the top of "must have" lists (must we have, really?) this Christmas , but neither can be found, at least not through the usual routes or at reasonable prices.

The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but seem to come down to the traditional factors: supply and demand. Microsoft (for the Xbox) and Sony (for the PlayStation) appear to have produced the consoles in insufficient numbers, and too many people want to buy any that have been made.

It is normal for a new console launch to generate a buzz, with loyal gamers wanting nothing more than to try out new hardware and share their views with their community. This is a bit more than a buzz, however, with Covid likely to have intervened on both sides of the supply-demand equation.

Getting anything to market has been harder for most manufacturers this year, and the big tech companies are sure to have been affected by Covid restrictions both within their facilities and on the logistics front. Demand has however reportedly exploded beyond expectations, with much of the world's population stuck indoors for...