Major retailers may not have the stock of consoles necessary to bear the incoming wave of demand this holiday season, thanks to Grand Theft Auto 6's release, it's claimed.

According to a new article by The Game Business, game shops are expecting a surge in interest for PS5s and Xbox Series X/S when the game launches on the 19th November. However, whether they have the stock to support this demand is another question.

GTA 6 (Grand Theft Auto 6) - Official Cover Art Reveal Teaser Trailer

A senior games buyer, speaking under condition of anonymity, told The Game Business that: "...Because of the on-going issues around hardware component availability, we won't be getting the units we want ahead of GTA." As a result, the source believes: "Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year end period."

As The Game Business points out, during Sony's financial report back in May, CEO Hiroki Totoki told investors that the "necessary volume" has been secured for the calendar year. However, Xbox's CSO Matthew Ball told The Game Business recently that demand was already exceeding supply for Xbox consoles, saying: "We are putting them in as many stores as possible. We are producing them as quickly as possible. There is a severe limitation to how quickly we can do that, but it’s not a question of appetite. We need to do more, but there are constraints here."

The elephant in the room here is the generative AI boom and its impact on hardware prices. Due to component shortages resulting from AI's dominating surge through the stock market, an already troublesome cost of living crisis has morphed into a greater problem for tech consumers. Just today, Xbox consoles saw another substantial price hike as a result, while Valve recently said the Steam Machine is more expensive than it would have liked due to component costs.

So, if you were thinking of grabbing a console before this holiday season, you may want to grab one soon before they're no longer available. Or hey, before they're slapped with more price hikes.

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