Gaming Support

[Yuanrang]

Hi, BBY team!

Will Best Buy also have the just announced Halo Infinite Limited Edition Series X console that is available on the Microsoft Store for pre-order? I'd prefer to get it through Best Buy and pre-order ASAP!

Thanks!

[AndrewB-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Hey there, Yuanrang,

Welcome back to our community forums. This new Xbox Series X looks really fantastic, it's got me thinking about making the jump as well! I'm sure you're looking forward to getting your hands on this, I'd be glad to give you some details on where to keep a lookout.

As soon as we have news about this console we'll let you know on our website. I would recommend keeping a close eye here for the most up to date information.

Please let us know if we can help with any other questions!

[beflatline]

---

@AndrewB-BBY wrote:

Hey there, Yuanrang,

Welcome back to our community forums. This new Xbox Series X looks really fantastic, it's got me thinking about making the jump as well! I'm sure you're looking forward to getting your hands on this, I'd be glad to give you some details on where to keep a lookout.

As soon as we have news about this console we'll let you know on our website. I would recommend keeping a close eye here for the most up to date information.

Please let us know if we can help with any other questions!

---

Hey Andrew,

I saw that the Canadian Best Buy website already launched the pre-orders for this console with no notice.  Can you get us some more definitive information outside of "please check the website"?  I've been refreshing fairly often throughout the week all the places I could find information (including that website), but there's no indication that there will be an update or any notice outside of what you've said.

[bobberuchi]

It is up on the web site now.

Though it is marked as coming soon.

Keep in mind it is LIMITED which also means limited quantities 

Best Buy is not going to be given an unlimited quantity.  They will need to have a solid number from Microsoft before they can entertain going live with pre-orders.  

Personally I do not expect pre-orders to be available for more than 30 to 60 minutes as I expect they will be snatched up.

[beflatline]

Yup, this is exactly why I'd like to know when they are expected to go live for pre-orders. Many other retailers sold out in minutes and I'd like the chance to try to get one before the bots / scalpers snatch them all up. I wish they'd limit these sort of things to "Elite" members or longstanding members and put strict quantity limits in place. I'd really like to get this item, but the outlook is bleak without knowing when they'll go live.

[SeanM-BBY Retired: Social Media Specialist]

Hi beflatline,

As a gamer who’s been hoping to score a next-gen console myself, I completely understand why you’d want to know when this console will be available for pre-order.  With that said, like any other next-gen console (Xbox Series X, PS5, etc.), we’ll be unable to state publicly in advance when these consoles will be available to order.

As Andrew mentioned, our site is the best place for information regarding this console’s availability, so I recommend keeping an eye on the Xbox Series X Halo Infinite Limited Edition product page, or our Video Games page for any changes in availability.

Regards,

[beflatline]

Sean,

You have to realize that doesn't give actual customers much chance at getting the console, right?  Scalpers using bots have been eating up the supply.  I understand that Best Buy doesn't have a financial stake in it because the consoles get sold either way, but to essentially be told "Sorry but that's just how it is" makes me think my loyalty to Best Buy is ill founded.  Other retailers like Gamestop and Walmart have been giving notice when these will be available - even if Gamestop is giving first dibs to paying members of their PowerUp Rewards program.  It's a hard pill to swallow that Walmart is being more friendly to their paying customers than Best Buy by putting in anti-bot measures AND alerting their customers before stock drops occur.  Please make this right - otherwise I'll likely be taking my business elsewhere in the future for the items that I can find elsewhere.

[bobberuchi]

I would suggest you start following some Twitter feeds from people who will give notice when they are available and start doing research  on when various retailers are going to have them available.

Many people also lose theirs from the cart because their browser is to cluttered and their Internet connection is so slow it times out.

I decided on a Tuesday a month ago that I wanted to get a PS5.  On Friday I had one. 

You can blame bots all you want. But those twitter feeds send out those notices and many thousands of non bot users who are trying and get one. Granted they exist.

My research showed me when a release was expected so I set up my browser with book marks and had my account logged in. Granted it was from a different retailer.  If I had been set up with multiple accounts to that retailer I could have had 4 consoles. I was refreshing my browser.  Suddenly it was available. I had it in my cart 3 minutes before the first Twitter feed sent me a notice of availability. 

[beflatline]

I'm doing that already, but it's frustrating to see Best Buy not do anything about this.  This easily could be avoided if Best Buy took responsibility for alerting it's customers when they'd go live and put in the proper limitations for these sort of items (ie: must have an active account for multiple years / previous purchases, limiting amount sold per console, etc.).

I'm sure I'll get a Series X in the near future - but if Best Buy isn't willing to do something about resellers buying multiples / scalpers / bots so that their actual customers have a fighting chance, I'll be taking my business elsewhere.  Members shouldn't have to rely on other people to find out when something is going live at a retailer when the retailer has full control of when something goes live.  Why would I want to spend money at a store that tells me "good luck trying to get this item, we won't help you despite having the means to do so - we just don't want to"?  I mean, sure, maybe none of those working the forums / in store has that information - but someone up the chain does, and it's a purposeful decision to withold that information.  Yikes.

[beflatline]

Best Buy social,

Do you have any updates in regards to release of this console?  Will Best Buy actually be carrying it?  Rumor is that it's extremely limited, and the manufacturer has posted on other sites (like Amazon) that pre-orders are done with... but then again, Amazon never did go live for their pre-orders (and neither has Best Buy).