Xbox Wireless Controllers Are Weirdly Facing Shortage Across Europe

Every player has a different medium through which they control their protagonist in games. PC gamers use a mouse and a keyboard, VR is also in trend now but arguably the most popular medium is the controller. It has been around since the start of gaming and has changed many forms.

Like any technology, console controllers have evolved a lot throughout the decades. From the legendary wired PS2 controllers to the cutting edge and modern DualSense, we have come a long way. Microsoft has also made its contribution to the race and made some pretty good controllers for Xbox.

The aptly named Xbox Wireless Controller is familiar to every player around the globe. It’s even used on other platforms like PC so it makes Microsoft a lot of money every year. But, an Xbox controller is only good if it’s available and that has not been the case with it recently.

Xbox Wireless controllers are unusually facing shortages all around Europe in the recent weeks and months. No one has any explanation for this but official controllers from the company are just not available. You can still buy the wired controllers from third-party stores but the official wireless ones are nowhere to be found.

For example, the Netherlands is facing a severe scarcity of Xbox wireless controllers. There are almost no retailers in the country who are selling the official version. All of the stores are out of stock except one chain which is selling the controller for €20 more than the retail price. 

The Amazon website of the country has an even worse price of €208 for the controller, which is almost €110 more than the retail price of the official Xbox Wireless Controller. Hence, people in the country are getting taken advantage of due to this shortage.

The same thing is happening in the UK, according to users on the Reset Era forum. In a reply to a thread, users are telling how difficult it is to find a new Xbox Wireless Controller in the country. Apparently, France also has no stock of the controllers and Denmark’s Amazon is also out of the controller.

Nobody has any idea why this is happening or who is responsible for this. Most of the controllers available right now are in used condition and are imported from foreign countries. The USA is not facing this Xbox Wireless Controller shortage at all so maybe it is a case of Microsoft focusing on one market and not the others.

It has also been happening for a long time, as you can see in the graph. The Xbox Wireless Controller shortage started in February and peaked in May and it is still COVID-19 around but something like this shouldn’t happen. Hopefully, this shortage is addressed and resolved by Microsoft quickly.