If you tried to get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox One X last year, you know how difficult it is. You'd think Microsoft, which manufactures and sells Xbox consoles, would be able to get any, but even they are having difficulties. As a result, some tournament competitors in the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021, the company's most recent Halo Infinite competition, will get customized dev kits.

The Halo Championship Series' new season kicked off yesterday with a $250k event comprising eSport teams from OpTic, G2, eUnited, and Cloud9. However, 343s esports lead Tahir Hasandjekic announced on Twitter before the tournament that certain players will have to use dev kits in retail mode. What is the explanation for this? "The global supply chain shortage is genuine," Hasandjekic said.

Heads up open bracket players - you'll be playing this weekend on Series X development consoles. They're functionally identical and will be operating in "Retail" mode so it's the exact same experience, they just look a little different.

Why? Global supply chain shortage is real.

— Tashi (@Tashi343i) December 15, 2021

The dev kits will be "functionally similar," according to Hasandjekic, with the only real distinction being that the dev units will appear different from retail Xbox consoles.

Even a year after the machines' release, getting your hands on next-gen consoles remains a challenge. With some tech giants like Intel predicting that the chip shortage will continue to cause issues well into 2023, and scalpers continuing to use bots to scoop up the few consoles that do appear online, it's likely that buying a PS5 or Xbox Series X at retail price will be difficult and frustrating in 2022. According to Micheal Driscoll, a data product senior associate lead at consumer finance business Avant, scalpers made $104 million in earnings in August alone.

Even the lead actor in Deathloop required Bethesda's assistance in obtaining a PS5 system in order to play the game he co-created and stars in. While I've heard that buying the cheaper, less powerful Xbox Series S has become a little simpler, the other next-gen consoles remain elusive, infuriating many who continue to search online for them.