Why is the Xbox Series S so much easier to buy than the Series X or PS5?

techradar.com:

One-and-a-half years since their release, both the Xbox Series X and the PS5 are still frustratingly difficult to find. Considering the impact that global supply chains issues and chip shortages have had on console production, this is hardly a surprise as both consoles are in high demand.

And yet somehow, the Xbox Series S has managed to evade the same troubles of its more expensive counterparts, given how it almost always seems to be in stock at major online retailers such as Amazon. 

The Xbox Series S has even gone on sale multiple times, with its price dropping as low as $249.99, which is $50 off its usual retail price. And now, according to GamesIndustry.biz, its widespread availability has even helped Xbox’s latest generation of consoles outsell the PS5 in Europe for the first time ever – not bad for a box that seemingly no one wants.

If you’re anything like me, you might have been wondering why the Xbox Series S appears to be significantly easier to buy than the Xbox Series X, the PS5, the Nintendo Switch OLED and even the PS4. We’re here to break down the reasons as to why that is.

Ultimately, the reason why the Xbox Series S is so much easier to obtain than the Xbox Series X or the PS5 boils down to differences in their manufacturing processes. Each packs a semi-custom AMD accelerated processing unit (APU) that consists of an octa-core Zen 2-based CPU and RDNA 2 GPU, which supply the consoles with the power needed to push 4K resolution at 120 frames per second.

According to industry insider Daniel Ahmad, these powerful chipsets make both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X similarly difficult to manufacture. Meanwhile, the production process behind the Series S is significantly less resource-heavy — so much so that Xbox