Xbox One Elite Controller Shortage due to Underestimated Demand?

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Back in June, Microsoft announced the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller, which Xbox executive Phil Spencer described as "an elite controller for the elite gamer." The Verge reports that it's an Xbox controller with additional features such as four interchangeable paddles around back, Hair Trigger Locks for precise control in shooters, remappable buttons, and completely swappable components. It was released in October at a $149.99 price point, promising gamers an even better performance.

According to Xbox One, the Elite Wireless Controller is a "performance-class controller" designed in collaboration with pro-level gamers "to meet the needs of today’s competitive gamers."

The Elite Wireless Controller was met with warm enthusiasm, as Gamespot reports that there has been a shortage in stocks. Microsoft admitted that they "totally underestimated" the demand for it, especially with the holiday season. Microsoft CMO Chris Capossela admitted that the company wanted to produce more, but feedback from E3 2015 showed that they should limit production, which they eventually did.

"Here's the product we totally underestimated," Capossela admitted. "If I could have built 10 times the number I built, I would have. We got that feedback at E3 that it was awesome, but maybe the price was a little too high, and so that influenced how many we produced."

"On the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving, myself and Kevin Turner our COO, and the guy who runs our stores, David Porter, we go around and visit 30 or 40 different stores," Capossela explained. "Best Buy and GameStop and AT&T and Verizon and Microsoft Stores, just to see how things look, and the one thing we heard from everybody was, 'You needed to make way more of these controllers.'"

Games Radar reported in July that according to Spencer, "I think that controller, especially with some of the recent modifications we made with the audio jack and the shoulder buttons, is the best controller, obviously, that we’ve made up until the point the Elite controller comes out."

"We look at the Elite controller as being for somebody who feels they’re an elite competitive gamer, and that’s great for them," he explained. "But we’ll continue to be very supportive of our Xbox One controller. It’s what a vast majority of our gamers will be playing [for the] life of the console."

It seems that they've met their goals, as the console has sold out and there's no news on when new stocks will arrive. In November, Gaming Bolt reported that Spencer took to Twitter to express his concern over the shortage of the Elite Controller, writing, "We are working to get more in stock, sorry they’ve been so hard to find."

"I don’t want to overpromise. Demand has just exceeded our planning. If you find one and you want it, pick it up, sorry," he wrote.