Microsoft says Xbox 360 shortages are strictly down to a shortage of chips. The company says the shortage is such that a decision to delay launch was seriously considered.
Tucked away at the bottom of an an interview today in The Ottawa Citizen, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (pictured) said, "In these new consumer electronics devices based on new chips, there's always the question of what yield will you get out of the manufacturing process of the new chip. We're getting a little less, but not much less than the yields we expected, and we know that the yields we expected will probably outrun supply."
He added, "We decided to go ahead and launch rather than wait until post-Christmas and get a few million units out into the hands of users. We're doing our best."
Repeating the company's official line on the shortage crisis, which is now threatening to entirely undo Microsoft's attempts to win the next generation war, Ballmer said, "We are making more. All stores are getting new units each week. Can we make as many as people want? The answer is no, but not because we don't want to."