A ‘systems error’ at US electronic retailer Target led to shipping of regular Xbox One consoles two weeks earlier than the launch date and Microsoft has put a temporary ban on all those who got their hands on their pre-ordered consoles before the official launch date.
Because of a misconfiguration of launch date for the regular Xbox One console on the system, the consoles were automatically set for shipment to all those who had preordered just the console. Almost all Target distribution warehouses caught the error but one. According to a report on Kotaku, Target’s east coast centre accidentally shipped out the console to a few customers.
Customers who received their consoles earlier than anticipated got all excited and started posting unboxing vidoes and images online and even connected their consoles to Xbox Live. Microsoft was quick to act on this goof up and has banned accounts of all these users and is currently investigating the matter. The ban hasn’t been well received, but it seems that the step was a necessary one from Microsoft’s perspective. Those who have already got their consoles would be wise enough not to connect to Xbox Live after reports of these bans.
However, Major Nelson has informed through a tweet that the ban is not a permanent one. “Whatever happened it will not be permanent. I can say that with 100% certainty.”
In a blog post Major Nelson said, “We’re pleased to see the initial response to Xbox One has been so positive, but given we are still putting the finishing touches on our games, UI and online services, as well as confidential partner and media agreements, these consoles units will be restricted from connecting to Xbox Live until closer to our launch date.”
