Microsoft has clarified that production for Xbox One consoles actually happened back in 2020.

Xbox One consoles are no longer being manufactured. In fact, it's been well over a year since an Xbox One console was last made. We originally knew that Microsoft had ended production of the Xbox One X and Xbox One S digital consoles back in 2020 before the release of the Xbox Series X|S, but we've recently learned that the base Xbox One S was also quietly discontinued.

In a statement to The Verge, Cindy Walker, senior director of Xbox console product marketing, confirmed that no models of the Xbox One are currently in production. “To focus on production of Xbox Series X|S, we stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020.”

Why Microsoft can discontinue the Xbox One lineup completely likely lies with the Xbox Series S. Unlike the Xbox Series X or PS5, the Series S model is relatively easy to find in stock. As a smaller, less powerful console, the Series S doesn't require the same size internals, meaning more can be built from the same chip die space.

Microsoft's strategy is the direct opposite of Sony's, who, according to Bloomberg, will manufacture a million PS4 consoles in 2022. Unlike the Xbox Series consoles, the PS5 lineup does not include a cheaper, less powerful machine. As it remains impossible to find a PS5, the extra PS4 consoles will still allow fans to play Sony's first-party 2022 lineup until they can get their hands on a PS5.