Sony has announced that the PlayStation 5 will launch this holiday, but it probably didn’t count on a global epidemic threatening to thwart its plans. As you’ve no doubt already heard, China is at the focal point of the current Coronavirus outbreak, which has infected an eye-watering 28,000 people according to figures released on Wednesday.
The issue, of course, is that electronics companies rely on manufacturers such as Foxconn to bring their products to market, and much like the rest of China, the giant is currently quarantining employees. This has already forced Nintendo to adjust its plans, and there’s speculation the next iPhone could be delayed as well.
It stands to reason, then, that the PS5 could also be affected. “The video game sector is currently manufacturing, or beginning to, a once-in-several-years' product generation change for the 2020 holiday season,” a note from investment company Jefferies Group explained this week. “New consoles may suffer supply issues from a prolonged disruption, ahead of their Fall 2020 planned launches.”
The plot thickens when you consider that many game developers outsource art assets to Chinese developers, which may also result in delays to in-progress projects. Of course, video games are low on the list of priorities when human lives are on the line, but it’s perhaps worth considering that you may not be playing a PS5 this Christmas should the Coronavirus outbreak fail to be contained.
[source businessinsider.com]
Comments 34
To be honest, not just in technology but across industries, China is such a huge producer that any throttling of that productivity is going to have massive knock ons with our supply chain around the world.
@Rudy_Manchego Pretty much, yeah.
China. The world’s choice for technology manufacturing and infectious diseases.
Could there be any shipment quarantines as well? Not sure if Coronavirus can live long outside of a host or not. (But if I remember biology, viruses can ‘live’ for awhile)
It’s a worrying time. Video games aren’t a massive deal compared to lives at the end of the day so if the virus is contained and lives are saved then PS5 can wait.
I was saying this to my wife only last week. Its bound to cause issues. Its already causing problems for the animal crossing limited edition nintendo switch.
Wider than video games, the global economy is going to take a hit over this too. Its incredibly concerning.
I do wonder whether this will be a wake up call to the world that outsourcing industry to benefit from the cheaper labour in China, and putting all their eggs in one basket is not a good idea moving forward. I've seen loads of shops saying they are unable to import goods like cosmetics etc. And its bound to impact things like the automobile industry, and wider electronics industries etc.
People underestimating the scale of the crisis are very short sighted.
I'm more sympathetic towards these poor souls combating the virus than the timely launch of the PS5. It will launch eventually, people waited much longer for the PS3 to launch back in the day (Waitstation 3, anyone?).
Geesh. Stop selling air temperature carcasses of wild animals in filthy places. Oh and maybe dont develop nasty germ warfare weapons either. Gotta feel for the poor and oppressed people over there.
I think it's now time for electronics companies to start considering NOT having a single point of failure.
Politics aside, companies really should look into manufacturing in various places in the same way cars manufacturers have different assembly plants across the globe.
2020 is one crappy year.
☹️
@Nyne11Tyme shhhhhhhhhh they live in a utopia were all are equal. Oh wait im 50 from former comunist country yeah your right. but watch out for any shady chinese people knocking on the door.
I doubt it ps4 is made in us and Spain
@Stragen8 Biologist here, the strain of virus the 2019-nCoV is in the same family as SARS MERS and the common flu. These strain of viruses have been shown in many studies to not last on surfaces for more than several minutes 15 mins at the most. Not to mention they don't transmit well when they aren't airborne to begin with. Unless you are touching objects that an infected person has sneezed on in the last 5 to 10 mins, there is minimal risk of contracting it. Now extrapolate that to shipping things across the global, and there is virtually as low a a chance you can see in being exposed to it.
Just move the manufacturing to the hospitals. I know you can do it, commies. <3
get your excuses in now if stock runs out day 1, which it will anyway
Plus subscribers can get PS5 early, providing they build it themselves.
Maybe its time to move on from that reliance on China.
Yea gamers can wait a few more months if that can help. Its not a problem at all. I hope this virus crisis gets sorted out.
Definitely a possibility. I hope the egg heads come up with a cure soon as almost daily it seems to be getting worse.
My condolences to those affected in China.
Now for the PS5, I’ll have one pre-ordered the day it gets announced, so I’m a little more okay with a supply shortage than a delay. If it’s just a delay I’ll still have mine.
@The16BitEraMan Thank you!!
"Of course, video games are low on the list of priorities when human lives are on the line"
Speak for yourself 😂
"NO!!! I want my PS5 NOWWW!!! Wahhhhhh."
Calm your jets. People's lives are in danger. Spare a thought for them. You'll get your plastic box full of more plastic, wires, metal and silicon bits soon enough, Francis.
Don't really care if it is delayed, but not for the reason people are saying, don't call me heartless as of course it is tragic that people are dying and I pray that China and all other countries affected sort out their problems ASAP, but I am more thinking that it gives me time to spend my cash and not save as much as I would have done if it was coming this year, either way I was going to have enough but just means I can buy more releases and other things instead of just strictly saving.
Well we have already seen a Switch game and consoles delayed, so if this is still an issue in a few months....yikes.
People's safety comes first.
If less fatalities means PS5 comes later, then by all means, let it come later.
Coronavirus - Going to have a massive impact on world trade....
People - Whatever! it's over there...
Coronavirus - Going to have an impact on PS5...
People - Mass Panic!!!
LOL
Another political holdup. Look on a Lysol can, this isn't a new virus but it does coincidentally line up with the utter failure that is the liberals impeachment process. It would be funny if you could believe Democrats weren't so stupid but no, those kinds of people really do exist.
f**k China and their dirty ways
I’m hoping this will resolve itself over the summer. Cold is generally spread in the cold and coronavirus is essentially a cold with a higher than usual mortality rates. I would think that the absolute worst case scenario would be a delay till summer 2021.
@Turismo4GT No one talks like this. How about you calm your jets
@Knuckles-Fajita They haven’t been delayed in terms of a release date change, yet.
Im currently fighting and trying to contain my own war with my ps4 back catalogue so a delay is far from the worst thing. On a serious note though, this outbreak is pretty messed up. Probably time for us all to stop, take a look around and be grateful for what we already have. We can sit here and be disingenuous and drop jokes but as mentioned before its just a lump of plastic. Spare a though for those affected. Ps5 will get here when it gets here.
@get2sammyb
An interesting read from WaPo, touching on the very topic of this article, albeit a month later:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/03/13/with-next-gen-console-releases-looming-suppliers-say-coronavirus-may-complicate-production/
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