PS5 Xbox Series X Launch May Be Delayed, Says Report

Long before the world was hit by the deadly COVID-19 outbreak, the gaming industry already know that the PS5 and Xbox Series X would arrive sometime in the holiday of 2020. However, given the development of the deadly virus, which has spread in a lot of countries outside China, it creates a lot of uncertainties. It includes the possibility that the arrival of both PS5 and Xbox Series X could be delayed.

GamingBolt released a report claiming that several electronics shortages could be felt because of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19. The site used the Samsung Galaxy S20 as an example, which is almost impossible to find in most stores. Supplies of Nintendo Switch, particularly in Japan and other Asian countries, are predicted to be constrained because of production disruption, the site added.

Apart from this, the site pointed out the effect of COVID-19 on the manufacturing and shipping of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. it claimed that the coronavirus is highly contagious and may be transmissible on surfaces. In other words, there is a chance that the virus could spread through electronics shipments if, at some point, a person with COVID-19 handles it. The report added that COVID-19 could be transmitted by even just getting contact with an infected or exposed surface.

IHS Analyst Piers Harding-Rolls recently shared in an interview that “The chance of supply chain disruption due to the coronavirus is growing weekly. To assemble optimum inventory for a November launch, I expect both companies to start ramping up production in Q2, so if factories are not back at full capacity by that point there is likely to be some constraint versus optimum shipments in preparation for a launch,” he added.

“Aside from the actual assembly of the consoles, it is hard to predict at this stage if the supply chain for components that go into these consoles, several of which will be custom, will or will not be affected.”

Despite these, Microsoft, Sony, and even AMD assured the industry that the PS5 and Xbox Series X would arrive on schedule. AMD Executive Vice President of Computing and Graphics Rick Bergman already confirmed this at the 2020 AMD Financial Analyst Day.