COVID-19 pandemic to derail 2020 launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X

The tech industry continues to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as several manufacturing facilities in China remain shut down. While some have resumed operation, the workforce is still not in optimal capacity. Thus, global consumer markets are struggling with dwindling inventory and no means of restocking enough units. From a gaming standpoint, Sony and Microsoft are likewise affected by the outbreak. Both companies are scheduled to launch the PS5 and Xbox Series X respectively later this year, but it likely that this could be pushed back to 2021.

Gaming industry research group DFC intelligence believes that the ongoing spread of the Wuhan coronavirus will have a massive impact on both current-generation systems, according to Wcctech. Amid the health scare, the undermanned factories in China will not be able to meet the supply targets for international markets. Therefore, Sony and Microsoft could end up making adjustments to their respective release schedules for 2020.

While some are confident that COVID-19 infections will eventually slow down, experts monitoring the supply chain are not. "Coronavirus is likely to have a major short-term impact on the delivery of both systems. There is a strong likelihood one or both systems will not make a 2020 launch. If the systems do launch, supply will likely be constrained and initial pricing could be higher than expected," states DFC Intelligence about the Xbox Series X and PS5 launch.

The research firm adds, "currently, the economy is in an unprecedented state of uncertainty. Even if the situation clears up in a few weeks, the ability to manufacture and release a high-end new game system has already been severely impacted." Both upcoming console source their custom processors from AMD. The chipmaker assures that it can fulfil the orders from Sony and Microsoft. Hence, the delay is directly from the assembly line in China.

Microsoft is already the first out of the gate with the debut of the Xbox Series X. Sony, on the other hand, remains bull-headed when it comes to the PS5 reveal. So far, some specifications and features of the new Xbox have already been published. However, similar to the new PlayStation pricing and availability are yet to be listed.