It has not gone unnoticed by the observant how both dates – the 5th and 15th respectively- for the rumored Playstation 5 reveal stream have come and gone without a sound. At first, this could just be written off as bunk rumors or changing of plans, but increasingly it appears Sony may be in a difficult position as a result of the Corona Virus outbreak.
Where Microsoft in 2002 partnered with Flextronics to build their own manufacturing facility for the Xbox platform in the district of Doumen outside of Hong Kong, Sony has continued to use the infamous Foxconn to manufacture their Playstation consoles. Before the outbreak of the Corona Virus, this was already causing problems for Sony as Foxconn also manufactures the iPhone brand resulting in components needed for the PS5 becoming scarcer and by extension more costly to acquire. Leading to a $450 manufacturing price tag as reported by Bloomberg without Sony’s denial.
With the quarantine implemented across the Wuhan region following the Corona Virus outbreak production of Playstation units ground to a halt as Foxconn has advised employees to stay home and switched production away from electronics to face masks for the foreseeable future, as reported by Business Insider.
For a while, it has been suspected Sony’s announcement plans may have been scuttled as a result of both production and pricing problems. Said suspicions now gain more credibility as Sony attempts to scapegoat Corona fears for them no longer attending Pax East. A conference held in the United States in a region that does not have a corona outbreak.
In an update on their blog, Sony provided the following information.
Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment made the decision to cancel its participation at PAX East in Boston this year due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”). We felt this was the safest option as the situation is changing daily. We are disappointed to cancel our participation in this event, but the health and safety of our global workforce is our highest concern.
What is more likely, that Sony has suddenly become paranoid delusional germaphobes making Alex Jones tier conspiratorial inspired decisions or Sony’s entire plans have been scuttled after pricing and production issues? Though if there is a sudden and surprise Corona outbreak in Boston around the 27th I’ll eat my words and go full gay frog rant mode, but that’s highly unlikely to happen.
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