Coronavirus may delay PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X launch past 2020

If not quelled, the coronavirus could impact production of next-gen PS5, Xbox SX consoles and lead to a delay.

Derek Strickland

Senior Gaming Editor

Published Feb 6, 2020 2:39 PM CST
Updated Nov 3, 2020 11:45 AM CST

24 minutes & 30 seconds read time

Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X could be delayed as key hardware supply chain facilities are impacted by China's coronavirus health risk.

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Big chip-makers like Foxconn are closing shop due to the coronavirus outbreak, interrupting tech hardware production in games consoles, iPhones, DRAM, and more. Today Nintendo confirmed the temporary closures at Foxconn will impact Switch production and stall shipments to Japan. This could only be the beginning of the disruption; Sony and Microsoft also rely on Foxconn's fab facilities for chips in their respective PlayStation and Xbox systems.

If the situation doesn't improve, both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X next-gen systems could be summarily impacted. This could eventually lead to a delay past Holiday 2020, which would tremendously shake-up the games industry.

According to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, over 96% of console hardware is made and assembled in China, including the SoCs that power each system.

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The following quote gives an idea of just how badly the coronavirus could affect next-gen timing (and pricing). Everything the companies spend on production, from the supply chain, manufacturing, and personnel costs, are all meticulously micro-managed and cataloged. The coronavirus outbreak is an unknown factor that could spill the precariously-balanced house of cards.

"In 2018, over 96% of video game consoles imported into the United States were made in China," the Big Three wrote in a joint warning letter to the U.S. government concerning the then-relevant Chinese trade tariffs.

"The video game console supply chain has developed in China over many years of investment by our companies and our partners. It would cause significant supply chain disruption to shift sourcing entirely to the United States or a third country, and it would increase costs-even beyond the cost of the proposed tariffs-on products that are already manufactured under tight margin conditions.

"Each video game console comprises dozens of complex components sourced from multiple countries. A change in even a single supplier must be vetted carefully to mitigate risks of product quality, unreliability and consumer safety issues."

This is something I talked about all along and haven't written about because the conclusion is more logical, but reports are breaking out about possible delays, so the time is right.

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Luckily neither the PS5 nor Xbox SX are currently in mass hardware production--they're in pre-production prototype phases--but both companies are gearing up and starting to count costs and make plans.

Sony, in particular, has been extremely reticent on revealing key PlayStation 5 info. A new PS5 website was launched that asserts Sony "isn't quite ready to reveal details" just yet.

Pricing is one of these details. Sony Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki said that PlayStation 5 pricing is difficult to determine for a number of reasons including total production costs, hinting the company is watching the outbreak like a hawk. Visibility on these costs is foggy for many reasons--marketing, manufacturing, shipping, R&D, component costs, assembly, and of course the cost of the competing Xbox Series X--but the coronavirus likely plays a part in this uncertainty.

The virus is already impacting Sony hardware: In the earnings call, Sony confirmed the coronavirus would affect camera sensor production.

There is one silver lining.

The specter of the U.S.-China trade tariffs could've inadvertently prepared the Big Three for this disruption. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are said to have moved a portion of their console hardware production out of China to avoid the previous tariffs. Whether or not this actually happened--or to what extent--remains to be seen.

Right now the coronavirus is spreading across the world. There are now 28,000 confirmed cases across 28 countries all across the globe, including key parts of Asia, the United States, Europe, and even Australia. The outbreak is leading to delays of key gaming events, closures of facilities and stores of major tech titans like Apple, and major governments are issuing quarantines when cases are confirmed.

Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are due out by Holiday 2020. Whether or not they actually will release then remains to be seen.

Check below for more info on everything we know about the PlayStation 5 so far:

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PlayStation 5 specs and details:

Custom SoC with second-gen Navi GPU, Zen 2 CPU
8-Core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.2GHz
Navi GPU at 2.0GHz with 36 Compute Units
Navi, Zen SoC uses new AMD RDNA 2.0 architecture
Ultra-fast SSD
Support for 4K 120 Hz TVs
Ray-tracing enabled
8K output support (for gaming)
Plays all PS4 games
Separate games that ship on BD-XL Blu-ray discs
New controller with extensive haptic and tactile feedback

PlayStation 5 Coverage:

Xbox Series X is due out by Holiday 2020. No pricing has been announced.

Check below for confirmed specs and details, and a huge content listing of everything we've heard about Xbox Series X so far:

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Xbox Series X confirmed details (Formerly Project Scarlett):

8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU
Navi GPU on RDNA architecture
Highly customized 7nm SoC from AMD
GDDR6 memory
2x Xbox One X's 6TFLOPs of GPU perf
4x CPU power of Xbox One generation
Can deliver up to 40x more performance than Xbox One in specific use cases
Adaptive sync supported
Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
Supports 8K resolution (likely media playback)
120FPS gaming
Variable refresh rate (adaptive sync/FreeSync)
Variable Rate Shading
Raytracing confirmed with dedicated raytracing cores
Backward compatible with thousands of Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games
New controller with a dedicated share button
Compatible with Xbox One accessories

Lockhart (Unconfirmed lower-end Xbox Series hardware)

1440p 60FPS
No disc drive
Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
7nm AMD SoC w/ scaled-down 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHZ and Navi GPU
Lower GDDR6 memory pool (Possibly 12GB)
~6-8 TFLOPs of power?
Aims to rival PS4 Pro/Replace Xbox One S
Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
Cheaper MSRP

Anaconda/Xbox Series X/Project Scarlett

4K 60FPS
Disc drive with 4K UHD playback
Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
7nm AMD SoC with 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHz and Navi GPU
16GB GDDR6 RAM
12 TFLOPs of power
2x GPU power as Xbox One X/aims to replace Xbox One X
Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
More expensive MSRP

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PlayStation 5 specs and details:

PlayStation 5 Coverage:

Xbox Series X confirmed details (Formerly Project Scarlett):

Lockhart (Unconfirmed lower-end Xbox Series hardware)

Anaconda/Xbox Series X/Project Scarlett

Xbox Series X coverage: