Unfortunately, the gaming industry is not completely separate from real-world issues, and that means that the Xbox Series X and the PS5 could be impacted by COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus).
IGN had a talk with a bunch of analysts regarding the possibility of delays for the upcoming next-generation of Microsoft and Sony consoles. It's not all bad news, but there's a lot of uncertainty at the moment that means things could change at any given moment.
One of the things affecting this particular console launch is demand, even if the supply were as large as previous years, the lockdown that many of us are living in means that more people are gaming. The more people who game, the higher the demand, you see?
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Will there be enough PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles?
DFC Intelligence said, "The current amount of uncertainty is unprecedented. We expect that demand will be greater than supply, probably by a significant margin."
There have, of course, been console shortages before, but it's never been like this.
"At some point, if product is limited or price of components becomes too high, Sony and Microsoft will have to make a tough decision about whether to launch in very short supply or delay launch until the supply chain is comfortably running. We do not expect this decision to be made in the short-term."
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The experts weigh in
A senior Niko analyst called Daniel Ahmad weighed in as well:
"The closure of factories since the Lunar New Year and the slow return to work for many will result in minor global console shortages in Q2 2020 and beyond. We do not expect significant shortages in Q2 as console sales are seasonal and most sell-through takes place towards the end of the year."
So, it seems as though it's not a problem yet, but, we also aren't all back to work yet. In fact, most countries are currently trying to avoid going back to work to protect the health of others.
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"If manufacturers are unable to operate at full capacity before the end of Q2 2020 we could see an impact on the launch of next-gen console launches, with either limited supply or delayed releases becoming the likely outcomes"
So, it's not a firm answer, but if things don't get sorted soon then the long-term effects could start becoming more severe. Of course, this is just gaming, far more serious things are at stake here, but lord knows we all need a bit of escapism at the moment too.