Nintendo Switch shipments to Japan will be delayed by the coronavirus

BestBlackFriday.comThe Nintendo Switch console

• Nintendo says shipments of its popular Switch console to Japan are being delayed by the coronavirus.
• In a statement on its website, the Japanese game developer said delays were "inevitable" for shipments of the Switch that related accessories such as the Switch's Joy-Con controllers, which are made in China for Japanese customers.
• It added that shipments of the currently out-of-stock "Ring Fit Adventure" title are "expected to be delayed."
• Nintendo did not put a timeframe on the delays.
• Analysts have discussed the possibility that game releases - and even the releases of major upcoming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X - could also be delayed by the virus.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nintendo says shipments of its popular Switch console to Japan are being delayed by the coronavirus.

In a statement published on its website in Japanese and translated by Google, the Japanese game developer said delays were "inevitable" for shipments of the Switch that related accessories such as the Switch's Joy-Con controllers, which are made in China for Japanese consumers.

It added that shipments of the currently out-of-stock "Ring Fit Adventure" title are "expected to be delayed."

Nintendo did not put a timeframe on the delays.

Analysts have discussed the possibility that game releases, and even the releases of major upcoming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, could also be delayed by the virus.

Yves Herman/ReutersThere has been concern that the coronavirus could delay shipments of Apple's iPhone.

Jefferies analysts said in a note that the same supply chain disruption that's potentially affected smartphone deliveries could also affect gaming hardware shipments.

"If key supply chain participants in the PS5 or Xbox Series X were significantly disrupted, limited inventory for the launch window would be a bigger problem if it led to some games being delayed by a quarter," the Jefferies analysts wrote. "Given marketing, competition, and synchronized game release all scheduled for the next console generations, this bears watching."

To date, the coronavirus has killed over 500 people and infected over 28,000.

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