PS5 and Xbox Series X Component Shortages to be Investigated, Biden Says
COVID-19 has made it difficult for several industries to get their hands on the components necessary to run businesses. Among these companies are Sony and Microsoft, who are short on the semiconductors needed to complete their PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles respectively. Because they're having trouble getting the necessary parts, Microsoft and Sony can't meet consumer demand for their consoles, meaning COVID-19 is in-part behind the PS5 and Xbox Series shortages.
As a result, Sony and Microsoft have joined forces with 15 other organizations — including the US Chamber of Commerce — in writing a letter to US President Joe Biden that asks for help. The letter emphasizes the problem everyone is facing by framing it as a matter of national security. The semiconductors enable the products and services that help keep the economy stable, and they happen to facilitate the solid-state lasers used to designate missile targets.
Likely due to the latter problem, President Biden has decided to look into the matter. The President is expected to sign an executive order that will launch a 100-day investigation/review into semiconductor supply chains, along with several other areas, according to GameSpot. When exactly President Biden plans to execute the order remains to be seen, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. The letter was created and sent to Biden on February 18, so it has already been a week.
It's probably important to note that even after Biden's order goes live, it will still take time for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X shortages to clear up. The planned review spans over 100 days, and during this time, the order should make some progress in getting the semiconductors flowing again, but it more than likely won't happen immediately — hence the rather long duration of the investigation. It's even possible that nothing will happen until the investigation is concluded.
All that said, many gamers will probably find it comforting, if not humorous, to know that the US President is technically working on getting PlayStation 5's and Xbox Series game consoles into the hands of players. As far as PlayStation goes, the PlayStation CEO has also already declared the company was working hard to get the PS5 shortage crisis fixed, and there's no reason to think Microsoft isn't working toward the same end with its latest Xbox. While time may still be the solution to the problem, the amount could be a little less now.
Source: GameSpot
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