A tech company finally admitted the recent Coronavirus outbreak could be a problem. Facebook told UploadVR yesterday that the virus is expected to affect the production and availability of its hardware, which includes its Oculus VR headset line.
UploadVR originally reported on Wednesday that Facebook stopped accepting orders for the Quest earlier this week, saying that it was "out of stock." Facebook then sent the outlet the following statement to explain the Quest's situation:
"Oculus Quest has been selling out in some regions due to high demand. That said, like other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible."
In addition to the Quest, this would presumably impact Facebook's other hardware offerings, like the Oculus RIft S and Portal devices.
Facebook probably isn't the only company grappling with production issues because of the Coronavirus outbreak, (which you can read more about via the CDC and WHO). But it appears to be among the first to admit that it's having these problems.
Reports about other companies, such as Apple and those in the memory market have claimed that production hasn't been too badly affected by Coronavirus despite the forced closure of some factories. Others have pointed to impacts in Chinese markets.
