[Rumour] PS4 Assembly Line Reportedly Sabotaged by Foxconn Interns

[Foxi4]

Unrelated, but there's a Chinese factory where they pay wages with Choco-Pies.
wut?

It's not at all uncommon - employees may be paid wages in form of the stock that hasn't passed quality control, for example the "Choco-pies" they wouldn't be able to ship anyways which are then used for bartering. It's also not uncommon that employees live practically in "labour camps" for minor offenses near the sites themselves, their basic livelyhoods covered by the site in return for practically servitude. Food for thought.

 

[DSGamer64]

Yeah, too bad Sony needs to make PS4s now.

Also, even if Sony invests in robotic assembly lines now to reap on long term savings, they'd have to continue to manufacture PS4s 20 years into the future in order to reap those savings. And we're talking about highly specialized robotic assembly lines here, re-purposing them for other electronic manufacturing is too expensive and otherwise unfeasible.

Not really. The upfront costs would allow them to produce more in a shorter time span and have them as inventory. Also, setting up a robotic line doesn't mean it can't be changed later. Robot arms are modular pieces of equipment and all you have to do is rewrite the program and change the tools on it in order to do a different function. Most of the robots they would need would only cost around $250,000 each, they certainly don't need the giant ones manufacturing environments use for moving heavy parts.

 

[Veho]

17 people killed themselves because they were sick and tired of assembling iPhones for extremely low wages.

Then again, one could argue that assembling iPhones for extremely low wages helps prevent suicide. Let's not ascribe arbitrary motives for suicide to people we know nothing about.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-and-dell-investigating-the-foxconn-working-conditions-2010-5

 

[Foxi4]

Then again, one could argue that assembling iPhones for extremely low wages helps prevent suicide. Let's not ascribe arbitrary motives for suicide to people we know nothing about.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-and-dell-investigating-the-foxconn-working-conditions-2010-5

I'm not an analyst nor am I a sweatshop worker, so I don't know the harsh reality - I'm merely leaving the articles here for users to read.

 

[ForteGospel]

i am sorry but it is way too convenient that some days after the console got released and users complained, then suddenly a worker decides to go public and say he fucked up some consoles on purpose.

if i wanted to make a stand against bad working conditions i would not have waited till the console gets released and only then go public, i would do so a week before release just to screw with the sales.

also he would have to fuck up about 4K consoles according sony's numbers(IMO there are more dead consoles than what sony said).

this is just a PR move to blame a single worker instead of taking responsibility.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

i am sorry but it is way too convenient that some days after the console got released and users complained, then suddenly a worker decides to go public and say he fucked up some consoles on purpose.

if i wanted to make a stand against bad working conditions i would not have waited till the console gets released and only then go public, i would do so a week before release just to screw with the sales.

also he would have to fuck up about 4K consoles according sony's numbers(IMO there are more dead consoles than what sony said).

this is just a PR move to blame a single worker instead of taking responsibility.

>Implying it was only one worker

"The PS4's we assemble can be turned on at best." - says a "confession" posted openly on IGN forums. The interns in the Chinese Yantai plant allegedly damaged the systems on purpose in protest against terrible working conditions.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

>Implying it was only one worker

I never understood that sentence though "could turn on at best"... doesn't that mean they work? Or would that be referring to something else.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I never understood that sentence though "could turn on at best"... doesn't that mean they work? Or would that be referring to something else.

The phrase isn't a fact, it's more of a hypothetical assumption. The workers who assemble it don't go and turn every single console on, that would be silly. The alleged sabotage would "at best" turn the consoles on, or at worst they would blow the fuck up.

 

[ForteGospel]

>Implying it was only one worker

>implaying you know Chinese

 

[WhiteMaze]

B) Companies are designed to earn the maximum amount of money possible. If you aim only to earn "just enough" then you are running your company poorly, you will be unable to expand, and you will be routed by your competitors in no time flat. I'm not advocating for companies to be evil or whatever, but at the end of the day, they're businesses, not charities.

This hasn't been stressed enough yet.

And it applies to Microsoft, Apple, Nintendo, Sony, Sega, FoxConn, you name it.

A shame really...

Just be glad to the gods, we were not born in China, otherwise there would be a pretty strong chance, all of us would be soldering PS4 chips right now, instead of posting on a gaming forum with our lazy asses on a chair.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

>implaying you know Chinese

Oh please, fill us with your wisdom about the Chinese language! Please! Despite every source saying the same fucking thing including in the OP, they're obviously wrong! Because surely none of them speak Chinese like you!

 

[Foxi4]

I never understood that sentence though "could turn on at best"... doesn't that mean they work? Or would that be referring to something else.

"Turn on at best" means that in the best-case scenario, the console would "turn on" and that's about it.

i am sorry but it is way too convenient that some days after the console got released and users complained, then suddenly a worker decides to go public and say he fucked up some consoles on purpose.

The message was posted back in August and re-surfaced like a self-fulfilling prophecy now.

 

[emmanu888]

"Turn on at best" means that in the best-case scenario, the console would "turn on" and that's about it.

Probably the consoles that are victims of the Blue Pulse of Death

 

[Amber Lamps]

I don't see why people assume that robotic assembly lines are not used at Foxconn. Certain parts of the process simply require human supervision, not everything can be done by machines. If you think that beyond the Foxconn walls all you see are interns chained to the assembly line and holding soldering guns, you are sorely mistaken. Precise opeations are performed by machines, but delicate plastic parts assembly or quality control (sic) are done by hand.

The SMD and through hole components are float soldered. The larger solder joints, such as A/V out etc are hand soldered.

 

[WhiteMaze]

I don't see why people assume that robotic assembly lines are not used at Foxconn. Certain parts of the process simply require human supervision, not everything can be done by machines. If you think that beyond the Foxconn walls all you see are interns chained to the assembly line and holding soldering guns, you are sorely mistaken. Precise opeations are performed by machines, but delicate plastic parts assembly or quality control (sic) are done by hand.

The problem isn't whether a company uses robotic assembly lines or not. In fact, they most likely do.

The problem is the cheap labor and the near-hunger state that the employees work in, due to a monthly pay of pure misery, and the work hours being completely inhumane.

Be it doing robot work, or supervising THE robots.

 

[Veho]

I'm merely leaving the articles here for users to read.

And casually stating conjecture as facts.

 

[Foxi4]

And casually stating conjecture as facts.

I did no such thing. You are correct, one could argue that manufacturing devices is the only thing that keeps them away from complete povery. You could also argue that the inefficient assembly line practices (standing at one post for extended periods of time rather than switching posts becoming monotonous, driving the worker nuts) in conjunction to verbal, physical and psychological abuse makes the workers perform poorly and complain. Those are all valid approaches to the problem that require the reader to look into before taking a side, but that's hardly my job - that's the job of the reader. You... master trole you...

 

[stinkoman]

Stupid Sony

they're worse than the mafia!

If you're buying anything with processors in it you're probably buying foxconn. The amount of manufacturing they do is ridiculous, avoiding them is nearly impossible.

 

[Amber Lamps]

I preordered 3 of these. As of today, all 3 are returned to their stores. I like xbox 360 better at this point because it has the games I want to play. There's really nothing I want on PS4 and Xbox One has Killer Instinct but I think I'm fine with Killer Instinct arcade games on Xbox1, KI gold on N64 flash cart, and KI on SNES. KI on SNES is my favorite one because I spent the most time playing that one.

I may buy PS4 again later but I'll compare with Xbox One and what deals are available at the time. But I barely have time to game since my studies take over most of the time I would be playing.

 

[Foxi4]

I preordered 3 of these. As of today, all 3 are returned to their stores.

Considering the context of the article, you make it come across as if the three systems had factory defects so you returned them, but later on you talk about the game library. Can you confirm what was the cause of returning them to stores so that other readers aren't confused?