Students at Foxconn Manufacturer Sabotage PS4 Systems?

Looks like the students in Yantai China working at Foxconn sabotaged the PS4 systems when they were manufacturering them. Someone on IGN forums posted the story.

http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/foxconn-intern-student-in-yantai-china-claimed-to-make-bad-ps4-con...

Here's what one of the students said.

"On Aug. 28th, one of the student started a thread stating that "Since foxconn are not treating us well, we will not treat ps4 console well. The ps4 console we assemble can be turned on at best."

That ain't good. lol!! I hope they weren't working on the XB1 as well.

You know, I thought something like that happened but thought I was crazy. So stupid.

Wow. LOL.

How many did they manufacture? Is this related to the HDMI problem or something else?

doesn't foxconn make the xbox 1 as well?

kinda crazy if true

Most likely it could be. Also people having loose hdd screws which would sound like sabotage to me.

Doesn't Foxconn manufacture Apple products as well?

@lostrib: Yup

Yes to both I think.

If this is legit then that's messed up though, it's not the consumer that should get punished for how Foxconn treats interns.

Did Foxconn manufacture the PS3 or XBOX 360?

@BluRayHiDef Neither PS3 nor 360 were manufactured by Foxconn I don't think.

Cows looking for anything to grasp onto

Well they were/are like borderline slaves, so it's not surprising that they don't enjoy their work

I hope my PS4 hasn't been affected by this. It arrives Tuesday.

Foxconn has had a severe history of disgruntled employee's, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the chips manufactured there also end up in the xbone considering their using such similar architecture.

Indentured servitude is something else, thats for sure: http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/10/4823796/report-foxconn-chinese-students-forced-to-manufacture-ps4

Xi'an Technological University students spent two months at the Foxconn plant in Yantai, China, for a work-study program that ran from August to this week. Students from the program told Dongfang Daily that the internship was mandatory — their diploma would be withheld if they didn't participate, and if they attempted to drop out of the program early, they would lose six credits' worth of courses. The students also said they were given tasks outside of their areas of study, and sometimes performed manual labor.

Foxconn said in a statement to Quartz that during an internal investigation, it found the students were given night shifts and forced to work overtime, a violation of company policy.

"Immediate actions have been taken to bring that campus into full compliance with our code and policies," said a Foxconn representative, including "reinforcing the policies of no overtime and no night shifts for student interns, even though such work is voluntary, and reminding all interns of their rights to terminate their participation in the program at any time."

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So the students could quit or leave the job whenever they wanted to but they would loose credits and their diplomas were withheld pending completion of the internship.
At least they were paid....

They are, yes, it must be awful conditions for them.

But sabotaging a product from a company not directly responsible for their mistreatment is probably not the best way to about it.

pretty stunning if true.

i imagine the chinese government would roll in there with riot police and rubber hoses if they thought for a second their manufacturing reputation was at risk.

Xbox 360: http://www.ausgamers.com/news/read/3161034/chinese-xbox-360-assembly-line-workers-threaten-mass-suicide

PS3: http://www.ps3news.com/playstation-3-psn-news/Foxconn-To-Manufacture-Playstation-3/

if proven true then Foxconn is about to get their ass handed in a lawsuit.

They should have long ago, absolutely disgusting working conditions and employee treatment.

But of course it's China, where they build skyscrapers out of garbage..

Ah, then I concede. I hadn't actually realised that; fair enough.

Apologies for my duff statement with no actual fore-research!

@blackace: You should probably quote Polygon rather than some random guy from IGN - http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/10/4823796/report-foxconn-chinese-students-forced-to-manufacture-ps4

@_Matt_: i just assume that all technology stuffs are made in China - particularly at Foxconn. The reason being that it saves us (the consumers) a LOT on purchasing costs.

If this is true, this is really sad and terrible at the same time. Show's the situation in Communist China, having one of the worst human rights violations in the world.

The student-labor issue had been reported last month by escapist magazine. October 10,2013

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128559-Foxconn-Reportedly-Making-PS4s-With-Forced-Student-Labor

I believe the Xbox One is being manufactured by FoxConn too.

http://www.geek.com/games/foxconn-is-already-assembling-the-new-xbox-for-microsoft-1555877/

Sony hired slave labor in order to cut prices.

I wish everyone of these workers for all these companies would start doing this at the same time.

This doesn't seem to be a human rights violation - just an ethical one:

(it was a paid internship where the students had to work nights and overtime against company policy. The ethical qualms come from their university being able to withhold their diplomas pending completion of the internship)

If true, hope they didn't do the same to X1. Thankfully zero problems with my ps4 so far

The fact that underage people are being forced to work and pressured to work overtime in order to graduate is a human rights violation. These people have rights, and their rights are being violated.

For many governments around the world the elimination of forced labour remains an important challenge for the 21st century. Not only is forced labour a serious violation of a fundamental human right, it is a leading cause of poverty and a hindrance to economic development.

Source : International Labour Organization : http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/subjects-covered-by-international-labour-standards/forced-labour/lang--en/index.htm

I know, it's crazy. I would love to hear more from other students who worked there. To get some kind of confirmation. At least if this is true, Sony will be able to sue Foxconn and recoop a lot of money from them for the faulty systems.

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They worked there for only 2 months. They were working on the PS4 only. Not on the XBox One. That program should be done now. So any PS4 made after October should be fine if all these issues were caused by these students only.

Foxconn makes the XB1 as well I believe, but these students were specifically assigned to the PS4 product lines. I don't think the chips were the problem. How the system was assembled seems to have cause a lot of issues. Reading the forums, why guy didn't have the PS screw for his HDD. Another guy heard rattling in his PS4 before he hooked it up. All bad signs.

First off they're college aged students - working in a job you don't like isn't a human rights violation. Working longer hours than you are allowed to work is not a human rights violation.
Foxconn broke its own rules and the universities and Sony's rules in regards to how the students will work the job, but they didn't violate human rights

These students were working a paid internship at a job they didn't like in order to receive their diplomas and/or receive credits for the course they were taking.

Is it common practice for diplomas to be withheld pending completion of an internship is the question we need an answer to.

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Foxconn is a shit place to work, but just because you have to work there in order to receive your diploma doesn't mean your rights as a human being are being violated.

I hope mine isn't affected by this. It's being shipped from Target via UPS and is to be delivered on Tuesday. Is there any way of knowing which manufacturer a particular retailer received their PS4s from?

Even if they are not underage, being forced to work overtime is a violation of an international human right. What makes you say that they did not violate human rights? Just because that is your opinion? These students were FORCED to work even though they did not want to work overtime or in those conditions.

Did you hear of the report that Foxconn forced underage students, age 14 years old to manufacture the Wii U? http://www.gamesradar.com/wii-u-manufacturer-foxconn-used-underage-workers/

Read more here stories of forced labour here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/forced-student-labour-china-apple

These students have NO CHOICE but to work there because they would not graduate otherwise even if the work environment is unfavorable to the students and they are being forced to work overtime, you saying that they have a choice to just leave is not logical at all.So you are telling me that students should just not comply and in the end waste all those precious years of working hard for their diploma just because the school won't let them graduate if they won't work manufacture PS4s? How does a finance major learn anything by becoming an intern manufacturing PS4's? You tell me that. And what's worse is that they are being underpayed. Considering that they have been working overtime.

Want another example? http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/06/dell-suppliers-accused-of-human-rights-violations

It is a human rights violation to me and many other people. That is why you see many people advocating for proper human rights in China, especially in the labor section.

I disagree with you that it is not a human rights violation.

Article 23.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

Everyone has the right to work, to FREE CHOICE of employment, to JUST and FAVOURABLE conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment.

Ah they're just trying to get some attention. "Oh look a worldwide problem, lets say it was us because our work is so tough and unforgiving!"

Drama queens.

This is fucked up if true.

But I have a feeling it's true.

Mine either. I games 13 straight hours yesterday. What's your PSN tag?

I equated what the students had to go through to indentured servitude already, and I stand by that.

I also never said they were working there by choice, I stated what the original Polygon report stated that to complete their course they had to complete their paid internship in a job they didn't enjoy or want.

The work the students performed went outside of the stipulations of their internship and broke the rules of their University, of Foxconn and of Sony's policy toward the standard of work of production of a Sony property. (as I stated already)

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What makes this not a human rights violation (to me) is that I don't equate working a bad job with bad hours to human rights violations.

Wow if this is true, wow just crazy...

Wow if this is true, wow just crazy...

@Heil68: Tallica33

Wow if this is true, wow just crazy...

consolites making excuses for their crappy systems

consolites making excuses for their crappy systems

@R3FURBISHED: actually I believe they weren't paid for the intership they were told they had to work it or not receive diploma, so yes forcing students to work for no pay, outside of their expertise and often horrible overtime and night shifts where they miss classes in the day because of exhaustion is a human rights violation.

Just another reason why American companies (MS) should use American workers in the US and pay them decent wages.