Students at Foxconn Manufacturer Sabotage PS4 Systems?

I don't know if it true or not. I do know that Sony had to be aware of this problem which is why they weren't showing retail PS4 at all those major events. Why they didn't send out review PS4 to journalist before the launch. They went ahead and released the systems anyways, believing that whatever PS4 systems were gimped could be replaced or repaired with one that actually works. Delaying the systems launch was never an option for them as they would literally lose billions by not having a system on retail shelves during the holidays. I know Sony didn't want to hand the holidays season over to Micrsoft and Nintendo. Of course now they will have a lot of unhappy customers as well. It will take some time for them to investigate and fix the damage. If this turns out to be true, Sony can at least sue Foxconn for all the damages.

From the Polygon article: This article originally described the internship as unpaid, but the students were in fact paid the same as a normal Foxconn worker — 1,600 yuan (about $261.62) per month — according to the company and their school, Xi'an Technological University. We've edited the article above to reflect this, and apologize for the error.

Using a mix of Apple's own filings and industry data, the academics broke down the cost of making one product in particular: the wildly popular 4G iPhone. Assembled in China, the total cost of putting together just one phone was $178.45. Compare that with a sale price (including downloads) of $630 and Apple makes $452 on each phone: a whacking gross margin of 72%.

Chinese labour accounts for a tiny proportion of the company's costs: $7.10 for each phone, which accounts for about eight hours of assembly. So what would it cost to make the same iPhone in America? The Cresc team took the average wage in the US electronics industry of $21 per hour and calculated that the total production cost would increase to $337.01. That is a big jump – but it still leaves Apple with a gross margin of 46.5% on each iPhone – a level that Cresc's Sukhdev Johal estimates would probably still make it the most profitable phone in the world.

Source I know it doesn't exactly translate to what this thread is about, but I intend this to be an idea of why companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Sony (amongst others) utilize the Chinese workforce that will work for less than Westerners would.

It is about the profits of the companies - you don't become multinational cooperation's by ignoring the cheaper labor.

completely work for a school to force it's students to work in a factory.... i would done it.

It's pretty bad guys & gals

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-4-Launch-Edition/product-reviews/B00BGA9WK2/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

sounds like an escapegoat for sony

I'm not sure if the slow down in production is going to help or hurt demand. Obviously, the bad news of reliability issues doesn't help demand, but it could be offset by less availability. Expect Sony to issue a statement before this week is up. They don't want to have any reliability questions before the Xbone drops on Friday.

I'm inclined to believe that this would be fake @_@ why would you snitch yourself out so quick ? They'll be sent to north korea :/

Is this what the gaming media was talking about when they kept saying "when it hits the fan"? Remember the Sessler and other tweets?

Its not what items Foxconn built. It the items the student's who were forced to build day and night for for free or not graduate. This went on for two months until Foxconn was caught.

Its about what was built in that two months. Think it was just ps4.

if true "bad for gamers"

else "phew"

They did a shitty job sabotaging my unit. Looks like they shoulda paid more attention in class.

I hope most of you know that Foxconn are what make MSI motherboards, in fact almost all major manufacturers go through Foxconn.

Why would they sabotage? I would be glad to have something like "Helped assemble Sony PS4 during internship at Foxconn" in my resume.

It's a good start as a fresh grad.

I studied IT and had to suffer weeks of data entry job during my internship, I didn't complain much as some of my friends was still struggling to find company to do internship.

@danabo: I'm sure you're forever happy and won't be satisfied until everyone that plays something you don't drops dead but for the sake of not spamming would you just stop ? It's already been told and known yet you keep doing that.

but not through internship students complaining about bad working conditions.

in that case im glad that i returned my failstation

I think Sony knew but it was too late to do anything about it when they found out. Those with faulty PS4s should read where their unit are assembled and when, to narrow down the source. This is beyond .04%, and Sony making up that number so fast shows you they knew. There should be a recall.

"这么高端的一个产品，这可是索尼和微软联合起来对抗苹果的关键一步，"

Such a high-tech product used by Sony and MS to hammer Apple,

"可不幸的是小日本把它交给了富士康，富士康又把他们交给了我们这群北信实习生，"

Unfortunately small Japan (racial slur) handed it to Foxconn, and Foxconn handed to us patriot interns,

"它错了，它这次真的错了，富士康没把我们当人看，我们也没把它当成高端产品看，"

They made big a mistake, Foxconn have not treated us as human being, and neither have we treated it as a high-tech product,

"除了应付还是应付，这批产品能正常开机是我们最高的期望，哈哈，等ps4 9月9日正式上市的时候就是索尼亏损和富士康倒闭的日子！！共同祈祷吧！"

the most we can hope for is for these product to turn on as intented, haha, by the time ps4 launch on 9/9, it will be the day of Sony's loss and Foxconn's closure!! Let's pray together!

Can someone links me the pic in the IGN thread's OP, I can't open it :( Nevertheless, this has to be a joke and if the ps4 was really sabotaged, it's probably due to racial issue.

It will be crazy if this goes to court and I feel sorry for sony and those workers that had or have to deal with this mess.

The students are Microsoft Agents sent to infiltrate the Sony assembly line. Microsoft also money hatted Amazon to put only one piece of bubble wrap so the consoles will be damaged on transport. More investigation has uncovered that MS made a deal with UPS to secretly replace the high quality HDMI cables for the 0.99 cents ones you get on e-bay. MS also intercepting PSN downloads and injecting bugs into PS4 1.5 updates to brick the consoles. There are also rumours that MS has made deals with - Yes - members of your own household to meddle with the electrics so that you get electrocuted while playing on your PS4. But the biggest rumours thus far, the entire PS team are secretly working with Microsoft to take down Sony. On their command they secretly made a console that makes a loss for every unit sold, removed the PS camera so as not to compete with Kinect and made low scoring games. More news at 10.

And they were never heard from, again.

@lostrib: what don't they make?

Crazy if true, but it wouldn't surprise me that much either. The company is well known for mistreating their assembly workers.

All workers at Foxconn suffer horrific working conditions.

Should be a South Park episode.

That's messed up.

No wonder a lot of them come DoA.

Same here on both counts. Managed to get my son a PS4 yesterday and everything looks great with it so far. I'll be getting one sometime in the coming weeks, hopefully that goes just as smooth.

Anything but Sony is at blame here. Let's make sure of that Sony army.

Were PS4s manufactured in September affected by this?

So now we know why the PS4 wobbles

lol

Seriously tho, Foxconn is a chinese slave labor complex, they build pretty much all electronic devices from iPhones to PS4's to Xboxes.

I seriously forgot where I read this but I remember reading that Foxconn Brazil is manufacturing 90% of X1's and the other 10% coming from you know where. *crosses fingers* C'mon Brazil lolol

Being forced to work overtime is NOT a violation of human rights, if you don't get paid for said overtime then that's a different story.

Actually, I don't think that's such a bad way to go about it... If Foxconn manufactures defective products for Sony (and possibly Microsoft or even Apple), then that will only hurt Foxconn's reputation as a reliable manufacturer and may eventually lead to corporations being reluctant to handing them manufacturing contracts in future, hurting their profits in the long run.

@Ballroompirate:

This argument again? You should read what a human rights violation is before coming up with your own definition of what a human rights violation is. Being forced to work overtime is not a violation if it is in the contract, but being forced to work overtime as a student intern is, because Foxconn had a policy saying that students should not be forced or allowed to work overtime or have night shifts. So students were not obligated to work overtime or have nights shifts. The problem here is they were forced to work overtime, if they did not work overtime, they would lose credits.

Source: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/foxconn-interns-overtime-ps4,news-17680.html

Article 23.1 Universal declaration of Human Rights:

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

Did the students have free choice? Hell no. They were forced to work in a manufacturing company that didn't even relate to their major of choice, or else they would forfeit their degree. They were also forced to work overtime even though the company had a policy that student interns are not allowed to work overtime. Students had no obligation to work overtime, because of the company's policy, but they were forced to, else they forfeit their degree.

How does making a Finance major manufacture tech goods even related to what he or she was studying? Furthermore, their work situation was not just and favourable. Even if the student's major was related, like information technology, was their work environment just and favourable? Nope.

Quote from one student:

"Since Foxconn are not treating us well, we will not treat the PS4 console well. The PS4 console we assemble can be turned on at best."

Another student:

You have no idea how hard it was to work in the factories as a recent high school graduate.

Thus it is a human rights violation.

Source: http://kotaku.com/rumor-foxconn-interns-and-alleged-ps4-sabotage-claims-1466539573

Read the article above for further insight.

if they use american workers the X1 would cost like $700 and they wouldnt be able to produced as many, and arguably the quality would probably be worst.

Its a gamble....

Can you blame them?

I take it you have no experience in the actual workforce. I'd suggest you actually get a job and know Humans Rights differs from state to state and even more from state to federal Human Rights, then the fact China has little to no Human Rights.

I've worked in more than one state so I know a hell lot more about Human Rights than your attempt at googeling an answer.

those chinese sudent could be execute by chinese gov for those crime

@Ballroompirate:

Typical American, thinks the whole world revolves around the laws of America. China doesn't have states.

This is a universal human rights declaration, meaning it applies to the whole world. China is a signatory to this declaration, and helped to draft it.

Also, if you would bother to read what I posted, then you would understand that you are wrong.

They were also forced to work overtime even though the company had a policy that student interns are not allowed to work overtime. Students had no obligation to work overtime, because of the company's policy, but they were forced to, else they forfeit their degree.

Being forced to work overtime is not a violation if it is in the contract, but being forced to work overtime as a student intern is, because Foxconn had a policy saying that students should not be forced or allowed to work overtime or have night shifts. So students were not obligated to work overtime or have nights shifts. The problem here is they were forced to work overtime, if they did not work overtime, they would lose credits.

They were not at all under favourable and just conditions, as stated in the Universal Human Rights Declaration.

Quotes :

Quote from one student:

"Since Foxconn are not treating us well, we will not treat the PS4 console well. The PS4 console we assemble can be turned on at best."

Another student:

You have no idea how hard it was to work in the factories as a recent high school graduate.

Terrible workplace conditions there.

Source: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/foxconn-interns-overtime-ps4,news-17680.html

Also, you know what's funny?

China actually was a co-author to the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, and voted in favor for it. So if the rights had to apply to any country, it most definitely must apply to them.

@Ballroompirate:

Also, you know what's funny?

China actually was a co-author to the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, and voted in favor for it. So if the rights had to apply to any country, it most definitely must apply to them.