As we inch nearer and nearer to the holiday season, more of the spotlight will be shined on the coming releases of the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5. However, the realistic releases of these consoles is actually more than fair question. Amid the spread of the coronavirus, which has caused delays, shortages, event pullouts, and event delays altogether, there’s no telling what could be happening with either Sony or Microsoft’s internal production. Yet, we should definitely be prepared for a PS5 delay, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

This question is more specific to Sony given a couple of things. First, its pullout from PAX East due to the coronavirus may have squandered the company’s first chance at providing a moderate overview of the console. Second, the company’s decision to not attend to GDC (now delayed altogether) also ridden it of an opportunity to show off the console. Finally, its skipping of E3 2020 also eliminates any lengthy preview that could be shown at the popular event. Of course, concerns over the coronavirus were the pervading reasons for Sony’s decisions regarding the former two, but nonetheless, it pushed back opportunities to illustrate the system or its capabilities in any realistic sense.

Given predicted shortages from decreased production of other consoles, it could be surmised that the PS5 would likely meet the same fate.

However, is this necessarily a bad thing? The fact of the matter is that it is about time for the next generation of consoles. The PS4 came seven years after the PS3’s 2006 release, so it’s been a fair wait. However, there are two things a bit more important than having our consoles come out on time.

First, as with games, consoles can always use the extra time to be honed and polished. Of course, developing a console isn’t nearly the same as developing a game and a simple update can’t fix internal bugs, which is why more time to get the system right is never a bad thing.

Second, and most importantly, the coronavirus is very contagious and poses a serious threat as field experts continue to develop a vaccine. As exciting as next-gen consoles are, Sony employees’ well-beings are far more vital than any current projects. As such, more precautions ought to be taken toward ensuring the health and safety of those at Sony than precautions toward set release dates.

That said, should Sony announce that the PS5’s release date is postponed to 2021, fans should be patient – the next-gen consoles can wait.