Bricked PS4

Bricked PS4

Bricked PS4 reports are very real, no replacements available for months

There are currently several issues that appear to be plaguing early PS4 owners. The most common appears to be a blue pulsing light, signaling that the console is failing to boot all the way.Gamers users have found ways to resolve this issue by checking the cables, but most have found their console bricked entirely with no way to resolve this issue. This pulsing light occurs at random times as well. Others found the issue out of the box, where others found the issue after hours of gameplay that was otherwise uninterrupted and flawless. Calling Sony support with this issue will result in some brief technical support attempts followed by instructions to wait for a return box for a replacement unit.

Overheating is a less common issue, but reports confirm that the issue exists. The glowing line on the console glows red, and it can take up to 20 minutes before the console is playable again. There doesn’t appear to be any one thing, like playing a certain gamefor a specific amount of time, that triggers this event. The seemingly random nature is a little concerning, and if you call Sony with this issue you’ll be offered the ability to exchange the console for a new one.

Finally, there have been reports of HDMI issues for the PlayStation 4 that seem to be mostly resolvable by the user. Some claim to find debris or blockages in the PS4 HDMI port, and clearing this debris resolves most issues. If you find yourself struggling to insert the HDMI cable, it’s best to not force the connector. There have been some reports of faulty HDMI ports, but it is unclear whether or not these issues are related.

Regardless of why any PS4 is experiencing issues, Sony is currently telling customers that new units won’t be available until February.

If you purchased your console through retail locations like Best Buy and GameStop, and you purchased one of the added warranties sold by those locations, you stand a better chance of getting a replacement console earlier. Amazon is currently telling customers that replacement consoles could be available in January, which is only slightly better.

As the 1-star Amazon reviews pile up, it’s still unclear how many of these consoles are affected — and it’s highly unlikely that Sony will release those numbers. If you are one of the unlucky ones with a broken console you appear to be stuck for a while.