Broken PlayStation 4 Systems

Some users, including IGN, who gained early access to the PlayStation 4 are reporting problems.

by Fran Mirabella III and Steve Butts
November 13, 2013

Update: IGN has received a detailed account of one PS4 “Play the Future First” winner’s broken console experience so far. As of time of publishing this, Arogon (Reddit username), a 23-year old man in Maryland, will not be receiving a working PlayStation 4 before launch. That was to be his special prize…until the console showed up dead on arrival at 11AM ET. The console would turn on, accompanied by a pulsing blue light (it should glow white) – but it would not output a signal to the television.

The first thing Arogon did was call Sony PlayStation support, just like the official box said: "Do not return to the store." Not that he could, being in such a rare situation. We urged him to also contact the prize fulfillment company, but he said he'd won something from Prizelogic before for another reason and had a horrible experience. When initially connected with Sony support, they said: "Call back Friday. We can't do anything until then." Frustrated and not willing to give up on his dream, Arogon, called support again. This time a representative was more attentive and said they would look into the matter with their supervisor. Unfortunately for Arogon, he lives in "the middle of nowhere," as he put it, in Maryland -- his support call dropped. He called again, and PlayStation support had a record of his most recent call, but they repeated they could do nothing until Friday.

Feeling somewhat defeated, he started considering his options. Thankfully, only moments later someone from the Sony PlayStation social media team contacted him. He couldn't remember the name of the representative, but was told after they spoke with their supervisor there was nothing they could do either. Well, almost nothing. They credited $10 to his PlayStation Store account, and said he should continue talking to support. The story doesn't end there, however. The issue was escalated at PlayStation support, and a representative called him back to tell him they would be sending him a box overnight to his house. It would be an empty, pre-labeled box -- a coffin, really -- so he could send back his broken console overnight free of charge and get it into support's hands. The representative told him it would then take another 5-6 days until he got a replacement. Arogon is still awaiting further details from support, but it currently doesn't look like he'll be privileged enough to play the console before others. He noted his original plan was to stream his gameplay all day and engage with the community.

Meanwhile, IGN experienced the same issue, but it happened after the console was already working. It may not have contributed to the issue, but ours stopped working the morning after we updated to version 1.50. You can find more details in the original post below. Furthermore, IGN had tried a wide variety of methods to correct the issue: new HDMI cables, new inputs, new TV, putting a disc into the system, connecting it to and from the Internet, and, of course, holding down the power button during boot-up for seven seconds to try to reset things. Nothing worked. Oddly enough, we tried adding light pressure to the top of console and it briefly flickered a few active home menu images on the television.

IGN received a response from Sony PlayStation PR, whose offices are based nearby our San Francisco headquarters. A representative was able visit and replace our broken PS4 with the goal of getting their hands on the seemingly faulty console and returning it for technical investigation. We should note, this retail system is a critical part of our ongoing review and launch coverage. We know what you’re thinking by now: IGN got its system replaced and this poor consumer didn't. Trust us, we feel just as compassionate as anyone would in this situation. IGN reached out to PlayStation again to ask if they could escalate Arogon’s issue. The representative understood the situation and promised, “We’ll look into it.”

Regarding the ongoing and unknown source of this hardware problem, Sony has no further comment at this time. Could it be related to shipping? Is the hardware itself experiencing production issues?

We will keep you updated as the story develops.

Original story...

Though the PlayStation 4 won't be released in North America until Friday, some users who have obtained early access to the systems are reporting broken displays. An IGN retail PS4 stopped outputting through the HDMI after the user began downloading Netflix. Kotaku's first retail system also reportedly had a faulty HDMI jack that would not output a signal. Two other users on NeoGAF, who obtained early access to their consoles via a Taco Bell promotion, also reported similar problems with HDMI outputs. Based on reports from at least one user, Sony has been responsive to warranty claims and is shipping a replacement unit. As is the case for all PlayStation hardware, the PS4 is covered by warranty for twelve months.