I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect us reports on what I thought was an interesting anecdote, to explode into such crazy proportions*. Wololo.net doesn’t usually get that kind of attention, even on topics I think we really have expertise in (PS5 hacks or Jailbreak PS4 among others).
Doom Vertical PS5
We’ve been called names for This week’s article on PS5 liquid metal issues, but more than us, it is the professionals who have denounced the problem who are under the spotlight, and under the fire of criticism for the wrong reasons. From PlayStation fans to people who think a problem just doesn’t exist because it’s never happened to them, I’ve seen a fair share of weird comments over the last two days. But attacking the integrity or practical knowledge of repairers, when you yourself have no practical experience on the matter, is a bit of a low blow in my opinion.
In this context, TheCod3r, a youtuber and owner of a console repair shop, whom we mentioned extensively in the original article, posted a long answer in the form of a Youtube video, where he answers some of the questions and comments. scene member Logic68 was also interviewed by a French news site Video Games Magazineswhere he confirmed his opinion on the matter.
The videos are below and I encourage you to watch them, but I’ll try to summarize what these people said:
PS5 liquid metal leak
In the end, they stick to their words that the problem is real, but the scale of it is not something they can easily comment on. TheCod3r in particular said Sony should come forward to fix the issue and possibly allay concerns.
He specifically explains what he thinks is the “faulty” design that allows liquid metal to spill out and possibly damage the motherboard. Basically the The PS5 has two mechanisms to prevent this liquid metal from spilling out: protective tape/cover to protect the components around the APU, as well as a piece of foam to prevent it from spilling onto other parts of the motherboard.
The APU protective strip, as shown in TheCod3r’s video
Protective foam on the PS5 APU (source VentureBeat)
Under what conditions these liquid metal spills are still a bit unclear, but it’s the practical experience of these repair shops that it flowsand that these two protection mechanisms are not working as effectively as they should (if applicable). And when it does tip over, if your PS5 is standing upright, it may tip more and more onto the motherboard (a simple result of gravity), increasing the risk (liquid metal is very conductive and causes short -circuits).
TheCod3r argues that he saw the problem on previously unopened and boxed PS5salthough he acknowledges that he cannot 100% certify that these consoles were handled correctly when shipped.
As for its magnitude, he mentioned that he typically deals with a small volume of consoles, so he can’t judge the actual share of devices impacted at scale, but he’s seen a proportionately large share in his own tests. In other words: it is possible that a small part of the PS5 are affected by the problem, but when a PS5 has a hardware problem, it is often related to the liquid metal problem. To the point, he adds, that it isbecome pretty much a first check if we get no power problem.”
Logic68 says in his interview:
I see that liquid metal has killed a few PS5s, is causing problems for others, and will continue to impact more PS5s.
He adds
as soon as I open it [Note from wololo: a damaged console that came to his shop]I know if he sits vertically
Logic68’s interview at 05:42 in the video below.
Liquid Metal Damage on PS5 – A false problem?
In response to people who deny the existence of the problem, TheCod3r essentially calls out the survivor bias of commentators. And I agree. Let’s imagine for a moment that this affects 0.1% of PS5 owners (this is a completely hypothetical number, again no one knows the true extent of the problem). You have a 99.9% chance of having no problem with your PS5. but that still means there are over 30,000 consoles with the problem. Relatively speaking, a small number, but in absolute terms it is quite large.
The history of console manufacturing is littered with design issues or “cost-cutting” measures that caused damage to consoles. It’s interesting that so many people have a hard time imagining that it could happen to this generation of consoles. As to why this is only being reported now, there are several possibilities. First off, some of these repair shops have been calling about the issue for months, so it’s not a “new” issue, it just went viral this week.
Secondly, it is very possible that the problem will become more widespread over time, as it is possible that damage will take time to occur in the console. After all, many tech sites recommend changing the liquid metal every two years or so. However, gamersnexus say: “You should be more concerned about how well the liquid metal is applied than how it ages.”. But unfortunately it’s not something the user controls on the PS5.
Conclusion
As we mentioned in the previous article, most people will never encounter the problem. So generally speaking, if you have no choice, you can probably stand your PS5 upright. But if that’s an option for you, and until Sony answers the question, better to have it horizontal if possible.
* Moreover, as you have probably noticed, the site has been difficult to access in recent days. I’m trying to resolve the situation, but it probably won’t get much better until this whole virus thing calms down a bit
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