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PS4 Hardware Troubleshooting / Q&A Thread

Chun-Li

Member
The only issue I have is that discs sound very loud when they are installing. It also sounds way too loud when booting up the system (with a disc inside). It sounds like the machine is vibrating. It's on a flat surface so I'm not sure what's up. Other than that I haven't had any hardware problems.
 
JJDNBqZ.jpg

not mine but holy shit
 
I have a PSN related issue rather than a hardware issue but maybe you guys can help me.

I imported a console but I only have an EU account with PS+. I want to play Resogun now so I made a US account and tried to put in the trial code that came with killzone, but it wants me to put in a credit card. Is there a way around this? It knows if i put a fake number. I guess I could give my UK credit card but maybe they only allow US ones anyway?

Thanks!
 
Looks like I got a faulty PS4 as well. Received it today, plugged it in but not getting any picture and the light just keeps pulsating blue.

Tried different HDMI cables, different TVs, moved the HDD out and back in but no luck at all. This was an imported unit (living in Hong Kong), so it's probably gonna be quite a hassle to get this fixed/replaced. :(
 

gossi

Member
Looks like I got a faulty PS4 as well. Received it today, plugged it in but not getting any picture and the light just keeps pulsating blue.

Tried different HDMI cables, different TVs, moved the HDD out and back in but no luck at all. This was an imported unit (living in Hong Kong), so it's probably gonna be quite a hassle to get this fixed/replaced. :(

Who shipped it?
 
Looks like I got a faulty PS4 as well. Received it today, plugged it in but not getting any picture and the light just keeps pulsating blue.

Tried different HDMI cables, different TVs, moved the HDD out and back in but no luck at all. This was an imported unit (living in Hong Kong), so it's probably gonna be quite a hassle to get this fixed/replaced. :(

That sucks. Are there any bent pins in your HDMI cables now?
 

Kiyo

Member
I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but my friend has run into a problem where her PS4's screen will flicker and then go blank after updating to 1.5. This happens about 1-5 minutes after it's been turned on. It doesn't seem to do this in safe mode and it didn't happen on firmware 1.0.

She already tried booting into safe mode and restoring the PS4 firmware, as well as switching hdmi and power cables.

I've tried searching around and haven't really found anyone else with the problem. I found it a bit weird that it didn't happen on 1.0 and doesn't happen in safe mode. Anyone have any ideas or run into this themselves?
 

dolabla

Member
I haven't read much of this thread, or kept up with the failure rate. How is the overall failure rate for the PS4 so far? A lot of people? Small percentage? Mine has been working perfectly. Just need to know if I should be worried about anything.
 

gossi

Member
I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but my friend has run into a problem where her PS4's screen will flicker and then go blank after updating to 1.5. This happens about 1-5 minutes after it's been turned on. It doesn't seem to do this in safe mode and it didn't happen on firmware 1.0.

She already tried booting into safe mode and restoring the PS4 firmware, as well as switching hdmi and power cables.

I've tried searching around and haven't really found anyone else with the problem. I found it a bit weird that it didn't happen on 1.0 and doesn't happen in safe mode. Anyone have any ideas or run into this themselves?

It's unlikely to be related to firmware - if you look at the official support forums, there's a load of people with consoles which are just dying a few days in with the same symptoms.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
Are those hardware problems (HDMI / Blue Light) isoletd ones? Or is the failure rate worrying?
Mine will come by the end of the month, but its imported from USA... should I be worried?

Thanks!
 

KungFucius

King Snowflake
It's not the defective units that are the problem, it's the questionable manner in which customers are being dealt with.

Amazon selling new units in bundles before replacing the defective units of preorder customers is unacceptable.

Sony sending coffins at UPS ground speeds to replace or fix your console at their leisure (apparently several weeks to a month) is unacceptable.

People payed to have a system at launch. If we truly are looking at a small percentage of units (say, 1%) then it shouldn't be a huge problem to address in a timely manner. Servicing customers with DOA units should be the absolute first priority. At a minimum, Sony should overnight air people's dead consoles back to HQ. But really they should just immediately send out a replacement. The only valid excuse not to do this is if they really have no remaining stock, but come on: are we really supposed to believe that Sony doesn't have 10,000 units SOMEWHERE in the pipeline that they could redirect to replace failed consoles?


I agree with most of this except for the Amazon part. I am pretty sure Amazon had that plan in place. Sell what you have in PS4/Kindle Bundles on launch day then put the remaining stock in bundles if they don't sell out in one day. And it is not like this shit happened with enough time to react. Now they most certainly should divert new stock to replace bad stock for those that got screwed but you are suggesting that they should have planned for this.

Sony should replace the units, I agree but overnighting them is expensive and it would be bad business to do so. They could set up some sort of exchange process through their Sony store online where you send in your bad one and give them your credit card for the new one and then they cancel the charge when the bad one arrives and is verified. This way the new one is already in the mail by the time the old one's coffin arrives. I am sure someone could figure out how to game this system to get a PS4, but it is less susceptible to fraud than shipping a replacement before getting the old one. I suppose they could also ban the (claimed) bad PS4 once the claim is filed.
 

Jack_AG

Banned
So is there a consensus on whether to turn the system off completely or to leave it in standby mode? I've been leaving mine standby since I got 2 days ago.

Will one way or the other harm the system?
I can't see harm happening since it was designed to do either. I leave mine in standby and controller plugged in to recharge overnight. Turned it full off and on once to test operation. If a power outage happens while in standby the system should be fine. It should be designed with these accidentals in mind like every other electronic device. If not, somebody fucked up.
 
I had a minor problem with my PS4 last night, I was playing AC then exited and started up Netflix and it hung up on the initial red Netflix screen. It wouldn't respond to the controller or the power button on the console, and the only option I had was to pull the plug. I think I still had a solid white light on while it was hung, but it was very late and I don't 100% remember.

When I powered back up I got an improper shutdown warning and the PS4 ran a check, then everything seemed to OK. My question is, if it happens again, are there any other options I can try to reset the console without unplugging it?
 

finalexit

Member
I had a minor problem with my PS4 last night, I was playing AC then exited and started up Netflix and it hung up on the initial red Netflix screen. It wouldn't respond to the controller or the power button on the console, and the only option I had was to pull the plug. I think I still had a solid white light on while it was hung, but it was very late and I don't 100% remember.

When I powered back up I got an improper shutdown warning and the PS4 ran a check, then everything seemed to OK. My question is, if it happens again, are there any other options I can try to reset the console without unplugging it?

You tried holding the power button down? Some people have said it can take 15+ seconds of holding the button to restart console.
 

prophecy0

Member
Has Sony temporarily closed down the queue for Live Chat? I wanted to go ahead and report my issues and see what they said in regards to a replacement, but it seems like the live chat is unavailable right now. The site says:

LIVE CHAT - Please Wait. Currently Busy.
Sorry, agents are unavailable at this time.
Mon - Sun 6:00AM - 10:00PM Pacific
Average Wait Time: Up to 15 Minutes
 
I am starting to get real frustrated with this machine. My eject button does not work. This would be fine if it didn't auto eject every few seconds. I am trying a last ditch effort of installing the firmware via usb option 7 in the safe menu.

Thankfully I bought the 1 year warranty from Gamestop so I can return this thing without dealing with sony.

I just want Sony to say weather this is a software or hardware issue. If this is something that can be patched ill deal with it, but if it is broken I just want to swap it out sooner rather than later.
 
I have an Amazon unit and I'm just wondering in general how hot is too hot for the system?

Mine seems to be working fine but gets hot enough for me to feel the heat anytime that I stand near it. I've got one of those IR thermal readers at home so I may try to get a reading from it tonight but I still don't know what normal temps should be.
 

finalexit

Member
I have an Amazon unit and I'm just wondering in general how hot is too hot for the system?

Mine seems to be working fine but gets hot enough for me to feel the heat anytime that I stand near it. I've got one of those IR thermal readers at home so I may try to get a reading from it tonight but I still don't know what normal temps should be.

http://www.planetextech.com/profiles/blogs/playstation-4-thermal-images

I am starting to get real frustrated with this machine. My eject button does not work. This would be fine if it didn't auto eject every few seconds. I am trying a last ditch effort of installing the firmware via usb option 7 in the safe menu.

Thankfully I bought the 1 year warranty from Gamestop so I can return this thing without dealing with sony.

I just want Sony to say weather this is a software or hardware issue. If this is something that can be patched ill deal with it, but if it is broken I just want to swap it out sooner rather than later.

Most stores will let you return hardware within 30 days anyways. Never buy an extended warranty on day 1.
 
For those with the blinking blue light, have you tried this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=O6N0ktQyI4g#t=236

He's not completely right. Blinking blue light does NOT absolutely mean it's an HDMI problem. As a matter of fact, it seems to me that it is more likely to be a general hardware problem. Yes, it can mean HDMI, but that seems like the minority.

I tested my DOA one with an HDMI split dongle. This little dongle splits one male output to three female input (so you can hookup three things to one port). It has a little red light on it that will indicate which input it's on, this switches automatically when it gets a signal. My BLOD PS4 will trigger that switch, and it will hold it (if I activate something else, it won't switch to it until I power off the PS4). This means it continues to get a signal of some sort while the PS4 is on. So his theory that it is telling you there is no signal connection is wrong (or at least not always true).

If it's a flashing blue light and won't boot to safe mode, it's fucked and there is nothing you are going to do about it.
 

CronoBreaker

Neo Member
Im gonna buy my PS4 on 29th the official release here in mexico, im really worried to see all this info really. On my family since i was a child every product its from Sony since the TV to te Radio we are loyal to the mark, but now i dont understand why sony dint test his product in his factories or somenthing before his launches the product to the market.
 

Bravoexo

Member
I would suspect they test samples from batches... and if they pick like 5 from a batch of 100's, then if only 2 failed to lauch, they'd send that batch to a retailer which can handle the returns far better than a one which can't.... so the batches went to Amazon... but then again, just speculating here.
 
Hmm. Just got my coffin from Sony. They said it'd be 3-5 business days on the phone, but then wound up overnighting it to me. The return label is for overnight also. I think I'm just going to send it to them instead of waiting for Amazon. Seems like I'll actually wind up getting it quicker from Sony, if they overnight the new or fixed one back to me.

They only sent a small box, you only have to return the system itself. So I assume they'll actually be fixing it, not sending out a replacement. Wrote down my serial number, so we'll see what I get back. Not that I care either way, as long as I wind up with a working unit.
 

prophecy0

Member
Hmm. Just got my coffin from Sony. They said it'd be 3-5 business days on the phone, but then wound up overnighting it to me. The return label is for overnight also. I think I'm just going to send it to them instead of waiting for Amazon. Seems like I'll actually wind up getting it quicker from Sony, if they overnight the new or fixed one back to me.

They only sent a small box, you only have to return the system itself. So I assume they'll actually be fixing it, not sending out a replacement. Wrote down my serial number, so we'll see what I get back. Not that I care either way, as long as I wind up with a working unit.

This has me hopeful. I finally got in the queue for the live chat support, and I'm going to request overnight shipping.
 

prophecy0

Member
Hero_of_the_Day - Did Sony say how long it would take them to ship you a new unit? I've seen some people say 3-5 weeks. Did Sony promise to send you a new system when they received your busted one?
 
This has me hopeful. I finally got in the queue for the live chat support, and I'm going to request overnight shipping.

Yeah, it was unexpected. They definitely told me it'd be standard 3-5 shipping on the phone. It also just occurred to me that I never got an email with my return information like they said I would. Guess I'd better right down the return tracking number.

Hero_of_the_Day - Did Sony say how long it would take them to ship you a new unit? I've seen some people say 3-5 weeks. Did Sony promise to send you a new system when they received your busted one?

They didn't give me a return estimate at all.
 
I don't know if this is hardware related (hope not)
  • My set-up - PS4>HDMI (ps3 hdmi cable)TV video, AUDIO PS4>AV RECIEVER optical cable.
  • 1st) PS4 set-up was MODEM>ROUTER> EITHERNET CABLE>PS4
  • UPDATED via PS4 and download everygame
  • 2nd) PS4 start up was , FORMATED , UPDATED via USB, ROUTER> WIFI>PS4
  • I have "less" errors but today is Monday and I can't play without the CE-34878-0 error happens :(

CE-34878-0
I get this every time I play
  • Ghosts (digital) - after 2 games online crash, single player in the 1st cut scene crash with Ghosts I get two erros the 1st one was: video goes black after few seconds says READ DISC ERROR 'image#' and the other was CE-34878-0 (online/offline)
  • BF4 (digital) - right at the menu (but if I sign out then sign in sometimes works -online only)
  • KZ:SF(digital) - every time I try SP or MP it crash right away (sign out trick not working on this one)
  • NBA2K14 (disc) - the only game that I can play, but with optical audio PS4>AV RECEIVER -I get after playing some games a weird nose but when I switch back to the TV audio everything is fine.

Anyone with this?
This is software or hardware?
Thanks in advance!!!
 

Aeroangel

Banned
Has it been confirmed if most, if not all affected units with BLOD came from Taco Bell / Amazon??? I got mine launch day from Wal Mart and so far so good...

However I will point a few little issues so far:

- Sometimes while playing a game - it will randomly jump out of the game and go back to the main menu. I fight with it doing that for a minute or two, and then it quits doing it, but it's pretty weird.

- A lot of PSN issues like trophies not appearing, friend list not working correctly, not being able to see what friends are doing, etc. It's hit or miss and I think I'm in the same boat with a lot of people on that one.

- Last night when I started Resogun it told me I wouldn't be able to access multiplayer because it was disconnected from the server.

And on a side note: A lot of people complain about the heat & fan level noise. Mine is super quiet, and it seems like a normal amount of hot air is blowing out (it is -warm- to the touch on top of the console, never hot so far).. not that I want a noisy console, but I'd rather have a noisy fan that works than an overheated GPU which eventually equals a dead console!
 
Son of a bitch. Just realized I can't fill out the slip to send my system to Sony since they never sent me the email with my service request number. It also says I have to have a receipt even though the guy on the phone told me I didn't, since I don't have one since it was an amazon order. Guess I get to call them up again. Great.
 

finalexit

Member
Son of a bitch. Just realized I can't fill out the slip to send my system to Sony since they never sent me the email with my service request number. It also says I have to have a receipt even though the guy on the phone told me I didn't, since I don't have one since it was an amazon order. Guess I get to call them up again. Great.

You can just print out the amazon invoice and that'll count as a receipt.
 

Rebel Leader

THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
He's not completely right. Blinking blue light does NOT absolutely mean it's an HDMI problem. As a matter of fact, it seems to me that it is more likely to be a general hardware problem. Yes, it can mean HDMI, but that seems like the minority.

I tested my DOA one with an HDMI split dongle. This little dongle splits one male output to three female input (so you can hookup three things to one port). It has a little red light on it that will indicate which input it's on, this switches automatically when it gets a signal. My BLOD PS4 will trigger that switch, and it will hold it (if I activate something else, it won't switch to it until I power off the PS4). This means it continues to get a signal of some sort while the PS4 is on. So his theory that it is telling you there is no signal connection is wrong (or at least not always true).

If it's a flashing blue light and won't boot to safe mode, it's fucked and there is nothing you are going to do about it.

Doesn't work for me, holding down the PS button doesn't change anything. I never had a working signal though.


I was just wondering.
 

Porkepik

Member
Just got my ps4 from amazon canada...not very hopeful, the outer box used to pack has dent in it.. Ups wasn t kind to it. Even worse inside the box no trave of bubble wrap.. Just a few sheet of paper on the top and sides, nothing underneath...time to test looll
Edit; to my surprise everything works well. Not noisy, updated in 10 min via usb, connected to psn and downloading flower contrast and resogun and video apps. Last test will be gaming digital and on disc+ blu ray. Even my receiver has no problem via optical out and my projector displayed without any hitch...I can continue gaming on my 100'' screen
 

Eggbok

Member
I just got off the phone with Sony, and I'm sending them my PS4 and not Amazon.
The guy told me that they were sending me a box to send the system in and once they received it they would be sending my replacement over night.

He also said I would be receiving my box within the week as well so I only wonder how long it will take to get it back to them.

Mine was BLOD out the box.
 

ringlord

Member
You can find free decibel meter apps for your Andriod or iOS phone.

Can some of you guys with loud systems measure the decibel rating at a fixed distance? 5 feet or so?
 

dwix

Member
After taking in my PS4 to my local sony store yesterday, I received a call this morning that I can come pick up the replacement today. Very impressed by the turn around.
 
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