PS5 Is The Latest Console To Have This Battery Issue Uncovered
Based on fan feedback, Sony just reversed its decision to send the PS3 and PS Vita servers out to pasture, and this could be great news for the future of the PS5. So, what do these two things have to do with each other, and what does this mean for the future of your brand-new console?
Understanding this developing story starts with the CMOS battery, a controversial element of the PS5 that can render systems useless when it goes out. If reading this is giving you déjà vu, there's a good reason for that. The PS4 has the same CMOS battery that can lead to it breaking at any time, and tests confirm the trouble the console could be in.
The CMOS battery is a crucial console element responsible for time-keeping and trophy management. Without it, you can't game on your console at all. Given all the time and money gamers often put into their consoles, preventing a future PS5 shutdown is a top priority. While the CMOS battery can be replaced or even rebooted if it gets reset by connecting to the PS Network, the fact that Sony could one day discontinue PSN has fans extra worried.
Tests have been conducted for both the PS4 and PS5 to confirm the impact of removing the CMOS battery, and the results were equally devastating. Game preservation account DoesItPlay shared this tweet on April 16, 2021 to update fans on a PS5 CMOS battery removal test: "A kind volunteer has dismantled their PS5 to test #cbomb for us and the initial results confirm that PS5 is also affected. Initial results indicate that all digital games will cease to work in a #cbomb scenario. More details to come soon."
As quoted in IGN India, DoesItPlay describes "CBOMB" as the eventual shutdown of PS4 and PS5 servers, which would trigger CMOS death, since "it is unrealistic to expect that [the synchronization servers] will be online forever." DoesItPlay asserts that "unless a work around is found ... it is only a matter of time until a massive catalogue of games become inaccessible in their original forms." The name CBOMB, short for "CMOS Bomb," reflects the nature of the problem: "Like a time bomb, it is only a matter of time until it goes off. Unless we can defuse it."
DoesItPlay has encouraged PS gamers to make their voices heard through an email template, and it seems like Sony may be listening. When announcing that the PS3 and PS Vita servers are staying active, the PS team expressed, "we're always listening and appreciate the support from our PlayStation community." On April 19, DoesItPlay tweeted confirmation that Sony is looking into the CMOS issue, encouraging fans to "keep being vocal ... It works." After all, if the PS3 servers are active in 2021, 15 years since the console's release, it stands to reason that the outlook for the PS5 may be a little brighter.