PS5's Liquid Metal Dry Spot Problem, Worry Over 'Wave of Failures'

PlayStation 5 consoles are still dying due to a major liquid metal flaw, and day one adopters should continue to be pretty concerned about the issue.

I this day and age, maintaining our beloved hobby of playing video games is not cheap. Regardless of whether we’re PC or console gamers, systems, games, accessories and subscriptions are often increasing in price.

Honestly, in all my years of gaming, I don’t think I’ve known a console generation to get more expensive the closer it gets towards its end. In previous generations, consoles would typically get cheaper, but nope, not this penny-pinching 9th gen.

When the PlayStation 4 Pro launched in November 2016, it had an RRP of £349.99, which was the same price as the base PS4, which launched a few years earlier.

However, the PlayStation 5 Pro has an RRP of £699.99, and that’s without a disc drive and vertical stand. If you want those extras which were usually included previously, it will cost an extra £69.99 for the disc drive and £24.99 for the official vertical stand.

As for the base PlayStation 5 that originally launched in November 2020, it had an RRP of £359.99 without a disc drive or £449.99 with a disc drive. Now, the current iterations cost £429.99 and £479.99, respectively. So if, for whatever reason, you need to buy a new PlayStation 5, especially if it's at no fault of your own, it feels like being kicked while you're down, having to spend more on a console, over five years after its original launch. Which brings me on to the issue of the liquid metal flaw that's been seemingly fixed for the Pro models but alas, still exists for those day one buyers.

PlayStation 5 Has a Major, Historical Issue

“Another one for the collection... this is at least the fifth launch-day PS5 this week with the same issue. Sudden blackout while gaming, then total silence – the console is stone dead,” X user Modyfikator89 - a console technician - posted on the platform.

“The photos show the culprit: oxidised liquid metal.

"A massive 'dry spot' right in the centre of the APU.”

Reading the post and looking at the pictures provided by Modyfikator89, rings my own personal alarm bells, and I’m sure that I’m not alone.

I clean out my PlayStation 5 every few months. It’s in an elevated and spacious location, pretty much how the console should be stored. However, over the last few months or so, my console has been acting very oddly.

I can be fully immersed in a game, then suddenly, my PlayStation 5 (purchased just after launch) will shut down. When I press the console buttons, there’s no bleep, no nothing. It will eventually turn back on, but after a few minutes. Which sounds similar to what’s explained above.

If this issue is because my console has a liquid metal flaw, that’s incredibly frustrating to say the least. For starters, despite looking after my PlayStation 5, it could be on its way out, to no fault of my own and no doubt, this is true for many others.

Bearing in mind that I still own a PS2, PS3 and PS4 Pro, all of which work brilliantly and have no issues whatsoever. Yet, the new and more technically advanced PS5 is on the verge of throwing in the towel. If it dies, as a family man with a mortgage, and the increased prices, it’s simply too expensive to replace.

I’m not sure if Sony will do anything about this. I would assume not, but at the very least, if a flaw is proven to be no fault of the consumer, it should be repaired at no extra cost by the manufacturer in my opinion.

I know that is very wishful thinking, but that would be the right thing to do.