PlayStation 4 afflicted with 'blue light of death,' Sony releases guide

Sony has published a guide for some potential causes and troubleshooting solutions for the PlayStation 4 "Blue Light of Death" error.

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PlayStation 4's launch has been going pretty well as far as sales go, but there are a number of systems have arrived DOA. The so-called "Blue Light of Death" has been attributed in a variety of symptoms, and Sony has issued a troubleshooting guide for the error.

The PlayStation Support forums (via Joystiq) lists potential signs like "blue indicator light blinking" and "console powering off after blinking blue." All in all, the error seems to render the console unusable, at least for the time being.

The guide suggests possible causes like TV compatibility, issues with the power supply, or hard drive issues. It recommends a different troubleshooting approach for each potential cause, so you'll have to run through them all to rule out all the possibilities. If that doesn't work, Sony recommends using its Live Chat to speak with a representative.

It's hard to say just how widespread the error is at this point. While the Internet-coined nickname invokes the infamous Xbox 360 "Red Ring" error, Sony has already admitted to a 0.4% failure rate. That would be 4,000 of the million sold so far, assuming Sony's pre-launch estimate is accurate, of course.

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  • reply
    November 18, 2013 8:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, PlayStation 4 afflicted with 'blue light of death,' Sony releases guide.

    Sony has published a guide for some potential causes and troubleshooting solutions for the PlayStation 4 "Blue Light of Death" error.

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      November 18, 2013 8:18 AM

      This is why I wait for the second revision of a console. Well that and a better selection of games.

      Though my launch day XBox is still working fine after all these years. My launch day PS2 rarely needs a slight love tap to get the disk drive going.

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        November 18, 2013 8:27 AM

        well at this point if it's fucked up it is DOA and you know about it right away and can get it changed out.

        i wonder if it'd be worthwhile spending 50 or 60 bucks on the sony warranty they try to sell you through PSN. anyone had experience with that?

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          November 18, 2013 9:16 AM

          Just by it with a credit card that extends the warranty

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        November 18, 2013 9:06 AM

        The only time I was ever an early adopter was for the Genesis, because as a 12-year old I "had" to have Ghouls'N Ghosts.

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        November 18, 2013 9:18 AM

        Couldn't you just like get it replaced by Sony?

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          November 18, 2013 9:55 AM

          You could, but I can see why most people (and myself, in every previous generation) would want to wait until that's far less likely. Hell, my PS3 YLOD'd on me like, 4 days before MGS4 came out. Luckily, Sony's repair service and shipping was incredibly fast and I had it back in like, a week (from Hawaii to the mainland and back, no less).

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            November 18, 2013 10:38 AM

            Right now they have no ps4 though instead of without one for a week maybe during repairs if it even breaks

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              November 18, 2013 12:18 PM

              Sony stores have been able to do a swap in-store. If you're lucky enough to have one in your area.

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        November 18, 2013 10:47 AM

        [deleted]

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          November 19, 2013 7:14 PM

          Because there's been a whole generation since PS2 and Xbox?

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      November 18, 2013 8:20 AM

      glad to see they're not in denial mode or anything like that

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        November 18, 2013 8:59 AM

        Yeah. And it's a much "better" fault than the RROD was, in that it seems to just happen immediately. The RROD was a nightmare as a consumer because you never knew if you were going to turn on your system and just be suddenly unable to play.

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          November 18, 2013 9:07 AM

          Sony is a much better rapist because it's over quicker, 5 stars.

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          November 18, 2013 9:12 AM

          It remains to be seen if the ps4 suffers from long term issues, but if it's just DOA at least you aren't SOL getting a free replacement.

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            November 18, 2013 9:16 AM

            [deleted]

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              November 18, 2013 9:20 AM

              My day one PS3, which is now at a friend's place, still works all these years later. For X360's, that same friend went through at least 3-4 consoles. I know many people who have gone through multiple X360's. I don't think they even compare... Sony has way more experience building consumer electronics.

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              November 18, 2013 10:00 AM

              I am one of the lucky few who owns all 3 launch day Playstation's that still work

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                November 18, 2013 10:12 AM

                [deleted]

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                  November 18, 2013 11:19 AM

                  I had it modded to run copies because I was a poor college student at the time so bonus!

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                  November 18, 2013 11:42 AM

                  I have a launch PS2 that is flawless as well. It's not as uncommon as everyone thinks; however, anecdotes do not make data. The failure rates are more interesting.

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              November 18, 2013 10:48 AM

              [deleted]

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              November 18, 2013 11:40 AM

              I got the ylod eventually after 4 years of use. Sucks because I still used the BC, but I got quite a bit of use out of it.

              I think consumer electronics can't be expected to last as long anymore due to lead free solder and increased complexity. My NES, on the other hand, still works.

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              November 18, 2013 12:19 PM

              My PS1 and PS2 still work.

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              November 18, 2013 1:07 PM

              My PS1 still works and was a literal launch day unit.

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                November 18, 2013 1:09 PM

                My PS2 (fat) still works.

                My original xbox had the thompson drive failure.
                My launch day 360 had the optical drive issue that scratched discs. The replacement unit lasted about 3 years before RROD. My replacement (Falcon? I can't remember which rev it was, not a slim) still works.

                My PS3 slim still works. My gamecube, Wii, SNES, NES, Genesis all still work last I tried them.

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              November 18, 2013 2:49 PM

              my launch PS3 still works. if it breaks i wont be replacing it since i have only used it for blu ray the last 4 years.

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              November 18, 2013 10:12 PM

              Midnight launch PS2 still runs at my parent's house, though it hasn't been used a lot lately.

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              November 18, 2013 10:38 PM

              lol you're full of shit. My launch PS2 is still fine.

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              November 18, 2013 10:41 PM

              i still have launch model ps1 and ps2 and ps3

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          November 18, 2013 9:14 AM

          [deleted]

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            November 18, 2013 9:19 AM

            I guess what I mean is that this will hopefully come and go and be done with. Whereas for several years, every time someone told me they were thinking about getting a 360, and every time I turned mine on, I had to think "Will this be when it dies?"

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          November 18, 2013 9:17 AM

          We don't know that yet. This problem could be something that happens months later too. How would we know?

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          November 18, 2013 10:08 AM

          You know thinking about this more and more I'm surprised there wasn't a class action lawsuit demanding Microsoft to refund 1st gen 360s. There was a legitimate hardware design error that caused dead consoles at a very high rate. MS gave out free 3 years warranty and a good exchange program, so it softened the blow enough to discourage a lawsuit I guess.

          Microsoft owes me $199 yo

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          November 18, 2013 10:19 AM

          These seem like manufacturing defects rather than a design issue as well so if you trade it in and get a working one you should be good.

          RRODs were also bad because it was a design issue with the console itself and every one of them had the potential to exhibit the issue no matter how many times you got a replacement.

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          November 18, 2013 10:54 AM

          Are you serious

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            November 18, 2013 1:01 PM

            Yes, I am serious that I'd prefer a manufacturing problem that can be solved over a design flaw that doesn't get addressed for years.

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      November 18, 2013 9:53 AM

      My RRoD didn't happen until years later.

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      November 18, 2013 9:54 AM

      Now the red light of death too.

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      November 18, 2013 10:17 AM

      There have been a few times where I shut off my PS4, and it doesn't totally shut off. The screen goes off but the white lite on the console continues blinking and I cant get it to turn back on. I have to unplug it from the wall and then it does a file consistency check when I turn the console back on.

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      November 18, 2013 10:44 AM

      [deleted]

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        November 19, 2013 5:47 AM

        That doesn't sound good at all... mine does none of those things

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