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PS4 'Blue Light of Death' due to delivery damage, says Sony

The PlayStation 4's Blue Light of Death may not be one problem but several, and it could be down to damage during delivery.

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Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
2 min read

The PlayStation 4's Blue Light of Death may not be one problem but several, according to Sony, and it could be down to the new console being damaged during delivery.

"There have been several issues reported, which leads us to believe there isn't a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of PS4 units," a Sony spokesman told Bloomberg. "We also understand that some units were reportedly damaged during shipping."

The console is reported by some disgruntled gamers to turn itself off or appear to be dead except for a pulsing blue light. Amazon.com has nearly 800 one-star reviews, most of which report bricked consoles, flashing power indicators or a failure to start. Sony says less than 1 per cent of PS4s have problems. 

Of course, that leaves many, many more gamers who are thoroughly pleased with their PS4, which went on sale in the US a week ago and has garnered broadly positive reviews. 

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Watch this: PS4 and Xbox One: Buy now, or wait? in Podcast 365

The PS4's problem is nicknamed the Blue Light of Death in tribute to the Xbox 360's infamous 'Red Ring of Death', and the notorious Windows 'Blue Screen of Death'. CNET UK surveyed the last generation of consoles and found that 60 per cent of Xbox 360s had suffered the miserable Red Ring, a vastly greater number of failures than the PS3 or Nintendo Wii.

The PS4 goes on sale a week from now. The Xbox One is on sale today. Which console gets your vote? Has the Blue Light of Death affected your decision or is it just a minor problem, easily fixed? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our fully functional Facebook page.