PlayStation 4 Debugged: Why Do Roaches Love Sony’s Console?

PlayStation 4 is literally not bug-free. In case you own a PS4, it would be best to check it now, maybe give it a few jiggles, and wait for a cockroach to come out.

In a recent report from Kotaku, it was uncovered that roaches have discovered a premium “hotel” for themselves and their kin. XCubicle, an independent console repair shop in Manhattan, shared that roach-infested PS4s are quite common in their shop. Co-founder Patrick Che revealed that the shop gets at least one roach-infested PlayStation 4 each week that they have begun to charge a $25 “roach fee.”

While the Xbox One proves to be an acceptable home for the roaches, console repairmen say that they tend to get more PS4s for repair in the shop — probably because there are more PS4s sold today than its competitors. Also, the PlayStation 4 has more to offer roaches, that it is dubbed as a “roach hotel.”

The interior of a PlayStation 4 is designed with wider ventilation grates, which are located at the bottom of the console. This makes it easier for the creepy crawlies to get in easily. Moreover, because of the PS4’s internal power supply, the console gets hotter—more so than the Xbox One—and this makes it the perfect breeding ground for the roaches.

The problem with this is that the PlayStation 4’s internal supply gets too hot that it fries unsuspecting roaches into its components. This causes the console to malfunction stopping the PS4 from turning on. In addition, as the roaches begin to build their family, they also leave their excrement behind which melts into the hardware.

What makes it even worse is that Sony will not fix bug-infested PS4s—even if it’s still under warranty. A PlayStation 4 user named Levi once had a barely used 10-month-old console that gave him the “blue light of death.” Confident that his Sony warranty would solve his PS4 problem, he asked to have his device serviced. Noting that the box Sony sent him was a used one, he also noticed the warning to users not to send equipment that was filled with bugs and dust, since this voids the warranty.

After weeks of waiting, Sony finally sent back his console, but to Levi’s consternation, the blue light of death was still there. And the best part was that there was no explanation about the unfixed PlayStation. Unfortunately, even after consulting with customer service reps regarding his still-broken console, Levi could only be informed that his system could not be serviced. So he opened his PS4 and found out that were was only a little dust inside, and no bugs were in sight. At the time, the Consumerist tried to get an explanation from Sony, but no response was received.

According to Matt Zieminski from IFixit, most of the time, the users who bring in their broken consoles, don’t know why their PS4s aren’t working. They have no idea that their device has become a breeding ground for the pests. Console repair experts say they know this because roaches leave traces.

“Their poop color is distinct and has a certain smell to it. We kind of know right off the bat if there are poop stains on the vent of the fan—we assume it’s bug-loaded,” says Zieminski.

To get a “bugged” PS4 to work again, console repairmen just usually replace the device’s power supply. They also sterilize the interior with an ultrasonic cleaner before putting the PlayStation back together. Ultrasonic cleaning is a process that uses ultrasound as a cleaning solvent. This type of cleaning is also used on jewelry, lenses, dental and surgical instruments, firearms and car fuel injectors, to name a few. But to avoid getting to this state, perhaps it would be better for PlayStation users to simply clean their room once in a while.

Meanwhile, here is a video explanation of why roaches love the PlayStation 4.

[Featured Image by Charnsitr/Shutterstock]