Dead PS5 already reported — what you need to know

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

In news Sony probably hopes is an isolated PS5 problem, we've just learned about the first of its new consoles to die an unexpected death. And, yes, the PS5 is not even out yet — this is a review unit.

YouTube content creator Jeremy Penter (aka ACG) shared the news online, and it sounds pretty grim. What began as a storage error then led to issues with the console booting up. And then, well, the whole system just died.

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As Penter notes, he was working with Sony on trying to repair the PS5, but the unit went kaput during troubleshooting. As you might expect, this has thrown a wrench into his plans for making videos, as the PS5 (alongside the Xbox Series X) is all that console gamers want to talk about right now.

P.1. At this time my PS5 is 100% dead. I was having the storage rebuild issues others reported but mine escalated to full errors and network issues/boot. Sony and I were working through troubleshooting when it died completely. So at this time I will be moving content around...November 10, 2020

Penter also posted a full video explaining what he knows about his PS5's demise. He notes that "the hardware's storage, the external storage, was having weird issues when the system was coming out of rest, and sometimes just sitting there, where it would pop off and say your storage is corrupted and we have to rebuild it."

He also notes that he doesn't believe he's having the same router-related issues that other YouTubers have reported.

As someone who's been unable to pre-order a PS5 (and wasn't exactly eager to, either) this looks like another risk of being an early adopter. As I said above, everyone (including those who were lucky enough to get the rare PS5 pre-order) probably hopes this is an isolated issue, and not something that will be widespread.

That being said, we've also seen reports of Xbox Series X units overheating, including one billowing smoke out of its top, like a tiny chimney that you just spent $500 on.

In the testing performed for our PS5 review and Xbox Series X review, we did not experience any such bugs.

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.