PS4 games may become unplayable if the internal PS4 battery is drained

The PlayStation 4 has an internal clock powered by a battery. As with any battery, it can run out or die at some point and that gives rise to some concern. The console uses, among other things, the internal clock to give trophies a specific unlock time and date. This is to prevent players from manipulating it manually.

In addition, it is a way to correctly indicate the time. Another way to check the time is to connect to PlayStation Network, but if PlayStation Network is no longer accessible from PlayStation 4, the console is unusable. With a clock that doesn’t work, all stored files will become unusable, argues Lance MacDonald Twitter.

PlayStation Network will now be available for years to come via PlayStation 4. After all, the console is alive and well. Still, these concerns aren’t entirely unfounded, as there is basis in reports that Sony wants to shut down the PlayStation Store for the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita. Not a word has been said on PlayStation Network for these platforms, so things won’t go so quickly.

Still, there has been a lot of noise on the internet, mainly thanks to the title that your PS4 is hypothetically “ unusable ” due to a dead battery. There is a solution in several respects. For example, Sony may release a firmware update to counter error messages regarding the internal clock. It is also possible to replace the battery yourself, although this requires technical knowledge. On top of that, almost all PS4 games can be played on the PS5 as well, so in that regard the console is kind of a “ life saver ” thanks to backward compatibility.

Still, the concerns of the community are understandable, given that people are concerned about how Sony is handling retention of older content. Note that this all follows a rumor about the PlayStation Store shutdown, which has yet to be officially confirmed. Plus, the PlayStation 4 still has enough life in it, so this scenario is definitely not going to happen in the short term.