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One of the world’s best selling video game devices, the Sony PS4 gaming console, is headed for a gruesome death if the current situation continues. The shocking news comes after the Twitter handle @Doesitplay1 revealed the existence of ERROR CE 34878-0 that will render 115 million PS4 gaming consoles incapable of playing digital and physical copies of games.
In the tweet, the @Doesitplay1 revealed that PS4 uses an internal clock that awards trophies for completing certain sets of tasks within a game. The clock is made in such a way that no one can change or manipulate it to gain a trophy before time, as some trophies are time-based.
This error is because Trophies on PS4 require the internal system clock (the one you can’t see / alter) to be correct, so people cant change their PS4 date/time to make it look like they got trophies earlier than they really did. If your PS4 clock battery dies, all your games die https://t.co/8y9aZzL9vC
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) March 23, 2021
When the internal clock battery dies, the PS4 will become unsuited to play any digital files. Meaning your entire digital library could become useless. Furthermore, the same error will also kill the disc drive rendering it completely non-functional.
The Twitter user pointed out that the catastrophic PS4 error is inevitable until Sony takes measures to stop it. Meaning, the death of PS4 is not a matter of “of” only “when.”
How Can The PS4 Gaming Console Be Saved
Luckily there are two ways of saving the PS4 gaming console from this nightmare. The first method is a time-dependent one. It requires the users to connect their PS4 console to the PlayStation Network to reset the internal clock. I mentioned that this method is time-dependent because Sony can shut down online services for PS4 in the future. They did so for the PS3 and Vita recently, years after their initial release.
The second method involves jailbreaking the PS4 console. Legally, this method may lie in a grey area, but it does solve the problem permanently.
After the news came out, thousands of PS4 users expressed their disappointment with the PS4 trophy system. However, another Twitter user, @manfightdragon, revealed that PS4 trophies are not to blame in this situation.
Their poor implementation of the trophy system is the major cause of concern here. For example, similar to the trophy system, Xbox also has an achievement system for completing certain in-game feats. However, the in-game achievements wouldn’t show up without an online connection. The game would unlock it for you in the background and keep it hidden until connected to Xbox Live.
It means that Xbox 360 will face no such error, but the PS4 will if Sony does not decide to intervene. Speaking of Sony, they have yet to comment on the situation. Sony hasn’t had a good track record of game preservation. They removed the PS2 backwards compatibility from PS3 later in the console’s life cycle, offered no PS3 gameplay back on PS4 and so on.
Meanwhile, Xbox has made significant efforts in preserving people’s game library. Their newest console, the Xbox Series S and X, can play almost every game launched since the first generation Xbox launched decades ago.
As the fate of 115 million PS4 gaming consoles hangs in the balance, Sony’s next step in this situation will leave a lasting impact on the sale of the PS5 console and the company at large.
