It looks like the most recent PlayStation 4 update has finally addressed one of the console's most concerning issues.
Earlier this year, video game preservation Twitter account Does It Play? let everyone know about Error CE 34878-0 for the PlayStation 4. This is, in essence, and error that occurs when the console's internal battery clock has run its course. In other words once the battery dies - and that's a case of when and not if - every digital file on the console becomes inaccessible unless you're able to reconnect to the server.
Take a look at some of the very best PlayStation 4 games below!
Dataminer Lance McDonald later explained that this error is tied to PlayStation Trophies. Trophies on PlayStation 4 need the internal system clock to be accurate, so that players can't lie about when certain Trophies were obtained. Because of this, he warned that "If your PS4 clock battery dies, all your games die".
Advert
The battery can of course be replaced, but the bigger issue is having to reconnect to the server to get all your digital games back. No, it's not likely PlayStation would ever get rid of the PlayStation Network, but there is a possible future in which the service is changed, moved, or done away with completely. The idea that whether or not our console's work years down the line is tied to this possibility has been... concerning, to say the least.
Fortunately, it looks as if Sony quietly took steps to fix this issue in the latest PlayStation 4 update. According to reports coming in from players, gamers with the 9.0 firmware update installed are able to play their games on a PlayStation 4 with dead CMOS batteries without crashes or serious errors. It's even possible to earn Trophies, although the date and time earned is left blank.
Destruction Games was first to share the news, and also claims to have heard from other users that PlayStation 4 consoles with dead CMOS batteries are also now playing digital games. Sony has yet to confirm this fix, but it certainly looks as if our consoles are no longer ticking time bombs that will one day become useless paperweights.
Topics: News, PlayStation
