I was one of the 'lucky' ones 2 months ago, as I actually managed to pre-order a PS5. I felt really bad for those who couldn't as these bad boys sold out so quickly, and I can only imagine how disheartening that was/is.
At lunchtime on the 19th November the time had finally arrived when my PS5 was delivered. It felt like Christmas had come early! Due to the current pandemic, I've been working from home but was so busy that I knew I wouldn't be able to start playing straightaway, so I used my lunch break to just set the system up, start downloading the latest updates and installing Spider-Man Miles Morales.
Everything started so well, the UI is amazing and downloading seemed quicker than on the PS4. Once it had finished I put the PS5 into rest mode and returned to my work. About 4 hours later I decided to let the good times roll, I pressed the PS button on my DualSense but it didn't switch on my system. I examined closer and noticed that the standby orange glow wasn't there. So I pushed the power button... once, twice and so on... nothing. I thought perhaps my extension cable had packed in, so I moved the power lead to a different socket... still nothing.
It took a good twenty minutes of exhausting all options (including changing the fuse in the plug) until I realised that the PS5 had died (what's worse is that it had my Miles Morales game still inside it and no way of getting it out). To cut a long story short, after 50 minutes on the phone with Amazon last night (who were unable to replace the product because there are none left!) and 2hrs and 20mins (1hr and 40mins of which I was in a queue!) on the phone with Sony this morning, I've finally arranged a return. However, this is going to take at least 2 weeks and it's doubtful I'll be sent a brand new replacement (even though a second hand product is not what I paid for!).
I appreciate that with so many items being produced there are bound to be some with teething problems, and perhaps I've just been one of the unlucky ones that this has occurred to. That being said, from all the research I've undertaken since, there does seem to be an inordinate amount of problems, especially when putting the system into rest mode (wish I'd known this before).
I'll update this review when I finally receive my repaired/replaced console, as I'm sure it'll then become a 5 star product, but for now, it's caused me too many issues, wasted far too much of my time and has been so disappointing that I cannot recommend it at all!
UPDATE #1
So, for those of you in the same predicament as me, or for those worried about the return process should the same happen to you, I'll update this post with my continued experience, in the hope that it'll be helpful.
When you call Sony Technical support, I'd recommend doing this after 10:30 on a weekday. I phoned at about 9:30 on the 20th, and they didn't answer until 11:10 (approx.). When I questioned this, I was told they don't start until 10:30 even though the website says 9:00, and the queuing system makes no indication of this!
After troubleshooting with Sony, they'll advise if you need to return the console. Unlike our American brothers, we are not sent packaging for our returns, purely a Royal Mail 48 label. Do not use the box that your PS5 came in if you want to retain it, as I'm told that any return from Sony will be in a generic box, and do not post anything except the PS5 (unless advised otherwise - I was told to include my power cable). Ensure your PS5 is fully protected, as Sony state that any damage in transit is not covered by them. Again, unlike the Americans, we are not sent a replacement console until they have received the faulty one and undertaken testing... I also questioned this and I was told that Sony have a different policies in different countries!
UPDATE #2
Posted on the 21st at 9:38 - Royal Mail tracking showed it arrived at 13:53 on the 25th (so much for Tracked 48). Sony Tracker didn't update as being received until 27th November and my replacement wasn't shipped until 17:05 on the 1st December.
UPDATE #3
After 13 days of waiting, I received my replacement PS5 this morning (2nd December). I have no idea if I’ve been sent a new console or a refurbished one, but I can confirm that I haven’t had my existing model repaired, as I now have a completely different serial number. So far, the new PS5 is working great (which is a relief) - however, I’m very cautious considering my previous experience and the fact that it’s very early days.
This was never the review I intended to write back when I first confirmed my pre-order - however, I hope it offers some guidance to those experiencing issues and are forced to seek a return to Sony. Conversely, if you’ve been unable to obtain a PS5 due to the shortages in stock, then I hope this review offers some comfort, as by the time these machines are readably available, Sony should have sorted out the kinks via hardware improvements / software updates.
I've changed my star rating to 3 out of 5 stars - the system is so good that I couldn't leave it at 1 star, however, my experience has been far from how I imagined back in September when I was lucky enough to secure a pre-order, as such, I really cannot justify scoring any higher.
UPDATE #4
So, I'm on day 4 of using my replacement console - yesterday being a Saturday, I finally had some time to use it for a sustained period. Things have been mostly good, but I have had two major crashes whilst playing Spider-Man Miles Morales. For context, I am not using an external hard-drive and I'm also not using rest mode, so these well reported issues are not the problem for me.
The first crash completely turned off my console and when it restarted it said something like 'repairing console storage'. I was really concerned, but it was over quickly and I was back into the game in no time. The second crash was more worrying, it was directly after a cut-scene and my controller became unresponsive except for the throbbing of the haptic feedback. The screen then went black on my TV and the blue light on the console was pulsating... I couldn't get the PS5 to respond at all. In the end, I had to hold the power button until the console turned off. When I restarted I had an error message saying I hadn't shut down the console correctly (not that this was an option!). Again, everything seemed fine straight afterwards. I'd add that I've had zero problems with Astro, so I'm hoping this is software related rather than hardware.
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2020
Platform For Display: PlayStation 5Edition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2020
Platform For Display: PlayStation 5Edition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2020
Platform For Display: PlayStation 5Edition: ConsoleVerified Purchase
