PS5 Controller Ports Melt During The Tournament

A Street Fighter 6 tournament could make Sony sweat. In the e-sports competition held by the group, PlayStation 5 consoles are said to have run so hot that USB ports have melted.

PlayStation and Ventilation: The dynamic duo

The Evo 2023 tournament in Las Vegas is one of the biggest fighting game events of the year. Thousands gathered in Las Vegas over the weekend to attend a Street Fighter 6 competition, among other things. Participants move from match to match with their own controllers. The problem: Some of the PlayStation 5 consoles that were in continuous use for the event were reportedly getting so hot that the controller ports melted.

As Kotaku writes in his article, several participants in the tournament had spoken up and complained about the corresponding defects. “EVO proves the PS5 is NOT the solution,” wrote outraged Twitter user SabreAZ on August 5. “USB ports are melting like crazy.” Another poster follows, adding an image of a USB port on the PS5 controller, where the blue plastic portion is obviously deformed.

Another poster reads: “Our local folks received three PS5 consoles for SF6. During the first weekend, with all consoles left on for several hours, the USB ports on the back of two of them melted and were ripped out. ” There are other similar descriptions on Reddit.

Stress under full load beyond the usual period of use, an isolated defect in certain PS5 models, or other reasons: it is currently still completely unclear how the problems described could occur so frequently at an event. For Sony, the reports are at least ugly, since they have been Evo organizers themselves since 2021. The group has not yet commented on the reports.