With numerous devices, especially those from the initial launch, at risk of failure in the next few years, the previously noted problems with the liquid metal in the PlayStation 5 are getting more common. The risk gets even more serious, especially if the devices are beyond warranty
Matthew Cassells, the founder of Alderon Games, underlined in a recent podcast that this significant flaw in the system is causing the liquid metal meant for cooling to leak down to the bottom of the console when it is placed vertically. This leakage causes dry patches on the APU, which can lower its performance and trigger a shutdown under some conditions. The situation seems to be deteriorating.
The developer was informed some time ago that the last update for their dinosaur-themed MMO Path of Titans was causing PlayStation 5 consoles to abruptly shut down. Originally, the creator offered basic troubleshooting advice, like cleaning the console, but the issue persisted. More people started to report the problem after the developer pointed out the relevant discussion thread on their Discord server. This incident started happening not long ago since Sony launched its PS5 Pro’s liquid metal design.
Additionally, after Alderon Games shared a wider message urging players to report any occurrences of their PlayStation 5 consoles shutting down while playing any game, many other users came forward with their experiences. Other team members ran into the same issues and are now looking into possible causes. The liquid metal problem seems more likely to develop when the console is oriented vertically, from all of the evidence.
After talking with Sony about this issue, Alderon Games found that the more challenging the game becomes, the more likely a PlayStation 5 is to turn off because of the liquid metal issues. About 2% and 3% of Path of Titans players are experiencing this problem with the recent update. Though it may not seem like a lot, it still comprises many impacted units.
