PS5 USB port meltdowns: Heat trouble at EVO 2023
At EVO 2023, PS5 USB ports suffered meltdowns, possibly due to overheating. Know about the impact, causes, and potential solutions for the console's USB port problems.
Fighting game fans from all around the world gathered for EVO 2023 to compete in games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and others. EVO 2023 recently came to an end. The plastic connector inside their controllers became trapped after the PlayStation 5's rear USB port melted, according to some tournament attendees.
Sony is the proprietor of the Evolution Championship Series event. Consequently, Sony's newest and best gaming console was used for several of its major competitions. The 2023 edition will draw more than 10,000 applicants. This past weekend, thousands of players competed in tense tournaments in Las Vegas by connecting their controllers to the PS5 sets used for the competition.
Numerous users on social media, including CEO founder Jebailey, have reported the rear USB-A failures.
Heads up to all PS5 players. Please be careful with the back USB ports. Seems the blue piece on the back is coming out and sticking to player USBs. We’re able to pull it out and the port will still work but just to be careful. pic.twitter.com/UBshHFJpsc
— Alex “Cannon Award Winner” Jebailey (@Jebailey) August 4, 2023
Several variables were present in this case: One possible cause is the excessively heavy use of the PS5 USB ports, and another is possible thermal dissipation problems that result in overheating of the IO ports.
The blue USB port on the PS5's back, according to one user, is becoming so hot that it is melting and fusing with connected devices. As a participant in the competition, Cloudraven had first-hand experience while utilising his Hori Fighting Commander Octa. Additionally, he continues, “Tubazo1989 rescued me with a brook adapter and I could keep playing.”
What the heck @PlayStation . My @horiusainc octa USB plug MELTED during my match at @EVO. Mine was not the only controller that melt down. This is just terrible. You need to do something about that lack of heat dissipation especially if you are going to use PS5s in tournaments pic.twitter.com/z9aYzZf46P
— Eduardo Cuervo (eacuervo @ threads) (@cloudraven) August 5, 2023
Is the thermal design of the PS5 to blame?
A simple glance at iFixit demonstrates how the PS5's heatsink is situated somewhat close to the IO ports on the back of the console; as the fans push air out, heat rises via the heatsink and surrounding locations. The PS5's internal temperatures may be rising to the point where they're impacting the IO and breaking the USB ports.
However, not all PS5 heatsinks are created equal. Since Sony is always making internal changes to the console as time goes on, not every PS5 will have the same heatsink as earlier models.
According to Reddit user Xeleion, the temperature at EVO 2023 was roughly 22 degrees Celsius. The PS5's SoC chip can heat up to 71 degrees, per GamersNexus testing.
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by u/xeleion from discussion Multiple reports of PlayStation 5 USB ports melting at Evo 2023 have surfaced
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The melting point of ABS plastic, which is 105 degrees, will not be reached by this alone. The melting point is comparable, at between 105 and 115 degrees, if the softer PE plastic is used for the ports.
It's likely that the heatsink dissipation of the PS5 is specifically causing the USB IO pins to heat up. A USB pin, for example, has a low thermal density, thus applying high heat for a long time there could potentially boost temps even higher and lead to this problem. According to reports from EVO participants, this would cause the plastic to separate from the USB pins and lead to the plastic portion snapping off into a plugged-in peripheral.
Does USB-A durability play a role in the issue?
You use the USB-A ports on the console continuously because there are thousands of participants in the tournament, and each one brought their own controllers. There are a tonne of controllers and tournament settings when Street Fighter 6 alone has a bracket with over 7,000 players.
A least of 1,500 mating cycles are allowed for USB-A, and many have been tested up to 5,000 in high durability builds. For reference, USB-C has a 10,000 cycle rating. However, some contemporary USB-A connectors have 20,000 cycle life.
As it is outside the rated mating cycle range, it is probable that a widely utilised PS5 at the event is experiencing USB-A header failures. However, the fact that the PS5’s USB-A ports only fail on the rear of the console supports the theory that temperature problems may possibly be contributing to the problems seen.
How to stop the USB-A PS5 port from melting?
The solution is straightforward if you're a tournament director concerned that this problem might destroy your PS5 setup. When possible, use the front USB ports instead than the rear ones. You could also want to buy a lag-free USB-C to USB-A splitter if the configuration will be used for a long time.
Should you be concerned about your PS5?
The organisers of esports, who are probably operating the PS5s for 12 hours or longer while heavily utilising the USB ports, are impacted by this pretty specialised problem. We advise using the front USB ports on the PS5, as they are located on a daughterboard inside the console and can be fixed, to avoid this problem. If the back USB ports are broken, the connector must be completely replaced, which can call for a new motherboard. To prevent problems like this for players in the future, tournament organisers will probably need to use some kind of USB splitter without adding delay to the console.
