Due to the way in which the Trophy system functions, the PlayStation 4’s ability to play digital and disc-based games will be rendered useless whenever the internal clock battery eventually dies. Such a revelation obviously gives rise to additional concerns about game preservation, a topic that’s become more and more prevalent in recent years. Interestingly enough, Sony currently sits at the forefront of this particular discourse due to unconfirmed reports about the storefronts for PSP, PS3, and PS Vita closing sometime this year.

Video game preservation has constituted a major concern amongst enthusiasts for several years, specifically because of physical media’s slow but inevitable decline. An all-digital future continues to peek over the horizon, with 2020 offering a first glimpse at the possibilities. Due in large part to the global pandemic, digital sales of games eclipsed those of physical sales considerably across the board. Plus, both Sony and Microsoft rolled out next-gen hardware that boasted at least one digital-only, disc-less SKU. Though digital offerings certainly culminate in far more convenient buying options, there’s also the matter of the medium’s impermanence, evidenced by the delisting of titles like Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game. Now there seems to exist yet another threat to the longevity of interactive experiences.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Earlier this month, Twitter account Does it play? made mention of PS4’s Error CE 34878-0, an issue that occurs whenever the console’s internal clock battery dies out. Once the battery goes kaput, and it eventually will, every digital file on PS4 is rendered useless without a server reconnection. Physical games aren’t safe under these circumstances either, the Twitter user noted, adding that such an error ruins the system’s ability to play discs. Today, notable modder Lance McDonald offered some insight (via IGN India), explaining how PlayStation’s Trophy system factors into the equation. According to McDonald, Trophies rely on an internal clock that players can’t alter; this is in place to ensure users are unable to, say, rewind the clock and claim to have popped a Trophy early. Thus, in the words of McDonald, “if your PS4 clock battery dies, all [of] your games die.”

This seems an unforced error on Sony’s part, something the hardware manufacturer may not have anticipated upon originally designing the PlayStation 4’s architecture. Fortunately, the clock itself is easy enough to replace. However, should the corporation ever switch off its PS4 servers, the console, which has sold well over 110 million units, will effectively become useless to countless players after a certain period of time.

See also  How Fortnite's Soundwave Series Is Different From Previous Concerts

The clock battery revelation, combined with rumors of Sony shuttering online storefronts of its legacy systems, isn’t placing the PlayStation brand in the best light this week. Again, video game preservation remains a hot topic won’t soon come to an end. That the owner of some of the industry’s most beloved properties continues to exhibit a lack of interest in said preservation is rather concerning.

Source: Lance McDonald via IGN India

Moon Knight’s New Power Creates A Massive Avengers Plot Hole

About The Author


Brianna Reeves
(2074 Articles Published)

A Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Game News team, Brianna Reeves graduated from Sam Houston Statue University in 2018 with a Master of Arts in English Literature. Brianna’s enthusiasm for games dates back to Mortal Kombat Trilogy on PlayStation 1, along with classics like MediEvil, Syphon Filter, and THPS2. However, Red Dead Redemption reinvigorated her love for the medium; hopefully, that passion reflects in the work she has contributed to Comic Book Resources, PlayStation LifeStyle, GVMERS, and Screen Rant.

More From Brianna Reeves