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So long, PlayStation 4 – Sony announces it’s ending repair service for early PS4 models

Casey Baseel Nov 11, 2020
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Even before you can buy a PlayStation 5, Sony draws a deadline for fixing certain PlayStation 4s.

This Thursday is launch day for the PlayStation 5, and while pre-orders for Sony’s new video game console have been pretty much entirely snatched up, a lot of the excitement seems to be centered on the hardware itself, not the available software. While the specs are impressive and the new DualSense controller has some pretty cool party tricks like haptic feedback adaptive triggers, the PS5 is rolling up without many particularly compelling platform exclusives.

So even if you really enjoy playing games, you might be planning to hold off on buying a PS5 until it boasts a few more titles that you can’t experience anywhere else, and just keep playing your PlayStation 4 in the meantime. If so, though, you’ll probably want to handle your system with care, as Sony Japan has announced that it will soon stop offering repairs and other after service to owners of early PlayStation 4 models.

▼ The announcement was made on November 10, just two days before the PlayStation 5’s release.

【修理受付終了のお知らせ】
2020年12月25日（金）をもって、PS4 CUH-1000/CUH-1100シリーズの修理受付が終了となります。https://t.co/RwdlLRSZ6R
PS4本体背面から型名をご確認いただき、修理をご検討されている場合は、こちらよりお早めにお申し込み下さい。https://t.co/0ucsVJsVbm pic.twitter.com/j8EqvjkNiX

— Ask PlayStation JP (@AskPS_JP) November 10, 2020

Specifically, Sony Japan will stop offering repairs for the first two PlayStation 4 models, the CUH-1000 and CUH-1100 series, both of which have angular corners for their casing. December 25, Christmas Day, is the last day on which online repair requests will be accepted, and your console must be shipped to the company (i.e. arrive) by January 8 in order to receive repairs.

▼ A CUH-1000 PlayStation 4

Sony cites a dwindling parts inventory as the reason for the after service shutdown. It’s not like the PS4’s components are made of mythical materials or require mysterious crafting techniques that have been lost to modern civilization, though, so the shrinking parts supply is also obviously part of a planned phaseout of support for the soon-to-be-last-generation console.

Such transitions happen regularly in the video game industry, and with the PS4 having launched in 2013, it’s not like the CUH-1000 and CUH-1100 just hit the market. Still, it’s jarring to hear Sony announce it’s ending after service for any PlayStation 4 models before consumers can even own a PlayStation 5. Making the whole thing particularly anxiety-inducing is how prevalent digital version-only games have become during the PlayStation 4 era, and in the case of those which are no longer available for download (like Hideo Kojima’s terrifying P.T.), not being able to use the system essentially means losing access to the game.

Thankfully, Sony will be continuing to offer repair service for CUH-1200 PlayStation 4s (which externally look similar to the CUH-1000 and 1100) and for the CUH-2000/Slim and CUH-7000/Pro (pictured above) models. Still, it’s only a matter of time until Sony waves goodbye to them too, so if your PS4 needs professional care, getting it sooner rather than later is the smart move.

Source: PlayStation official website via IT Media
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