A few days ago, we reported that a PlayStation 4 console with a missing CMOS battery is not able to play any physical or digital game without being connected to the internet. The situation seems to be slightly different on PlayStation 5, but it's definitely not good news for owners of the Digital Edition.
@DoesItPlay1 shared a few hours ago a new report that confirms the PlayStation 5 can only play select physical games with a missing CMOS battery without being connected to the internet. On the other hand, it seems like the console has no trouble running PlayStation 4 physical games.
With the battery removed and the console disconnected from the internet, the console went into safe mode upon first boot and began rebuilding the database. Restarting the machine resolved this initial problem, but once the machine was booted correctly, all digital games stopped working.
Physical PlayStation 4 discs did boot and trophies seemed to work, although Resident Evil 2
would intermittently display an error message stating “something went wrong”.Physical PlayStation 5 discs provided mixed results:
- Mortal Kombat 11 would not install. It crashed at 97% installation each time.
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales booted and played without issue.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War booted but due to a heavy reliance on a connection to
the game servers was unplayable.
The fact that the PlayStation 5 cannot run any digital game with a missing CMOS battery is definitely bad news for Digital Edition owners, as the issue will persist until it is patched.
A major cause for concern is the effect the issue has on digitial titles. As stated, without the
battery and an internet connection, all digital titles stopped working. Whilst this is a bad thing for all PS5 owners, it is particularly troubling for PlayStation 5 Digital Edition owners. That console has no option to play physical media whatsoever, making the eventual expiration of all purchases made on the console inevitable and unavoidable. Unless Sony patches the issue, it is simply a matter of time before all digital purchases cease to function.
The full report on the C-Bomb PlayStation 5 issues can be read here.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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