Sony is shutting down the PS3 servers. This wouldn’t be a big issue except for two things: first, it means that you can’t download any PS3 games from the PlayStation Store. Second, it implies that Sony will one day shut down the servers for the PS4. And when that happens, it’ll do something far worse than just prevent people from downloading games.
Inside the PS4 is a battery that keeps track of the console’s date and time. It’s called the CMOS battery, and it needs to keep working otherwise the console can't properly assign dates for when trophies become unlocked. This wouldn’t be a problem except the PS4’s software won’t let you play games at all if it can’t figure out what time it is for trophies.
Now, you CAN get a new CMOS battery if your original one dies to fix this issue, but the PS4’s software has to authenticate the new hardware by connecting to Sony’s servers. And if those servers ever get shut down--as in the PS3’s case--then your PS4 becomes a seven-pound paperweight.
This isn’t just being alarmist, either. Someone has already tested this issue by removing the PS4’s CMOS battery and they weren’t able to play any games at all. Now, there’s a new report saying that the same issue affects the PS5 too.
Just as with the PS4, the PS5 has a CMOS battery, and if it dies, then you’ll need a new one. And if that new battery can’t authenticate because Sony shut down the PS5’s servers, then that’s it for playing games on your PS5.
Obviously, this won’t become an issue for a long time. The PS3 initially released in 2006 and its servers are only seeing the end this year. It’ll be a while yet before Sony even considers turning out the lights on the PS4’s servers, and longer still before the PS5’s servers switch off. Still, the news that both the PS4 and a PS5 have an expiration date is concerning to console owners everywhere.