Highlights
- Reports from EVO 2023 competitors suggest that numerous PS5 consoles have experienced USB port failures and meltdowns due to a lack of heat dissipation, causing concern among attendees.
- The issue with PS5 USB meltdowns at EVO 2023 appears to be a widespread problem, with witnesses and photos supporting the claims. More information is pending on the cause of the issue.
- The ongoing problems with PS5 USB ports overheating may lead organizers to consider using a different console in the future.
The fighting game tournament EVO 2023 is using Sony PlayStation 5 consoles, and some competitors have begun reporting that their USB ports have melted due to overheating in some instances. With photos and witnesses corroborating the stories, it seems that there's some merit to the idea that the lack of heat dissipation may lead to the PS5's crucial input/output ports melting in action.
With EVO 2023 being Street Fighter 6's competitive debut, it was important for attendees to be at the top of their game. The acclaimed tournament hasn't historically had similar issues, and it's not the first to use the PS5 as its console of choice, meaning that there may be more to the story that is being reported.
According to EVO 2023 competitors, numerous PS5 consoles have suffered USB port failures due to an extreme lack of heat dissipation, leading to meltdowns. With plenty of reports and pictures to show for it, such as the ones posted by Eduardo Cuervo on Twitter, it certainly seems like something has gone awry at the tournament, ruining both the PS5s and the connected cables in one fell swoop. Though it's currently unclear what's caused all these problems, they're definitely widespread enough to draw concern.
People have been posting on Reddit about the problem, too, as SyrupyCereal shared their own picture of a melted-down USB cable. With PS5 console sales far outpacing Xbox Series X/S, the potential for this problem to proliferate is immense, and Sony is yet to chime in with an official report. It's possible that the constant plugging and unplugging of devices at EVO 2023 somehow led to the issue, but more information is pending.
At face value, the present issue with the PS5 USB meltdowns may remind some gamers of last year's Nvidia GPU power cables melting in their sockets. Though relatively similar, these problems were caused by users not plugging the cables in all the way, and it's improbable that a similar issue was so widespread at EVO 2023. Instead, it seems likely that the problem is with the PS5s themselves.
It's not all bad news at EVO 2023, however. The incredible tournament victory of a blind Street Fighter 6 player went viral, for example, showing just how potent and important these events are. If they keep leading to cable and controller meltdowns, though, that may well change and the organizers may end up going with a console other than the PS5 to prevent further problems.
