PS5 unboxing - part 2

I've owned a PS5 for a month, and it wasn't until this Tuesday that I was finally able to enjoy it. In fact, I never enjoyed the one I got a month ago, I received a replacement, but I'll get to that...

In the middle of September, I happily unpacked my new PS5. We tested it by playing Astro's Playroom - the free game that comes with the console - and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Using the controller that came in the box, we noticed that some buttons didn't react sometimes. For example, the character would not jump when we pressed "X" or it would not punch when we pressed "square." Other times, the sticks were not working properly. The character would not move when we moved the stick, then a few seconds later, it would start running on its own. The camera would also start spinning randomly on its own. We tested this in the menus as well, and the same thing happened - the menu would not move when pulling the stick in some direction, then a few seconds later, it would jump 3-5 options.

I contacted the shop where I bought the console, and they directed me to the company that deals with Sony and PlayStation warranty here in Budapest. I wrote them an email explaining the issue, waited a few days, but no answer came. I went there in person and brought the controller which they promptly replaced. When testing the replacement controller, the same exact things happened that I described above, leading me to believe the controller was not the problem. The service center advised me to bring in the console for testing, so I did.

I left the console there on a Wednesday, and they promised to call me "within a few days." I waited until the next Tuesday, then gave them a few calls. The number was either busy or they didn't pick up. The same thing happened the few times I called on Wednesday. Finally, they answered the phone on Thursday, said they were still testing the console, it would probably be replaced, but I should call again on Friday. Needless to say, they didn't answer the phone on Friday.

The following Monday, nearly two weeks after I dropped off the console at the service center, I went there in person again. They said the controller never produced the error that I described when they tested it, regardless, they replaced the console.

I went home with my replacement console hoping I could test it, but something very important was missing from the box: a power cable. Even though I had brought in the console and all accessories in the original box, and they wrote down when I handed it over that all accessories were in the box. Also missing was the Quick Start Guide. The following day, I had no time to visit the service center again, so my girlfriend went there to get our cable and Quick Start Guide. What angers me even more than anything I've described above is what happened then: They wouldn't believe that they failed to return our cable, and to the guide, they just said they couldn't give one... Eventually, my girlfriend was given a cable, and now everything works.

There are a couple of things that make me sad when I think back to this story.

1. The service center never tried to find the real cause of the issue to offer a real solution.

2. The console better have a good reason to be this effing huge and have this stupid shape.

It didn't fit under our TV so we put it behind it, placed it vertically and turned it sideways, clearly not a good idea, but we didn't realize it at the time. After I tested the replacement controller the service center gave us and encountered the same issues as with the original one, I went on forums to find out what could cause such issues. I found the likely cause for the input lag was either bluetooth interference or simply that the console was not facing us. I also found out it could help if we put the TV in game mode. I can't confirm what the real problem was as I can't test our original console any more since the service center took it, and I didn't test the replacement console by putting it behind the TV, because I'm just glad that finally, everything works.

One thing remains to be done, I hate how the console is now taking up so much space next to the TV. We decided to place it horizontally this time to prevent too much dust falling into it from above. However, our 65-inch TV is standing on an IKEA Kallax, taking up its whole width. The only solution if we want the console to fit under the TV is to raise the TV by placing an additional piece of furniture under it. I’ll post a photo once it’s all set up.

Pictured above: Our replacement PS5 next to our TV and a controller we had received from a friend for testing to see if our controller was the cause of the issues or not.