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Just four days after the launch of the Sony PlayStation 4, and barely 24 hours after we brought you news that over a million units of the console had been sold on its very first day in stores, reports are appearing online of a “Red Line of Death” – believed to be caused by overheating – with brand new PlayStation 4 consoles locking up completely.

This comes after news of a handful of cases of new PlayStation 4 units refusing to boot up and displaying a solid blue light, which some believe either to be the result of damage sustained during shipping or even at the hands of a rogue assembly worker at the Foxconn plant in China where the console is made, though the latter has yet to be confirmed as anything more than internet rumour.

Today, gaming site GameZone has amassed a small collection of videos uploaded to YouTube by disgruntled gamers showing their new consoles displaying – with a nod to the Xbox 360’s red ring of death – what they’re calling the “red line of death” on its top panel.

In most cases, the PlayStation 4 console beeps three times before the TV or monitor screen goes black. The console light then glows an angry red.

Check out these videos.  

At least this last guy has a sense of humour about it all!

A PlayStation 4 console displaying this same red light was witnessed at a promotional event prior to the machine’s launch, with the machine believed to have overheated after being kept powered on in a display case for a long stretch of time. It is not yet clear whether the red line of death signals the end of a PlayStation 4 console completely, or whether any affected in this way can be brought back from the grave, but those of you who have already bought or or planning on picking up a PS4 can take comfort from the fact that cases of this happening are, so far, thought to be incredibly rare.

UPDATE: Sony has spoken out about this problem and, after highlighting the fact that so far it affects a mere 0.4% of PlayStation 4 units sold, has vowed to immediately replace – with expedited shipping, no less – any consoles found to be malfunctioning. They advise calling Sony customer care (see your console’s paper manual or look online) direct rather than attempting to return the console to the retailer from which it was purchased. Seems fair to us!

Source: GameZone