The PlayStation 'Time Bomb' - What is a CMOS Battery?
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The ultimate fate of legacy PlayStation consoles that take advantage of PlayStation Network online features - namely, the PS3 and PS4 - has been uncertain for a while, especially since the launch of the latest PlayStation 5... But, why? Many worry that a fatal flaw, the CMOS battery, may spell the end for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles. What is a CMOS battery, what can you do to keep your PlayStation alive, and is this the true end for classic gaming hits like LittleBigPlanet?
PlayStation Network: All Good Things Come to an End
Ever since Sony announced back in March of this year that they were planning to shut down PlayStation Store services for the PS3 and Vita, there's been huge backlash from many different authorities on the web. Taking a look at this whole issue at face value, turning off the PlayStation Store would prevent players from purchasing new games or PlayStation Classics titles online (though previous purchases on a PSN account would still be accessible via the Download List on each console).
This isn't particularly bad, and from Sony's perspective, maintaining legacy PS Store infrastructure costs a lot, and the service is likely being woefully underutilized by a huge majority of players.
In 2021, there's not much point in using the PlayStation Store on these older consoles - especially as physical game collections continue to grow, thanks to the proliferation of second hand consoles and games as newer platforms come out. You can still buy LittleBigPlanet 2 and other PlayStation titles from Amazon for cheap if you search through the used product listings.
With that said, Sony has decided to reverse their position and will continue to maintain the PlayStation Store on these older platforms until further notice. Crisis averted, right?
Not exactly.
Shutting down the PlayStation Store on these older consoles wouldn't have much of an impact on most players. Games would still have the ability to receive full updates over the Internet, and other online features like friends and trophies would continue to work as normal.
The problem here is the infrastructure that keeps these services running - PlayStation Network. If Sony is comfortable discontinuing the PlayStation Store for these legacy consoles, then it's obvious they don't intend to invest in their older platforms forever. Online services cost money, and if they're not helping the manufacturer turn a profit (usually in console or game sales), then there's not much reason to keep dumping money into maintaining these servers.
Keeping Time: PlayStation CMOS Battery
And this is where the much more serious issues arise - and the root cause of the entire 'Time Bomb' issue. Most consoles, and even computers for that matter, have small coin-shaped batteries built-in, designed to power the clock inside the device.
