PlayStation Fan Loses PS5 After Lightning Strike

09/19/2021 04:01 pm EDT

The PlayStation 5 has been incredibly difficult to come by since its launch last November, and those that have managed to purchase the system are quite happy to have it. Reddit user dogen_lives_in_glass was one of the 10 million lucky fans that managed to get one, but the system tragically ceased to function when lightning struck their house. The user apparently has all their devices plugged into surge protectors, but it seems that offered no assistance. Interestingly enough, dogen_lives_in_glass is not the only person that this happened to, as another poster also lost a PS5 that was plugged into a surge protector. 

"FML... I was gone for a week and lightning hit my house, PS5 bricked. Don't take your console for granted and enjoy today's update everyone," the Reddit post reads.

Because the system was completely bricked by the storm, the poster actually had to remove the plates to manually remove a game disc that was still inside the PS5. Prior to this, they did try using both a different AC cable, and a different outlet, but neither made a difference. Now, dogen_lives_in_glass will have to see if Sony can replace or fix the console. Hopefully, they'll have some luck in that regard!

The Reddit poster was not home when the lightning strike occurred. Interestingly enough, that was not the case last month when a gamer was struck by lightning through their console! In August, a man in Tennessee received a shock through a corded video game controller during a lightning storm. It's unknown what console the player was using at the time, however.

These stories might convince some gamers to unplug their consoles when they leave the house during lightning storms, or when leaving home for an extended period of time. Doing so could mean the difference between a working system, and a very expensive brick. Given how tough the PlayStation 5 still is to come by, fans might want to do everything they can to keep it safe; clearly, surge protectors aren't enough!

Have you ever had a video game console bricked by lightning? How would you feel if this happened to your PS5? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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