PS5 overheating and malfunctioning controllers affect Evo Japan fighting tournament again

With casual gaming, consoles usually remain at safe temperatures. However, esports contestants put the systems through hours of torture. For not the first time, PS5 overheating caused drama at the latest Evo Japan fighting tournament. The problems continued in the grand final, leading to pauses to investigate the issues. Several players are now questioning whether future competitions should involve Sony's console.

American RedDitto was one of the most affected by the suspected PS5 overheating. At several points during Guilty Gear Strive matches, controllers began to malfunction. Characters would only move backward while other inputs stopped working. In other instances, viewers noticed frame rate drops during critical moments. RedDitto recovered to make it to the final, but lost to his Korean opponent, Daru_I-No.

In the 2023 Evo Japan, there was evidence of PS5 USB ports melting. As a result, players noticed damage to controller cables and adapters. The console's rear ports are especially vulnerable as warm air exhausts through vents. The same scenario may have repeated itself in the latest tournament. Still, organizers could blame the adapters that players use for third-party controllers.

Accomplished Street Fighter 6 competitor Punk was the most critical of the PS5's performance. After losing his match, he claimed that the console's cooling system was inadequate to handle a full day's worth of competitive gaming. Punk also suggested that he would stop attending future competitions if the problems persist.

Some observers suggest that officials swap out PS5 consoles more regularly during Evo Japan. Others propose that the tournament should switch to an Xbox console, which arguably has superior cooling, or a PC. Considering Sony acquired the Evolution Championship Series in 2021, these changes are unlikely.