PlayStation

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PlayStation

Basic information
Founded	1990-02-28
Legal Structure	Subsidiary
Industry	Video Games, Consoles
Also known as	PS, Sony's PlayStation
Official website	https://www.playstation.com/

The PlayStation is a line of consoles developed by Sony.

Consumer-impact summary

Overview of concerns that arise from the conduct towards users of the product (if applicable):

• User Freedom
• User Privacy
• Business Model
• Market Control

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Incidents

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the PlayStation category.

Online Services Incidents

Hardware bans from online services

Main article: Sony Playstation hardware bans from online services

Often, Sony has banned consoles from playing online to the point where it is baked into the hardware, making you have to replace the hardware to get unbanned.

Sony's attempted removal of "purchased" content on the playstation library

Main article: Sony's attempted removal of "purchased" contentSony initially announced that it would remove purchased Discovery TV shows from PlayStation users' libraries due to licensing issues

PlayStation 3 Incidents

"Yellow Light of Death" bricks the console

Main article: PlayStation 3 "Yellow Light of Death"Due to a likely defect in the 90nm graphic processing units (GPUs) of early PlayStation 3s, these models are extremely prone to GPU failures.

PlayStation 5 Incidents

PlayStation restricts how developers can give upgrades to "PS5" editions

Main article: PlayStation restricts how developers can give upgrades to "PS5" editions

Sony have restricted how and what developers can offer people upgrading from a PS4 edition to a PS5 edition of a game post launch.

Introduction of Electronics leasing

Main article: PlayStation Lease with Flex

At the start of 2026, Sony announced the Lease with Flex service in partnership with Raylo for its PlayStation hardware. Advertised on the PlayStation Direct website, the service allows users in the UK to lease consoles and accessories on flexible monthly terms or fixed 12–36-month plans with no upfront cost.

Unlike traditional installment purchases that lead to eventual ownership, Flex and other leasing models do not result in the consumer owning the console outright. Once the contract term ends, the hardware must be returned regardless of payments already made, or the consumer must enter a separate purchase negotiation.

Products

Home consoles:

• PlayStation (1994)
• PlayStation 2 (2000)
• PlayStation 3 (2006)
• PlayStation 4 (2013)
• PlayStation 5 (2020)

Handheld consoles:

• PlayStation Portable (2004)
• PlayStation Vita (2011)

Controllers:

• DualShock (1997)
• DualShock 2 (2000)
• Sixaxis (2006)
• DualShock 3 (2007)
• DualShock 4 (2013)
• DualSense (2020)

See also

• Digital rights management
• Nintendo
• Xbox