As can be expected with the launch of any new console, the Playstation 4’s release has had a bit of turbulance with its hardware. Few players have actually run into the red line of death, but for those gamers frustration will set in and complaints and issues will seem more prominent then they are, but for the vast majority of users, their consoles are everything they could have hoped for and more.
Speculation from gamers seems to highlight a multitude of possible reasons for the hardware failure. Some users suggest the issues stem from overheating issues, ironically reminiscent of the Xbox 360’s initial launch problems. There are also some reports of HDD issues as well -though this has been reported to be fixed by booting the console in safe mode. But it seems most users suggest a faulty HDMI cable port to be the culprit for most problems.
A soft blinking red light on the PS4 console could be an indicator of this HDMI issue. It seems to be the most common and is fairly simple to fix. Multiple users suggest that the HDMI port has a small piece of metal bent backwards within the HDMI port. It is possible to resolve the issue by just bending the metal back into place. It seems most users will be able to receive a new system through the manufacturer’s warranty so it may not be neccesary to attempt fixing it yourself. Though if you simply can’t wait, it’s very much worth a shot at your own risk.
*Per Kotaku – Currently, there is no reported fix for the blue line of death if that’s your issue. Your best bet is to use the manufacturer warranty to get a new console.