These Viral Photos of a Destroyed PS5 HDMI Port Look Like a Crime Scene

The PlayStation 5 has been incredibly hard to come by since its release back in November, so it’s all the more heartbreaking to see one that’s suffered a cruel fate. Such is the case for a PS5 owned by Reddit user cdq1985. The poster shared a trio of images of the system’s HDMI port, which look like they should be sprawled out on the table inside a police questioning room. According to the user, their kid “pushed the cable in a little too hard,” or as I like to call it “the understatement of the year.” The system has now been sent back to Sony for repairs.

Images of the console can be found in the Reddit post embedded below, but I should warn you: they aren’t for the squeamish.

PS5 in for HDMI replacement. Kid said “I pushed the cable in a little too hard”. from r/techsupportgore

The poster did not elaborate on the post above, so readers can only speculate how the carnage must have ensued. The simplest explanation is that cdq1985’s kid tried to connect the wrong cable and it got stuck. Several Reddit replies guessed just that, with many pitching their best ideas of which would one would have been the culprit. There’s clearly a lot of plastic stress, which might have been caused when the jaws of life were used to remove whichever cord found its way in there. The port itself is also mangled and bent, which may have happened when the wrong cord was forced in and then pulled out.

Sometimes, pictures tell the best stories on their own, with no elaboration needed. Once the initial shock of the photos wears off, viewers can do their best deductive work to figure out how and why this happened. It’s clear that a crime was committed, and the culprit has been apprehended, but so many questions remain.

For now, these images will serve as a cautionary tale for any parents that also happen to be gamers! This isn’t the first video game system ruined in the heat of frustration by a child (or an adult for that matter), and it certainly won’t be the last. This could happen to you. If it does, be sure to share the photos, though. It might make some gamers hug their consoles a little bit closer tonight.

Has your child ever destroyed a video game console? Do these photos make you shudder? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!