In the gaming environment, reference is made to ‘CBOMB’ when it comes to Sony's PS5, PS4, PS3 and PS Vita consoles. In short, CBOMB is a word formed through the contraction of CMOS and bomb.
Sony is not so concerned that the games will live on
CBOMB is a concept that PS consoles will one day stop working unless Sony takes action and updates the consoles, but so far it seems that Sony is not so concerned that the games will live on from a generation of players to another. But PS fans care, and here's what you need to know.
What is the problem?
PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and PS5 consoles depend on the internal clock for them to be played on. To keep the clock running while the console is disconnected from the power supply, the system board has a small battery. This is called CMOS.
When CMOS stops working, you will be prompted to enter the date and time. The console will then try to synchronize the date and time with a remote server on the web. If the server cannot be reached, the games will not work as DLC (Downloadable content) cannot be downloaded.
Games are an art form. They must be preserved for posterity
Does It Play is an association that works to ensure that games are also available in the future. They were the ones who coined the term CBOMB. They explain it like this:
Selv om det ikke er noen umiddelbar risiko for at synkroniseringstjenerne går ned, er det urealistisk å forvente at de vil være online for alltid. Til slutt vil serveren gå ned, og til slutt vil CMOS-batteriene dø, så det er bare et spørsmål om tid før en enorm katalog med spill blir utilgjengelig i sin opprinnelige form.
Dette er grunnen til at vi valgte navnet CBOMB; CMOS-bombe. Denne funksjonen fungerer på samme måte som en tidsinnstilt bombe. Før eller senere vil den detonere. Med mindre vi kan fjerne problemet.
For many, video games are far more than one-time entertainment. If it is to be recognized as an art form, not just an industry, it is crucial that the games will continue to exist in the future. As art, games must also be taken care of.
With Sony's PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and PS5 designs, players can lose access to a large catalog of video games, unless they resort to gray zone measures.
We want our children, our grandchildren and their children to be able to play the games we love and explore the history of a hobby and industry that means so much to us. Although there is no danger of the servers going down right away, they will eventually go down. We will do what we can to preserve as much as possible.
What can Sony do?
Simply put: Update. All Sony needs to do is update the devices so that the games can be played without resorting to methods that are usually reserved for piracy and hacking.