| Friday, February 8 2008 |

A 12 year old who had just finished his first period classes got a nasty surprise. His PlayStation Portable, which was off and in his pocket, got "intensely hot", and caught fire. The boy's jeans quickly followed suit, causing quite the stir in the classroom. According to local emergency services, the fire originated from the device's battery compartment. The exact cause as to how or why the battery got so hot remains unknown at this point. The teacher was able to remove the PSP from the boy's pocket before it caused any serious injury. The boy was rushed to a hospital, was treated for second-degree burns, and was back at school in time for recess. Ironically, the game that was loaded at the time of the immolation was "Burn Out Legends".
Source: Reg Hardware
Source: Reg Hardware
User comments
yet another reason not to buy sony....... just because it looks nice, doesnt mean that its any good
WTF, not a reason to buy Sony :laugh: get real, one PSP explodes and everyone should not buy Sony, it was probably the cheap batteries he bought.:wtf:
by: crow1001It's NOT batteries....it's a rechargable battery pack.
WTF, not a reason to buy Sony :laugh: get real, one PSP explodes and everyone should not buy Sony, it was probably the cheap batteries he bought.:wtf:
This harks back to the HUGE incident with laptop makers recalling all sony created batteries which could catch fire (anyone remember the video of the Dell catching fire?).
This is a very valid reason NOT to buy Sony, especially their rechargable battery packs. Something that can cause injury should never have made it past quality control, and I so hope this boys parents sue Sony for damages. This is something they should have fixed well over a year ago.
Yeah, loads of companies have had overheating battery problems in the past, Dell, Apple, to name a few, how many PSP's to you think Sony have sold? millions, how many have had battery overheating problems? Sony haters everywhere you look.:slap:
by: crow1001Yes, and if you did any reading at all you would realise that the battery cells were made by....SONY!
Yeah, loads of companies have had overheating battery problems in the past, Dell, Apple, to name a few, how many PSP's to you think Sony have sold? millions, how many have had battery overheating problems? Sony haters everywhere you look.:slap:
Don't worry -- I'm sure China is to blame in some way or another.
Sony just continues to pay for shaving that extra 2p off those batteries but it wouldn't surprise me if Sony said this was caused by incorrect transportation of the PSP.
For me this is NO reason just to stop buying from a well known brand, some of their batteries are defective, but it doesn't mean all their products are. You just gotta be an unlucky individual to have this happen to you. First psp battery incident i've heard.
Jesus I have a PSP now I will watch it 24/7 just for sure! :)
hmm sue sony
what about when that iPod exploded awhile ago? yet people still buy and buy iPod's like crazy, and more and more of them come out :/
i dont, i hate apple and want to see steve jobs head on a pike
Any electronic device that small has a possibility to combust depending on the circumstances. Be it laptops, phones, cameras, ect... I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the boy tampered with the battery.
However, I'm not so sure a second degree burn requires hospital treatment.
However, I'm not so sure a second degree burn requires hospital treatment.
sony better give this kid a new psp....
How are we even sure it was the original PSP battery in the PSP, there are loads of knock-offs out there. Jumping to the conclusion that it was Sony's fault without all the proper details is idiotic.
If it was Sony's battery, then i guess I know where they got the battery's tech. From the VIAO! lol... it really sucks that it happened, and to a kid like that.... And me thinking of getting one... Still thinking.. lol
by: Cold Stormhonestly though, i don't see this happening unless he was using a third party battery or he modified the stock one. i have two psp batteries, never had a problem with either, and i even opened one up and made my own circuit inside.
If it was Sony's battery, then i guess I know where they got the battery's tech. From the VIAO! lol... it really sucks that it happened, and to a kid like that.... And me thinking of getting one... Still thinking.. lol
with the number of psp's out there and only one case of an "exploding" battery, i don't think that's sony's fault.
Yeah I know. I was just going at it for the fact that a sony battery... I bet it was a 3rd party battery, or a battery that was miss labeled because someone was selling stuff for the hell of it...
You never know how many batteries has done this? This probably has been the ONLY one. But this is the first one that has hurt some body.
You never know how many batteries has done this? This probably has been the ONLY one. But this is the first one that has hurt some body.
My guess is the boy droped his PSP or something damaging the battery and due to the heat of his body lead to such a circumstance.
Whatever the case, I think the boy has done something to the battery, but I also think Sony may need to be nice about it and give him or his family some money for the damages. Maybe even replace his PSP and give him a bunch of new games.
I highly doubt Sony is at fault.
I highly doubt Sony is at fault.
by: Ravenas
Whatever the case, I think the boy has done something to the battery, but I also think Sony may need to be nice about it and give him or his family some money for the damages. Maybe even replace his PSP and give him a bunch of new games.
I highly doubt Sony is at fault.
me too, but everybody like good pr!
as far as what really happened, i'm sure if we just wait, we'll find out what really caused this.
yeah, it was played with... but it won't be for awhile till we know for sure... Then lets see if Sony acts like Dell on the matter?!?! lol
LOL i wanna try this at home now with that old Inspiron i have
Everybody bitching about Sony battery packs; consider this very simple fact: Think of any other portable battery pack manufacturer you want, and when was the last time you heard of one of their battery packs exploding? Never? I thought not.

