:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53832933/3stacked_front_side_angle.0.jpg)
The latest system software update for the PlayStation 4 appears to have had a terrible side effect for a number of customers: The console’s Wi-Fi no longer works.
Sony released the major firmware update, version 4.50, on March 9. That morning, after updating their PS4, a user on the PlayStation Forums started a thread about their new connectivity issue. “I updated my PS4 this morning and after the update it can not connect to wifi,” the user wrote, mentioning the error code NW-31297-2 — “could not connect to the Wi-Fi network because the Wi-Fi password is not correctly set on the PS4, or the wireless network is busy.”
The user said that they were “pretty sure the password is correct,” and added that their Wi-Fi was working as usual with other devices.
As of today, nearly two weeks later, that thread has ballooned to nearly 250 posts, almost all of them coming from people who are running into the same issue. At least one person went so far as to spend $30 on a Wi-Fi extender with an Ethernet port so they could keep using their PS4. “Oh, but the rage I felt for Sony when I was buying it,” the individual said. Of course, using a wired connection simply isn’t an option for some people.
Much of the anger in the forum thread comes from the problem itself, and the fact that a software update that was supposed to add many new elements to the PS4 ended up breaking an essential hardware feature. But it certainly hasn’t helped that the people affected by this issue haven’t heard from Sony — until now.
Asked for comment, a representative for the company finally acknowledged the problem, telling Polygon, “We are aware and are looking into the situation.”
Sony has a history of breaking things with major PS4 firmware updates. The console’s 2.0 update, released in October 2014, caused problems with basic functions like rebooting the system and introduced bugs with specific software such as Evolve’s alpha test and the review playthrough for Dragon Age: Inquisition. A more recent update, version 4.05, gave some people trouble with their 4K televisions and the PS4 Pro.
