File photo: An american cockroach (Periplaneta americana), on which a radio tag is attached, is seen at the Universite libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels March 6, 2015. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)
Having trouble with your PlayStation 4? A surprising problem may be to blame: cockroaches.
In an interview with Kotaku, Patrick Che of Manhattan-based XCubicle, a console repair shop, told the blog that the pests, which tend to reside in warm dark places, love Sony's game console.
For starters, the console's wide ventilation grates at the bottom make it easy for roaches to enter. It also doesn't help that people usually lay their consoles horizontally inside media cabinets close to the ground. The PS4 also runs hotter than Xbox One due to its internal power supply, so it's nice and cozy inside.
Che told Kotaku that the problem is so pervasive that his stores amasses garbage bags full of dead roaches when doing repair work. The store even charges a $25 "roach fee" to clean infested machines.
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Another console repairman said most people don't even realize their console is full of roaches. "The PS4's internal power supply fries roaches onto its components, which can stop the PS4 from turning on," Kotaku notes, which requires a power supply replacement (and a good scrub).
Worried about roaches getting into your system? There's a few things you can do to reduce the chance of an infestation. First and foremost, at the risk of stating the obvious, keep your house tidy. Second, store your PS4 in an open area with good airflow, high off the ground.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
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