PSP explodes in schoolboy's pants
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Feb 6th 2008 at 5:45PM }
A Michigan schoolboy was burned by his PSP earlier today. According to the report, "Police said the the fire burned a hole in his pants and the child suffered minor burns." Police determined the PSP battery overheated and exploded, causing the child to be sent to the hospital.PSP explosions are rare to find, but some third party batteries have been known to do just that. Police will still be investigating the case.
[Thanks, Ben! Via Kotaku]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DMeisterJ @ Feb 6th 2008 6:06PM
Hmm... Fat or Slim? And did he have a third party accessory. I only ask because I generally carry my PSP Slim in my pocket, but I use the battery it came with, and I'd like to not have burns on my legs :-)
Zann @ Feb 6th 2008 6:07PM
Now who would've thought THAT could happen .. poor chap.
pixelator @ Feb 6th 2008 6:40PM
Oh, 'so surprised' KOTAKU jumped right on this... Any bad PSP news and they're practically falling over themselves to trumpet the story.
Fact is, Lithium polymer and ion batteries are, as far as consumer batteries go, the most volatile and likely to be influenced by heat and damage/impacts. It might be a bad battery, or maybe the kid had smacked his PSP, or somehow screwed with it. You never know.
But seriously, Kotaku sucks.
Brello @ Feb 6th 2008 8:33PM
They're a gaming blog, they cover anything and everything they can find on all platforms. They don't single anyone out. (see the x360 HD DVD player image they used today?) It's all in good humor, don't take it so personal!
The wording sounds like it was left on, is this true? If it happened when it was off, I think I'll store mine on top of a metal file cabinet when I go to work.
Brello @ Feb 6th 2008 8:37PM
Gah, I just checked. It was turned off. (also he had Burnout Legends in it, funny stuff)
.P@BsLpKn @ Feb 6th 2008 7:02PM
man lately weird stuff is happening to PSP users, robbery, death, explosion....i hope next time it isn't something like kidnap or alien kidnap.
Hashbrown_Hunter @ Feb 6th 2008 7:50PM
That's not all that exploded in his pants...
:)
Hashbrown_Hunter @ Feb 6th 2008 7:51PM
But seriously, I hope the kid is okay. And now the parents can sue the company for boatloads of cash! Great job kid!
yzfmike @ Feb 6th 2008 8:15PM
I have the pelican car charger and it had worked fine, but the psp would not charged if I was playing a game, if it left alone it would charge. It even effected the sony house charger. I now the PSP 2000 and I am a happy camper again, with no issue at all.
Dehshizknight @ Feb 6th 2008 8:30PM
Also, it doesn't charge when you're using WiFi on the fat PSP's.
Marco Cano Jr @ Feb 6th 2008 8:51PM
It has to be because he used a non-sony brand battery. Right?...Right?!
Hashbrown_Hunter @ Feb 6th 2008 9:54PM
That's what they WANT you to believe.
pixelator @ Feb 6th 2008 8:52PM
Brello, don't be an apologist moron. This is what - the first such report of a PSP battery blowing up? A pretty good record compared to most Apple & Dell laptops and other devices. We don't know the details or why it happened.
Kotaku is a gaming blog - sure 'nuff. They're also rabidly anti-Sony and biased as all hell (see their history and blacklisting in the past). End of story.
linebeginstoblur @ Feb 6th 2008 9:58PM
Did anyone else read the linked article and find out what game was in the guy's system? I got a little chuckle out of it. Also, I found it a little funny that the article referred to the PSP as a video game.
lorddshadow @ Feb 6th 2008 9:59PM
its a fat if it helps
see the umd opening latch thing?
Kspraydad @ Feb 7th 2008 1:49PM
The parent confirms that it is the original Sony battery:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/NEWS03/802070449/1005
Dio @ Feb 9th 2008 5:10AM
Maybe he cut one of the solder pins to downgrade his PSP?
Kade Storm @ Feb 10th 2008 4:38AM
Bad fortune for the kid, and kinda' disturbing stuff to read.
As for someone back there wishing that it was a third-party battery that would take the blame. "Right?. . . Right?" I'll say wrong.
Why? Because until I don't see a proper study published on a decent sized sample of these so-called trouble-batteries blowing bullet holes through peoples clothing, or setting homes on fire, I will not buy this feeble--based on the opinion of one random pseudo expert--speculation that third-party batteries are to blame. I own enough of 'em to say the exact opposite. No. They don't blow up.
Sometimes, shit just happens, and this really is nothing compared to what had been going down with the Apple and Dell batteries.
linebeginstoblur @ Feb 12th 2008 10:13AM
Third-party accessories do not always work. Now, I'm not blaming them, and yes, they do great things for the most part, but at the same time, I remember a story of someone using a different type of AC adapter and having THAT blow the battery up. Though I'm not sure if it was advertised as a PSP charger or not, the fact of the matter is that he didn't use the official charger. Also, I don't own a PS2-to-PS3 controller adapter, because everyone I talk to says that they don't work, and yes, the only adapters of that sort are third-party. Third-party accessories are not always reliable.
Also, that's a bold statement you have. Official batteries may randomly blow up, but third-party batteries almost never blow up? That is a point that is definitely arguable. Like you said, "sometimes, shit just happens."