Gaming
Brand new PS5s keep getting stuck in download limbo
For some trying to play games on their shiny new console, a "Queued for Download" message appears but the download never starts.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X started arriving at doorstops this week and inevitably the first reports of problems are beginning to trickle in. The latest is the PS5's "Queued for Download error," in which gamers try to download a game they already own, but the download never starts.
Launch day woes — Polygon says the issue appears to occur when users try and download a game they don't have enough free space for. But freeing up space after the fact doesn't seem to resolve the issue, leaving the game stuck in purgatory. It only affects a single download however, so you can still go about downloading other titles. When a game is stuck, its download percentage will sit at 0 percent forever:
Thanks to the PlayStation 5's ability to play games at 4K with high-detail graphics, titles can come in very large file sizes — Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has a massive 140GB install file. Considering the PS5 comes with under 670GB of usable storage and no external SSD support at launch, you can easily max out your storage in no time.
Unfortunately if you do run into this download bug, IGN reports you'll need to conduct a full system reset to fix it. That means redownloading all of your existing games. So if you don't want to go through the hassle, just make sure you have enough usable space before initiating a download.
Could be worse — It's pretty normal to run into bugs like these whenever a product is newly released. Sony can only do so much testing before millions of people first get their hands on the new console. Fortunately this one is software-based, meaning the company will likely race out a firmware update to resolve it. Owners of Microsoft's new Xbox Series X aren't as lucky, with some reporting on Twitter that the disc drive in their console either is making loud, mechanical noises, or isn't accepting discs at all.
That's going to be much harder to fix than a software issue. Microsoft will likely have to take affected consoles back and replace them. Thankfully both the Series X and PlayStation 5 support downloading of all titles, so gamers can still play games in the meantime.
The PlayStation 5 will add support for external SSDs soon, after which gamers will be able to expand their storage to accommodate many more games.