PlayStation 4 teardown: Yup, it’s pretty much a PC (and it’s easy to repair)

This is part of our ongoing series about games and trends of the upcoming next generation.

Good news, PlayStation 4 fans: If something goes wrong with your shiny new console, chances are good that you may actually be able to repair it yourself.

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To celebrate launch of Sony’s newest home video game console today, the folks at iFixit have done what they do best: tear it apart to unveil its hidden glory.

And, big surprise, it looks a lot like a typical high-end PC. With the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, both Sony and Microsoft have finally adopted x86 processors, which erases the chip-architecture divide that usually separates consoles from computers. Now that they’re both using standard PC processors, it will be easier for developers to create games that support both PCs and console, and it also means there aren’t many surprises inside the box.

Thanks to its user replaceable hard drive and easy to access internals, iFixit has bestowed upon the PlayStation 4 a surprisingly high repairability score of 8 out of 10.

The biggest issue? Apparently the electromagnetic interference shield is also very good at grating your fingers. Beyond that, it looks like anyone familiar with taking apart a PC will be able to disassemble the PS4.