Does your PlayStation VR need extra cooling fans to avoid overheating?

Heat is part of the deal when you're playing PlayStation 4.

PlayStation 4 delivers tons of great content — from VR experiences to Netflix and Hulu, to its massive library of great games for you to dive into. You might be worried about how hot your system gets when it's in use though, and whether you need to bite the bullet and pick up an additional fan for cooling. While this is a fairly normal reaction, it shouldn't be necessary! We've got the details for you here!

Heat is normal when using PlayStation 4

When you notice heat coming off of your console, it's easy to get pretty worried. After all, many gamers still remember not being able to play certain consoles for more than two or three hours before they started to heat up and affect gameplay. Here's the thing though — when it comes to playing your PlayStation 4, a certain amount of heat is pretty normal.

We mean it's going to be warm, bordering on hot, when you touch it. This is especially true if you're touching around the back of the console where the main exhaust fan is housed. Don't panic, though. So long as your system has adequate room to vent, that heat isn't anything to worry about. Just hot air.

This is a good time to remind that you do want to ensure there's adequate space around your console. Rather than putting it in a cupboard inside of your entertainment center, we suggest leaving it open to the air so that the exhaust fan can do its job properly. The fan in your system is fairly beefy and was designed to ensure that you wouldn't need any additional cooling options, so as long as it is working properly adding additional fans ought to be unnecessary.

How to cut down on excess heat

Now if your system is getting some serious heat, there are a few things you might want to take a look at before you start thinking about ordering an aftermarket fan. Namely, you'll want to consider how long the system has been running, as well as how dusty it's become.

PlayStation 4 is basically covered in vents on the side and back of the console and if these vents get choked up with dust they aren't able to do their job properly. To this end, if you notice your console getting particularly hot then a solid call is to ensure that no vents are obscured by dust.

Clearing out dust or debris from your PS4's vents will help keep things cool.

You can clean them out in about 10 seconds, provided you have a canister of compressed air on hand. All you need to do is use short, controlled bursts with the nozzle pointed towards the vents. This ought to clear out any dust or debris and allow the console to properly vent heat.

If you still notice more heat than usual then you might want to consider how long you've been running your console for. While PlayStation 4 is a pretty hardy console, it still has its limits. If you've been running the console for more than 6-8 hours then you might want to give it a break for an hour or so to return to a normal temperature.

Have you considered an external fan?

While your PlayStation 4 system is going to heat up after you've been playing for a clip, this isn't something that ought to worry you much. So long as the exhaust fan is running, there is no dust blocking the vents, and you've ensured that there is room for the heat to vent off, then you should be in excellent shape. Have you considered picking up an additional fan for your PlayStation 4 console? Let us know about it in the comments below!