Sony recalls 3.5 mn Playstation power adaptors

Adam Pasick

LONDON: Sony is recalling 3.5 million faulty power adaptors for its popular PlayStation 2 video game console because they may overheat and cause injury, the Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer said on Tuesday.

The adaptors were made between August and December of 2004 for the slimline PlayStation 2, which has a free-standing power adaptor to save space. About 2.3 million of the devices were sold in Europe, with the remainder going to Asia and North America.

The recall comes as Sony is aggressively promoting the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and preparing for the launch of the next-generation PlayStation 3 console next year. A spokeswoman declined to say how much the recall would cost Sony.

PlayStation 2 owners can go to web site www.ps2ac.com to determine if their adaptors are being recalled.

In August, Apple Computer was forced to recall about 28,000 batteries used in some of its PowerBook laptops because of overheating problems.