How video game consoles are made
A Sony line in Japan builds a PS4 in 30 seconds, and 26 of its 32 robots just wrangle floppy cables.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 108
- raw sources
- 29
- steps from the ground
- 10
The short version
On a line 31.4 meters long at Sony's Kisarazu site in Japan, 32 robots build a PlayStation 4 in 30 seconds. People load finished motherboards at one end and pack consoles at the other. In between, robots plug in soft cables and tighten screws, and each console is inspected and gets its main cover.
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Build the motherboard
Before final assembly, the main processor, an APU that combines processing and graphics on one chip, goes on a circuit board ringed by memory chips, with storage and power parts soldered alongside.
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Mold the shell
Plastic is molded into the top and bottom of the case. On a PlayStation the main unit cover carries the triangle, circle, cross and square.
Goes in -
Feed the boards in
At Kisarazu, two workers put motherboards on the start of the line, and robotic arms carry them onward. The area beyond was off-limits even to Sony employees.
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Plug in the soft parts
Of the 32 robots, 26 deal with floppy items such as antenna cables and tape-like parts. One arm holds a cable while another grips its tip, twists it to the right angle and slides it into the connector with controlled force. Parts too awkward to grip get sucked up instead.
Goes in -
Fit cooling and tighten screws
Slender arms connect wires and tighten screws, with one robot sliding sideways to do two jobs. A metal heat sink and heat pipe sit on the hot chip, and a fan draws air across them.
31.4 m by 6 m
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Inspect and cover
Each finished console is examined. The main unit cover goes on as the last production step, and a crane lifts each console that passed onto a lane headed for packing.
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Pack by hand
Two more workers pack the consoles. Sony kept people here and at the start of the line from 2019, having judged that mix the best return on its investment. Boxes carry handling instructions in several languages.
Goes in
Worth repeating
- The Nintendo Switch popularized the hybrid console, with detachable controllers that dock into a screen.
- Makers often sell consoles at low prices, sometimes at a loss, and earn their profit from licensing fees on each game.
- Sony's PS4 line at Kisarazu began with more than 80 robots, and reworking every process cut that to 32.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and video game console starts as these 29 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Keep walking
Sources
- Video game console
- Graphics card
- The PlayStation's inner sanctum (Nikkei)
- Sony factory assembles PS4 in 30 seconds, only four humans involved in process
- Robots With A Delicate Touch Assemble PlayStation 4
Cite this page: "How video game consoles are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/game-console