A lot of people who purchased the first generation of PS3 systems ran into the issue where the controllers' wireless connections would drop out once or twice an hour. This was a huge source of frustration for me; nothing was more aggravating than playing Super Stardust HD and randomly losing control of your ship, smashing it to bits just short of a high score. However, I recently replaced a couple of my Sixaxis controllers with Dualshock3 units and was pleasantly surprised that the new models don't have the disconnect problem.
I can play PS3 games for hours without the controller ever losing its connection. I live in a large apartment complex with a lot of wireless interference---sometimes my neighbors' phone calls interfere with my wireless internet connection. However, the new Dualshock controllers have been working fine for several months now. I'm very happy with this development, although it's pretty shady that Sony never publicly addressed the hardware flaw present in the Sixaxis controllers.
It's great to be able to play games again without the frustrating disconnects using the new DualShock3. However, my old Sixaxis controllers still drop out from time to time.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
PS3 Backorder: False alarm!
Well nevermind, I just got an email indicating that my replacement PS3 is on the way:
"On 04/29/08 we shipped a PLAYSTATION 3 - CECHA01 and if applicable, peripheral(s) and/or accessories, to you."
Not bad considering that earlier today their system said I had a 1-2 week backorder on my replacement. GTA IV here I come. :)
"On 04/29/08 we shipped a PLAYSTATION 3 - CECHA01 and if applicable, peripheral(s) and/or accessories, to you."
Not bad considering that earlier today their system said I had a 1-2 week backorder on my replacement. GTA IV here I come. :)
Ouch... Replacement PS3 backordered
My PS3 finally arrived in the Sony Tech Support offices. It took a week for the packaging to arrive from Sony, and 2 days for the Playstation 3 to get back to them (via UPS Next Day Air). Unfortunately, this message was waiting for me on Sony's Repair Status page:
"Due to high demand, your unit is currently on backorder. The quoted turn-around-time for product exchange through our PlayStation(R) Exchange Center (PEC) is approximately 7-15 business days from the time we receive your unit, not including shipping and handling time. Due to the current backlog the turn-around-time may exceed the quoted 7-15 business days. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience."
1-2 weeks to get my PS3 back, and on the day of Grand Theft Auto IV's release! I wonder why replacement PS3s are backordered? Is Sony experiencing a huge influx of dead 60GB units, or is it simply because there aren't enough refurbished units available? I'd be happy with a newer 80GB unit of course; I'm pretty worried about paying for this replacement PS3 when I'm just going to receive another first-generation piece of hardware.
I should note that before sending my PS3 in, I ran the PS3 Backup utility and stored it on an external hard drive. The whole process took about an hour. Additionally, I copied all my game saves to the hard drive individually. My hope is that when I do a Restore on the new system, all the downloaded games I purchased will get restored as well. This way I won't have to download them again, and will save one of the 5 downloads available for titles purchased on the Playstation Store.
"Due to high demand, your unit is currently on backorder. The quoted turn-around-time for product exchange through our PlayStation(R) Exchange Center (PEC) is approximately 7-15 business days from the time we receive your unit, not including shipping and handling time. Due to the current backlog the turn-around-time may exceed the quoted 7-15 business days. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience."
1-2 weeks to get my PS3 back, and on the day of Grand Theft Auto IV's release! I wonder why replacement PS3s are backordered? Is Sony experiencing a huge influx of dead 60GB units, or is it simply because there aren't enough refurbished units available? I'd be happy with a newer 80GB unit of course; I'm pretty worried about paying for this replacement PS3 when I'm just going to receive another first-generation piece of hardware.
I should note that before sending my PS3 in, I ran the PS3 Backup utility and stored it on an external hard drive. The whole process took about an hour. Additionally, I copied all my game saves to the hard drive individually. My hope is that when I do a Restore on the new system, all the downloaded games I purchased will get restored as well. This way I won't have to download them again, and will save one of the 5 downloads available for titles purchased on the Playstation Store.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Video of PS3 Overheating
Okay, after considering my options a bit I've changed my mind and decided to pay Sony $149 to replace my PS3. It turns out Shipping is included in that cost (although sales tax is not, so beware if you live in a state with sales tax!), and $149 is much better than $399 or $499 for a new (well, refurbished) Playstation 3.
I asked Sony to send the prepaid shipping box for my PS3 on Tuesday; it's now the following Monday and I still have yet to receive the box. I'm not sure how long it should take to arrive.
The only thing that scares me is that I'm going to be getting another 60GB unit. Since it will be hardware from the original generation, it will be more prone to failure than the newer generations.
Does anyone know if Sony will still work on an out-of-warranty PS3 if you remove the warranty sticker? I think they will, but I want to be 100% sure before I crack the box open and try to dust the inside of it. I used a can of compressed air to blow a bunch of dust out of the unit, and I was able to run games for significantly longer before the graphics started glitching out.
Speaking of dust, take a look at the self-cleaning capabilities of the 40GB unit:
http://www.psu.com/Get-your-40GB-PS3-to-clean-itself-News--a0003360-p0.php
Finally, here's the video I promised of the PS3 overheating:
I asked Sony to send the prepaid shipping box for my PS3 on Tuesday; it's now the following Monday and I still have yet to receive the box. I'm not sure how long it should take to arrive.
The only thing that scares me is that I'm going to be getting another 60GB unit. Since it will be hardware from the original generation, it will be more prone to failure than the newer generations.
Does anyone know if Sony will still work on an out-of-warranty PS3 if you remove the warranty sticker? I think they will, but I want to be 100% sure before I crack the box open and try to dust the inside of it. I used a can of compressed air to blow a bunch of dust out of the unit, and I was able to run games for significantly longer before the graphics started glitching out.
Speaking of dust, take a look at the self-cleaning capabilities of the 40GB unit:
http://www.psu.com/Get-your-40GB-PS3-to-clean-itself-News--a0003360-p0.php
Finally, here's the video I promised of the PS3 overheating:
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sony Tech Support
I just got off the phone with Sony. The rep that helped me was pretty nice, but he just offered the "Reset to default settings, if that doesn't work do a full System Restore" answer I was expecting. He said it definitely sounds like I've got a heat issue, and that I'll have to send the unit in for repair if the Restore attempts don't work. I went through the "Restore Default Settings" process but Unreal Tournament 3 locked up after about 5 minutes of play. I don't think I'll do the full restore, since I don't feel like wiping my PS3's hard disk and it probably won't fix the issues I'm having.
Sony doesn't offer any service where you can order replacement fans for the PS3. He quoted me US $149 to send my PS3 in for repair since it's out of warranty. I don't think it's worth it to send my old PS3 in for repair for $149 + shipping costs just to have a fan or two swapped out when a new PS3 costs $400 (I don't think I need the backwards compatibility afforded by the 80GB unit, and I have a 60GB drive from my current system I can put in the new one). It looks like I'll be digging into the unit myself.
One cool tip he gave me was that the Sixaxis controllers have a reset button on the back of them (the ones where you need a paper clip or something to push it). I've had a weird controller drop-out problem since I got the PS3 where every hour or two one of the controllers will lose its connection to the PS3 for about 5 seconds. It's really annoying, but what annoys me even more is that the problem doesn't seem to occur with my new Dualshock 3 controller, which suggests that Sony fixed a known problem since the initial release but isn't replacing faulty units. Oh well; that's the price you pay when you're an early adopter of new technology, right? In any case, the tech support rep suggested pressing this button if the bluetooth connection drops out.
Here's a photo showing the location of the Reset button, circled in red:
Sony doesn't offer any service where you can order replacement fans for the PS3. He quoted me US $149 to send my PS3 in for repair since it's out of warranty. I don't think it's worth it to send my old PS3 in for repair for $149 + shipping costs just to have a fan or two swapped out when a new PS3 costs $400 (I don't think I need the backwards compatibility afforded by the 80GB unit, and I have a 60GB drive from my current system I can put in the new one). It looks like I'll be digging into the unit myself.
One cool tip he gave me was that the Sixaxis controllers have a reset button on the back of them (the ones where you need a paper clip or something to push it). I've had a weird controller drop-out problem since I got the PS3 where every hour or two one of the controllers will lose its connection to the PS3 for about 5 seconds. It's really annoying, but what annoys me even more is that the problem doesn't seem to occur with my new Dualshock 3 controller, which suggests that Sony fixed a known problem since the initial release but isn't replacing faulty units. Oh well; that's the price you pay when you're an early adopter of new technology, right? In any case, the tech support rep suggested pressing this button if the bluetooth connection drops out.
Here's a photo showing the location of the Reset button, circled in red:
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Post-Warranty PS3 Death
Recently my PS3, which I bought in December of 2006, started going down the tube. My PS3 is a one of the original 60GB models, with the PS2 Emotion Engine chip in it for backwards compatibility. I'm pretty annoyed since the unit started going bad just after the warranty expired. I started this blog to help others who have trouble with their out-of-warranty PS3s.
My PS3 recently started having weird graphical glitches after it had been running for a while. It only happened in certain graphically-heavy games, especially in Unreal Tournament 3 and to a lesser extent Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Call of Duty 4 and Motorstorm both seem to work fine for the time being.
The graphical glitches are really strange. As the GPU heats up, it starts making mistakes; 3D models get corrupted and develop weird lines sticking out of them. Textures don't render properly and start blinking. The graphical corruption continues to get worse until the game locks up completely after about 20-30 minutes of play. The music continues in the background once the system locks up, suggesting that the Cell is still operating normally.
Since the problem is probably a failing fan on the GPU, I can do some repair work myself if I need to. I'm going to call Sony tech support today (1-800-345-7669) and see what my options are. I'll report the prices they tell me here. Additionally, I'll ask if I can order replacement cooling fans for the PS3.
If Sony doesn't offer reasonably-priced (a.k.a. cheap!) repair service for the PS3, I'll open the box up and try to fix it myself and I'll document the whole process here. I'll look for heavy dust buildup on the fan blades, and replace the fans with replacement or after-market fans if necessary. Does anyone know of any quiet (as quiet as the original fan) after-market fans available for the PS3?
I also want to mention that my friend's PS3 died last week. He bought his about the same time I did, maybe a week or two earlier. It was the same model as mine. Its failure appeared to be related to an overheating GPU too, with weird screen corruption. His system eventually burned out and got to the point where it would boot but not display anything. We didn't get the chance to dig too deep into his system though; he picked his up at Costco, and with their (now sadly discontinued) excellent return policy he was able to get a full refund for the system.
I'll post some videos of the graphical corruption soon so you can see what I'm talking about!
My PS3 recently started having weird graphical glitches after it had been running for a while. It only happened in certain graphically-heavy games, especially in Unreal Tournament 3 and to a lesser extent Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Call of Duty 4 and Motorstorm both seem to work fine for the time being.
The graphical glitches are really strange. As the GPU heats up, it starts making mistakes; 3D models get corrupted and develop weird lines sticking out of them. Textures don't render properly and start blinking. The graphical corruption continues to get worse until the game locks up completely after about 20-30 minutes of play. The music continues in the background once the system locks up, suggesting that the Cell is still operating normally.
Since the problem is probably a failing fan on the GPU, I can do some repair work myself if I need to. I'm going to call Sony tech support today (1-800-345-7669) and see what my options are. I'll report the prices they tell me here. Additionally, I'll ask if I can order replacement cooling fans for the PS3.
If Sony doesn't offer reasonably-priced (a.k.a. cheap!) repair service for the PS3, I'll open the box up and try to fix it myself and I'll document the whole process here. I'll look for heavy dust buildup on the fan blades, and replace the fans with replacement or after-market fans if necessary. Does anyone know of any quiet (as quiet as the original fan) after-market fans available for the PS3?
I also want to mention that my friend's PS3 died last week. He bought his about the same time I did, maybe a week or two earlier. It was the same model as mine. Its failure appeared to be related to an overheating GPU too, with weird screen corruption. His system eventually burned out and got to the point where it would boot but not display anything. We didn't get the chance to dig too deep into his system though; he picked his up at Costco, and with their (now sadly discontinued) excellent return policy he was able to get a full refund for the system.
I'll post some videos of the graphical corruption soon so you can see what I'm talking about!
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