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Sony: PS3 Failure Rate is 0.5%

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The so-called red ring of death was a major issue for Microsoft immediately following the launch of the Xbox 360 console, with as many as 50 per cent of machines suffering from the issue. Sony has so far managed to escape similar hardware failure complaints, until now. A BBC 'watchdog' report which aired on television today suggested that the company has its own hardware reliability issues. Some console owners have complained about the 'Yellow light of death' failure on the PS3. In the BBC report, investigative journalists suggested that not only do a large number of consoles suffer from the problem, but that Sony 'refuses to fix' the problem if it manifests outside of the warranty period.

Sony vigorously disputes the claims made by the BBC. According to the company, Sony Computer Entertainment has run searches of its customer complaints database to identify the number of reports made to it regarding instances of system shutdown or failure in circumstances where the front panel yellow indicator is illuminated. The results show that of all PS3s sold in the UK to date, fewer than one half of one per cent of units have been reported as failing in circumstances where the yellow indicator is illuminated.

We're not sure who to believe in this case. On one hand, Sony appears to have made a very robust product, and we've yet to encounter any problems with our own PS3 units here in the United States. But on the other hand, the BBC is supposed to be a fairly trusted journalistic source (more reliable say, than Joe's Xbox fanboy blog).

Sony's warranty currently covers PS3 owners for one year after purchase.

In response to the "Red Ring" failures, Microsoft extended the warranty of the Xbox 360 console for up to three years to cover the problem under specific circumstances.




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A first-generation PS3 unit displaying the yellow light of death.








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Comments

Pibbly

 - September 17, 2009 11:43 PM

It's not actually a Yellow light of death, most of the time you just have to turn it off and then back on. With the 360, you had to turn it in for a repair.

John Drinkwater

 - September 18, 2009 6:22 PM

It’s a consumer affairs programme, so unlike Panorama and other investigative programmes, its something that requires little skill to produce. The Beeb has had impartiality problems with regards Microsoft for years, nearly every week their site’s technology section has a new <3 Microsoft article. The saddest thing that will come from this is that people believe the BBC does have credibility, and will use this story to further the non-issue.

Whereever Gamer

 - September 19, 2009 12:59 AM

I have a PS3 that is just under 2 years old. It just flat stopped working and won't power up anymore. Sony refused to fix it for free. It was a good excuse to buy the slim PS3 anyway. At least Microsoft extended their warranty to three years. It'd be nice if Sony did the same. I wouldn't mind having two PS3s.

JoeySchmidt

 - September 21, 2009 6:52 AM

It's very poor that a console with a projected lifespan of 10 years has the abilitiy to fail in the first 2 years of 'normal' operation. 0.5% failure rate (admittedly low, but I expect this to rise) is still around 125,000 est. units so far. There is a very serious design fault in the way the motherboard BGAs dissipate the heat. The motherboard itself buckles over time during power up and power down cycles. This gradually moves the heatsinks away from the BGAs causing the lack of proper heat transfer to effectively kill the system. Probably the best option is to never have the console switched off, but that'll have the eco heads in a tizzy! I have performed 2 reflows so far, on my mates PS3 and only 3 days later, my own. In a word, gutted!

Daniel

 - September 21, 2009 7:38 PM

Just thought as a Brit I'd chip in and inform you that the BBC is a corrupt organisation that isn't as great as the image it has abroad... the fact I have to pay a tax of 130 pounds a year to fund it is one of my greatest annoyances in life

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