PS3 survives 108 straight hours in a sweatbox

67 Comments by Kevin Kelly Aug 13th 2007 9:00PM
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3

PS3 Vault really decided to try and put their console to the test by subjecting it to some pretty brutal treatment, including sticking the thing, while working, into a sauna for 108 hours. They report "to our surprise the only incident we noticed was a slight burning smell that came in around 64 hours." Boy, they really missed a chance to actually try grilling with this thing?

We have a feeling that if you tried that with the Xbox 360, you'd end up with a red ring of death and then some. A towel couldn't possibly save it from these conditions. Hit the link to see all of the abuse they subjected it to, and marvel at how it kept working. Please, don't try this at home unless you'd really like to toss your warranty out the window.

Tags: PlayStation 3, PS3, stress test

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

ReverendGadgetBoy: Aug 13th 2007; 9:08PM

That's actually reassuring, just because it indicates they are certainly not badly affected by overheating.

This increased my desire to buy one quite a bit, just because it reassures me that it'll last a while. My 360 is going strong, but I just can't feel safe about it.

Stevo: Aug 13th 2007; 10:16PM

Hey until the console can play a good game in regular conditions-- it isn't worth $600 in my book.

Sircolby45: Aug 13th 2007; 11:05PM

There are plenty of things that can go wrong that does not involve overheating. With Sonys consoles in the past most of their issues have been mechanical.(With the DVD/CD drive for example)

Fatass of Kickassness: Aug 13th 2007; 9:08PM

A Sony system... that doesn't break?

GENIUS!

Bluebrake: Aug 13th 2007; 9:08PM

That's cool, but doesn't mean a whole lot without some control conditions to compare. Who's to say every other console wouldn't have done just as well?

TheGuy: Aug 13th 2007; 9:20PM

"Who's to say every other console wouldn't have done just as well?"

I don't think you'll find many 360 owners willing to put their 360 to this test (although I doubt you'll find many PS3 owners willing to participate in this test too out-of paranoia). I have no idea how the Wii would perform in this test.

mccomber: Aug 13th 2007; 9:23PM

A ps3 and a 360 can't even share the same entertainment center without the xbox getting killed... I doubt it would fare much better in a sauna.

RoboChamp: Aug 13th 2007; 10:14PM

Yes, because this one PS3 out of the thousands they could have picked to test, just happened to had been built with super armor.

Real Gambler: Aug 13th 2007; 10:18PM

I think the 360 would do well in the sauna. After all, it does seem to work better with a towel, which is usually the only thing you'll be wearing in a sauna...

Just kidding. Just kidding. But it was just too easy...

Exo: Aug 13th 2007; 9:13PM

Is this one of the signs of Armageddon?

Andy: Aug 13th 2007; 9:16PM

Is this what you do when you have a gaming system that has no games?

DonWii: Aug 13th 2007; 9:19PM

You beat me to it.

James: Aug 13th 2007; 9:23PM

Now now, the PS3 has some good games coming up in 2009.

Rare Hare: Aug 13th 2007; 9:40PM

Ah, come on. That's not fair.

The PS3 has Resistance, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and... Def Jam Icon.

Ska Oreo: Aug 13th 2007; 10:01PM

ooooh. Even I felt that one.

Aberu: Aug 14th 2007; 8:04AM

I guess I'm one of the few patient enough to wait for Heavenly Sword, Lair, Everyday Shooter, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Last Remnant, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Socom games, etc... Just a few that I could pull off the top of my head that should be coming out in the next couple years that I will be buying.

OTAM: Aug 13th 2007; 9:18PM

I would like to see how the Wii fares in these tests. The Wii actually gets pretty hot with the WiiConnect left on. I turned mine off because i'm a paranoid nut.

The 360 well...I imagine the results would be pathetic.

phattie: Aug 13th 2007; 9:19PM

On the other hand, you could probably use the 360 as a heat source for a sauna... until it RRoDs on ya.

NintendoFanbot: Aug 13th 2007; 9:19PM

The question is not how the PS3 handles the heat... but rather, can YOU handle the heat?

PSN: ummfada: Aug 13th 2007; 9:24PM

^ ^fade him that sucked

NintendoFanbot: Aug 13th 2007; 10:03PM

Why? Sometimes the computer I use for rendering 3D work gets hella hot. It doesn't die, but I might.

But I guess you would know how it sucked. Good for you.

Fierce360: Aug 13th 2007; 10:03PM

i second that.

samfish: Aug 14th 2007; 12:36AM

Haha. No, he's right. That definitely sucked. If you were doing stand up, they'd have totally grabbed you by the neck with the 10 foot cane and yanked you off the stage.

NintendoFanbot: Aug 14th 2007; 1:18AM

Ouch Samfish I liked your avatar too =(

Anyways I was joking. And yes it sucked but I didn't mean anything against the PS3 (though I noticed some anti-PS3 posts being downvoted).

blackbird: Aug 13th 2007; 9:23PM

Lets just say the PS3 has no way of telling when it's overheating. The Xbox 360 has a way of telling when it's overheated, the rings, but it REALLY needs it(about 33% failure rate). But does the PS3 NEED it(even with less than 1% overheating). Yes.

BNinjaC: Aug 13th 2007; 9:34PM

apparently the PS3 automatically shuts down if it overheats just like a modern PC/notebook.

Terrak: Aug 13th 2007; 9:34PM

108 hours? Thats nothing! The ps3 can survive ATLEAST 108 days on store shelves before they are bought! j/k ;P

Ok bring on the flames, i'm bored.

Awesome Stuff: Aug 14th 2007; 10:22AM

lmao! that was awesome

TheGuy: Aug 13th 2007; 9:42PM

Could God create a PS3 so strong against overheating that he himself couldn't make-it overheat?

mr nimblewick: Aug 13th 2007; 9:46PM

Could god create one for less than $600? Sony seems to be having a hard time with it.

ThornedVenom: Aug 14th 2007; 3:26AM

Ignorant slob! Chuck Norris can overheat a PS3 with a roundhouse kick!

horngreen: Aug 13th 2007; 9:42PM

LOL Jesus people don't be SUCH 360 fanboys! I have a 360 and am an admitted fanboy (at least on this site). The PS3 is a better built machine no doubts about it. The 360 is an RROD turd. That said I wouldn't trade my 360 for a PS3 just because it probably won't break as easy. Right now and for the forseable future the 360 has better games. It also has the best online service compared to the Wii and PS3 but at the end of the day it is still a poorly designed system. Mine crapped out in a climate controlled room as did I'm sure all of them that RRODed. Feel free to put any 360 in a sauna with a PS3 and a Wii, the 360 will lose HANDS DOWN. However if your home feels like a sauna and you have a next gen console you ned to get your financial shit together and spend that money on AC.

BPM: Aug 13th 2007; 10:05PM

If you put a 360, PS3, and Wii in a sauna... wouldn't you... um... die from electrocution?

Aberu: Aug 14th 2007; 8:08AM

Sauna's are commonly dry, so no.

RanWitScissorz: Aug 13th 2007; 9:44PM

Mine got the blinking red light (overheat) after about 6 hours inside, in an air conditioned room, spacious entertainment center, but in the sun.

mr nimblewick: Aug 13th 2007; 9:44PM

Did the PS3 wear a towel in the suana or did all the other occupants have to see its wiener?

Proxy: Aug 14th 2007; 3:00AM

PS3 defiantly went commando

Real Gambler: Aug 13th 2007; 10:24PM

Well, as far as I know, only the 360 wear a towel most of the time : ) But even with a towel, you could see the 360's "brick"

Qitsyoj: Aug 13th 2007; 9:48PM

This is the first good thing about the PS3 I think I've ever heard.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy: Aug 13th 2007; 10:14PM

That impressive. That's probably replicating the most intense conditions you'd ever see a console come into.

I guess I don't have to worry about accidentally leaving it on for an entire weekend.

Bluebrake: Aug 13th 2007; 10:20PM

What I'm saying is that, while we know the 360 doesn't hold up very well in a real-world environment, there's no way to know how it would do in this situation without testing. Maybe if you had a non-defective 360, it would hold up just as well as the PS3. Meanwhile, a defective one might be just as likely to fail sitting next to your air conditioner in that period as in a sauna.

And the Wii -- who knows? We know that the GPU has been having some issues with heat damage in some cases... I'd like to see it tested, and until it is, we have no place saying where each console stands.

bounchfx: Aug 13th 2007; 10:28PM

sad that it doesn't make the games any better.. which is the only thing that really matters.

I'm not going to buy a ps3 because it won't break, I'd buy it because it has a lot of great games. which it doesn't yet.

HotShotX: Aug 13th 2007; 10:54PM

Coincidentally, the "sweatbox" referred to in the study was an XBox 360.

~HotShotX

popozao: Aug 14th 2007; 12:10AM

Seriously, All PS3 haters are just that: jealous haters. I actually own one, and can tell that its beyond smooth; it simply is the most sophisticated and elegant computer device I've ever come into contact with. Everyone who doesnt like it has either never played one, or only played the store demos. Deal with it 360 fanbois: Your console has positive points, but in reality its an Mercedes compared to a Ferrari. Both are great, but only one costs a couple hundred thousand (and is worth every penny!!)

samfish: Aug 14th 2007; 12:39AM

So go have sex with it if you love it so much.

popozao: Aug 14th 2007; 12:12AM

Seriously, All PS3 haters are just that: jealous haters. I actually own one, and can tell you that its beyond smooth; it simply is the most sophisticated and elegant computer device I've ever come into contact with. Everyone who doesnt like it has either never played one, or only played the store demos. Deal with it 360 fanbois: Your console has positive points, but in reality its a Mercedes compared to a Ferrari. Both are great, but only one costs a couple hundred thousand (and is worth every penny!!)

konajinx: Aug 14th 2007; 2:37AM

I know your name is undoubtedly a joke, but since you did cop it from a K-Fed tune, I'll shovel your opinions into the toilet along with all the other PS3 freaks.