Sony attacks BBC Watchdog's PS3 hardware failure report

by Griffin McElroy on Sep 17th 2009 8:30PM

Tonight's episode of the BBC consumer advocacy program Watchdog will scrutinize a phenomenon which a few of you might be familiar with -- the PlayStation 3's "Yellow Light of Death." However, before the episode hit the airwaves, Sony UK Managing Director Ray Maguire issued a six-page response to the Watchdog team, picking apart the program's investigative methods and questioning their findings.

During the episode, the Watchdog team sends Sony a technical report for three PS3s which had succumbed to hardware failure. This is one of Sony's biggest issues with the report -- Maguire explained, "The testing concerned a sample of only three PS3s, which cannot, on any basis, be deemed to be representative of a UK user base of 2.5 million."

According to Maguire, Sony's got some numbers of its own for hardware failure rates. With a quick search of the company's warranty database, Maguire found that, "fewer than one half of one per cent of units have been reported as failing in circumstances where the yellow indicator is illuminated." You should be able to watch the controversial episode on the Watchdog site within the next few days (or after the break) -- but GamesIndustry has the entire transcript of Sony's letter for your immediate perusal.

Source

Tags: bbc, hardware-failure, investigation, sony, watchdog, ylod

Reader Comments (254)

Of course-things were looking up for Sony, so Microsoft probably paid off BBC to investigate the YLoD to keep people distracted from the merry dance of 360 failures.

Microsoft probably also paid for the yellow light that Sony decided to use in their system. Damn Them!

Iain Lee, the researcher and presenter at Watchdog, is a freelance writer for Microsoft. Two years ago, he wrote an anti-PS3 article.

I am normally a BBC defender, but as a TV license payer, I am appaled by the FUS being spread by Watchdog. .

You know, they even MENTION this guy WORKS for a competing product. Forgive me if I'm wrong but if you've been PAID in the past to hype up one console while shitting on the other (as this "expert" has), would this really be the goto guy on this effect?

This is Microsoft's doing!!!

@Loki

Well, you can file a complaint with them.
They do take complaints pretty seriously.

Where is Nintendo in this? There has been failures there.
And god forbid me from saying it, 360?
How about your average PC gamer? PCs screw up all the god damn time and you don't see them moaning over it.

The number of failures for PS3 is tiny and is well in line with the average failure of any product or service.

To be honest, the only thing that I really do hate about Sony and repairs is if my PS3 died right now, it will be replaced with a severely limited version of what i originally had. (mines was an original)

Also, how do Sony react to a person who has tried to fix their own console out of warranty anyway?

I don't agree with the video at all but to say it some kind of conspiracy involving Microsoft is retarded.
They even had a segment on the same show about the 360 and the RRoD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56-gQq62Hyc

I never said there was a conspiracy by the BBC and/or Microsoft. But the BBC, as a public funded corporation, should ensure that their reports are none-biased and independent. Hiring a guy who is under the payroll by Microsoft isn't one of them. Not verfying facts isn't one of them. And resorting to tabloid stunts isn't one of them.

@Hunnter, Well I did. I understand that the BBC Trust tends to take charges of lack of impartiality very seriously.

This just balanced journalism. look the fact of the matter is that both consoles fail. and the xbox360 has been at the forefront of hardware failure its bash upon at a weekly basis. but for some reason the press has turned the other cheek when it comes to ps3 failure rates.

realistically failure rates are 23.7% on the 360 vs 10% on the PS3. yet 360 gets 99% of all the negative press, people need to be more open to hear both sides.

Actually It was a problem....not as big as the RROD but enough for Sony to quietly extend the Warranty of the original 60 and 20 GB PS3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmLlvRtpHrA

The YLOD is actually a similar problem to the RROD with a similar fix.

"realistically failure rates are 23.7% on the 360"

Realistically my ass, there's no way that 360 failure rates are that low.

@Loki, You may have not but the OP did more than suggest it.

deep fried sushi..

The 12,500 reported by watchdog that equates to half of 1% failure rate

2,500,000 sold 1% is 25,000 half of that is 12,500, even if it is 25,000 consoles ylod thats still only 1%..

They manage to base their report on 3 failed ps3s and blame it on gas ? what sort of bullshit is that ?

now here is something for you please tell me what the accepted defect levels of any electronic equipment is..

Now when your done doing that give me a single number microsoft have said about 360 failure levels the highest is 52% so far reported the lowest 33%

so taking them into account for 2,500,000 consoles
25000x52 would be around 1,300,000 failed consoles
25000x33 would be around 825,000 failed consoles

Do you see the difference there ?

wow my license fee money was used to pay for a Microsoft smear campaign, I feel dirty..

it is according to an aftermarket warranty provider. first of all you have to understand that there are twice as many xbox360s in america which means you are twice as likely of hearing about a console failure(vgChartz). then you also have to take into account that 360 is the most heavily used console (hours per console | source:Nielsen). Also another problem is that repairs will just recirculate the same broken consoles instead of a new one so it is unfortunately likely to break again.

so if you compound all these together and the fact that the media is so hostile towards the 360/rrod you could understand why you get this sort of idea that the rrod is much worse than it is.

sc00by_y00,

i dont understand your logic, you bash the watchdog show for basing their study on 3 consoles but use their statistic to do your calculations?

first the 54% xbox failure was from a poorly conducted poll by game informer which was based on a small sample of 5000 readers there was no quality control yet people throw the number around like its hard evidence.

my number is based upon an independent aftermarket warranty group. (you have to remember these people benefit by exaggerating their figures and YET their percentages are lower) (logic: instill fear of product failure to improve sales of aftermarket warranties)

https://www.squaretrade.com/htm/pdf/SquareTrade_Xbox360_PS3_Wii_Reliability_0809.pdf

DeepFriedSushi,

you see the thing with percentages is that an inherent failure would show up worse when there are less units to compare to the whole.. So for example if the install base was only 2 people and one had a ylod then that would be a 50% failure rate if you had 100 and 1 had a ylod then that would be only 1%.. Do you see how it works ?

the 33% - 52% console failure rate reported for the 360 are for the 1st console not for re-repaired consoles, if that was compounded then the failure rate would probably increase to 500% not 33-52% ..

So the high failure rates to a higher install base for the 360 demonstrates how truly shit the 360 is in terms of reliability :)

"@Hunnter, Well I did. I understand that the BBC Trust tends to take charges of lack of impartiality very seriously. "

So long it's not a charity appeal for Gaza.

Make your voice heard!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/

xbox reporting
"I think it's to be expected that such complex machines are going to go wrong at the start".
"most people with an xbox 360 have an outstanding experience and there's no common fault. Each incident is unique and they look at them on a case by case basis and they say they do everything they can when people have problems."

ps3 equivalent reporting
"sony stressed our viewers ps3's don't have an inherent defect. they disagree with our experts theory and say if the consoles go wrong within one year of purchase they'll repair them for free and while they're dissappointed that a small number of their 2.5 million customers have (blah blah)"
"whats the small amount of customers?"
"12.5 thousand that they're admitting to"
"there could be loads more" followed by a music video making fun of the yellow light.

one gets false propaganda as the companies input
the other gets true numbers countered by cynicism and a anti-ps3 music video.

I'm not completely sure about what I'm about to say because I never got and RROD (in 2 different 360's) but I believe that even if you had expired you warranty, they'd still replace it free of charge.

Iain Lee is not the 'researcher and presenter' of Watchdog, he is a broadcaster who presents a very, very small section of the show, and also happens to be a gaming enthusiast who writes a few blog posts for the MSN gaming column.

I'm not saying that this whole part of the show wasn't whack (I was thinking 'what the fuck?' the whole time, even as an Xbox 360 owner), but don't start turning this into some inside-job conspiracy bollocks.

Can they sue in the UK? Against a public entity? Also the percent of complaints received is 0.000062% of users. If you were wondering, I mean not even .01 percent. Also I believe the YLOD figures, they said that was the amount of reported YLOD not the total of defective consoles which is around 10% compared to Xbox360s 50% and then some.

Also, they admit that after they made their alleged ‘fix’ to those 11 consoles, half of them don’t work anymore.

Guess there’s a little more to repairing a broken PS3 than they think after all, eh!

Screw you, Kodick!

They only sampled three PS3s to come to their conclusions? WTF kind of consumer advocacy programme is this?

Sounds like a CNN poll here in the US...you know, where they sample Democrats nearly 3 to 1 versus Republicans for opinion on Obama. You can guess how THAT poll went.

It's cool. My Zune HD died of out the box. So don't bother buying one. They're all like that.

THis is some BS

One that died about a decade ago.

And Watchdog is the only one who came to this conclusion while every other researches found opposite result.

Oh my God. The video is up and it is the stupidest thing ever. Sony is more upfront with the consumers than this sensationalist Bullshit. Kudos to Sony for actually giving out stats.

Thumbs down to this program for pretending electronics never break down and that Sony is providing inadequate support for their usually solid hardware.

Basically, they just lost their credibility.

they tested three PS3? and they all failed? that must be like 100% failure rate (assholes)

i seem to remember a youtube video where some guys beat the shit out of a PS3 with a hammer and the thing was still working... while the xbox die after the first hit...

So let me get this right.

360 failures = instant problem and huge conspiracy coverup.
PS3 failuers = not a problem and huge conspiracy to invent it.

...SDF: ASSEMBLE!

@ HippoHero

The ps2 was not 'usually solid'

Either way, hopefully they honor the return policy where it was purchased! I would get one regardless of the fail rate if it was worth it, its almost at my price point.

I cant help but laughing at this report when they only have 3 YLoD PS3's when some 360 users have gone through more than 3 X-Box 360's alone.

I'm on my 4th, NOT counting the one I returned to Target. Only one of those was RRoD, though. The rest of mine were disk drive failures.

You might think I am lying but I am currently on my 3rd PS3.
I have had the Disc Read Error problem twice so far on my third system seems to be ok. So hopefully it's third times the charm.

Still think I'm living in the twilight zone or something Since I have had worse luck with my ps3 than my 360 :(

Then stop feeding it biscuits! :P

My friend got a 360 less than 2 months ago and already is on his 3rd. I was surprised at that even. How can you trust playing a machine when it could fail so frequently?

I thought PS3's loved Biscuits though! Don't want my baby to starve :(.

But seriously though I don't know what I did to get the error twice

My brother's PS3 has broken 3 times.. my mate had to take a hacksaw to the screws holding in the HDD.. and it occassionly makes worrying noises.. that's bout all I've heard of with PS3's
I've had one 360 go back day-one with a faulty draw. the one I got back couldn't read discs after 8 months, and my current one has been it for a GPU error (when Soul Calibur 4 came out) in the space of 3 years.. another brother has had RROD and my dad stopped reading discs earlier this week..

I love my PS3, its awesome :) I can't believe I'm on my 3rd console! I have the 60Gb Model and i recently got my 3rd replacement in February for freeeeeee. The warranty was going to expire in two days when it got that stupid disk read error. The best part of all of this i live in freakin LEBANON smack dab near Syria, and Sony replaced my 60Gb model with a brand new one 60Gb model.

AWESOME

P.S. Bobby Kotick BLOWS

I've had two ps3s. One went back day one because it had overheating problems, but the one I exchanged it for (40 GB model) has been working for almost 2 years now.

I bought a second hand 360 last year and it was from 2006. I don't feed it biscuits but it does eat the crumbs out of my carpet :D

Screw you, Kotex!

I agree with sony they can't just pick up 3 ps3 and assume that every ps3 suffers from the same problem. And they probably weren't even new consoles they probably borrowed those 3 from customers who complained about the problem. Its not like they went to the store bought 3 new ps3's and all three of them got the yellow light of death.

I'd like to see a Xbox 360 failure report.

Think we've had enough of those already, haven't we?

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Sony attacks BBC Watchdog's PS3 hardware failure report

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