Sony: PS3 disc drive errors not a firmware issue
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 1st 2009 at 11:52AM } 
Eurogamer has reached Sony for comment, and the console manufacturer has disavowed responsibility for the apparent drive failure, declaring it "not an issue with the firmware." In other words, corresponding repair costs are currently placed squarely on the shoulders of the affected consumers.
We will continue to follow this story as it updates. Stay tuned.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Oct 1st 2009 11:54AM
:awaits fanboy angst:
mywhitenoise @ Oct 1st 2009 12:34PM
I'm. so....ANGRY!
kacex @ Oct 1st 2009 12:53PM
@mywhitenoise:
unless you are The Hulk we dont care...
mahouneko @ Oct 1st 2009 12:59PM
HULK SMASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tenor77 @ Oct 1st 2009 2:36PM
Is now the appropriate time to go on a fanboi rant and claim I've had 3 PS3's fail on me and how I'll never buy another Sony product........well I won't.
All 3 consoles have issues.
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 11:56AM
Is it me or is this generation just filled in hardware and software errors? I dont remember it ever being this bad.
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 11:56AM
with* hardware
Tom Kalinske, CEO. @ Oct 1st 2009 11:56AM
Well, Sony has always had problems with disc drives, but I think you're right. This is the worst in terms of hardware reliability.
pd771 @ Oct 1st 2009 12:01PM
It's just more people on the internet to talk about it. After every hardware update for every console we get claims that it's bricking console. I think in many cases (like this one) it's more general failures that happen in hardware and people looking to place blame on something like the Firmware update.
In the end, these numbers just seem bigger because everyone posts in one big group (and on many occasions the fanboys of another console post in the thread),
Jerk Face @ Oct 1st 2009 12:04PM
pd's got it. It's not worse - we just actually have somewhere to talk about it, now.
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 12:08PM
I remember my PS2 had some disc drive errors (which eventually led to its death, thank god I have a backwards compat. PS3). I wonder if it is the firmware, or if its like PD said and people are just looking to place blame on a already existing problem with hardware. Either way, mine is working fine. B)
My friend did have a problem related to a firmware update, however. It was the one that added picture frames to the image gallery. I guess the update failed or had become corrupted, and it prevented his system from getting online (plus he never got his precious picture frames). He even sent it in to Sony and they wrote back some time later saying it was impossible to fix. Got a new PS3 out of it, sure, but it goes to show that firmware (at least in the PS3's case) can be detrimental at times.
Snowblind @ Oct 1st 2009 12:09PM
The Dreamcast was pretty horribly built, I had numerous problems with mine. And the old Atari machines always had issues as well.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 1st 2009 12:13PM
Yes. Agreed. The optical drive has punked out in all 3 of my current-gen consoles. PS3 stopped reading (even spinning) discs. 360 stopped reading discs (disc errors). And my Wii couldn't read dual-layer discs from day 1.
Viney @ Oct 1st 2009 12:18PM
Does nobody remember having to blown into every single NES game they had to get them to work after a year or so? It was way more widespread than RROD or YLOD.
Could you imagine someone releasing a product that faulty into today's market?
Even my Sega Genesis had shoddy soldered connections to the controller ports and I had to spend whole afternoons getting the damn controller to work.
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 12:21PM
While I agree some of the complaints are dumb, I dont think thats a really good comparison. Blowing into a game to get it to work is a lot better than having to send the whole console in for repairs.
Danthok @ Oct 1st 2009 12:21PM
I remember my old PS1 that I had to flip over to play games. Ahhh those were the days.....
uncle jesse @ Oct 1st 2009 12:22PM
I would say that the problems started when everyone made the move away from catridges.
Tom Kalinske, CEO. @ Oct 1st 2009 12:22PM
The NES was finicky. I finally disassembled mine, tweaked the pins in the 72-pin connector, and haven't had a problem since.
Never heard of controller port issues on the Genesis, but I I aware of the issues the 32X has with the ribbon cables connecting the SH-2's to the mainboard.
Taylor @ Oct 1st 2009 12:30PM
IMO, if something breaks, it should be the developer that fixes it. We all know Sony has a history with DRE. I had an original PS2 and a PS2 slim that I had to send back to Sony for repair. Granted, the PS3 hasn't had that much of an impact, but still, if this becomes a little widespread, Sony should just suck it up and fix them. Why does my original NES still work (20 years old!), but a brand new PS3 have a read error?
pd771 @ Oct 1st 2009 12:41PM
@Taylor
Because the machines are much more complicated, and the storage devices are different. Cartridge based systems are much better for reliability. The reason they don't exist is the cost for making a cartridge and the lack of storage they had.
Think about how many ways things can fail on a 360/PS3 versus a NES.
Taylor @ Oct 1st 2009 1:03PM
@ pd771:
I understand the systems are more complicated, but it confuses me that as technology increases and things get "bigger and better," complications arise. Can't technology increase to negate these problems?
The same goes with Cable. Why do we need a comcast hd box to get hd channels? Can't they just run through the cable lines? To me, even though we have HD channels, this is still one step forward and two steps back.
pd771 @ Oct 1st 2009 1:19PM
Many old Cable boxes simply can't handle the amount of data for HD. Technology progressed past its abilities.
korwyn @ Oct 1st 2009 6:22PM
When Super Nintendo came out, I remember my dad told me that he would had got me one if my Reg Nintendo break. I did all I could to break it, but it didn't. These days, I do all I can to make my systems working, but they always fail me... I miss the old days...
Vidikron @ Oct 1st 2009 2:08PM
"Can't technology increase to negate these problems? "
To an extent it does. That's why later models of the current systems are generally more reliable. But I don't think anything that relies on moving parts (optical drives, hard drives, cooling systems) can ever be as reliable as solid state parts like cartridges.
I wouldn't be surprised if future generations were more reliable though. We seem to be headed back to solid state with SSDs and digital distribution.
shibathedog @ Oct 1st 2009 2:18PM
Yeah it does seem like that. I have consoles that are 20+ years old that still work great, somehow I doubt this round will last that long.
About this disc read error thing, Apparently it only happens with Blu-Ray media, so isn't this still just the disc rot problem?
Don't tell me disc rot is fake, I SEENT IT!!
Mr Khan @ Oct 1st 2009 3:14PM
The idea that we have more crashing is just because most consoles have OSes now (Wii still doesn't have an always-on OS, but it has update issues too, 4.2 has been bricking a few), so there's far more opportunities for code errors to crop up where no-one expects them to.
Tiptup300 @ Oct 1st 2009 3:22PM
We have more internet this round. Smaller problems get louder.
Matt @ Oct 1st 2009 4:00PM
I remember going through three of those small form factor Genesis' because the solder point on the motherboard for the power cable to plug in would get loose and stop working unless you held the power cable in.
Those were the days!
Alex @ Oct 1st 2009 4:02PM
Danthok, I had to do that too. My PS1 never liked playing Driver 2. I also had to spin the disc manually sometime with the lid open. There was a little button that I had to press to make the console think the lid was shut...
Wes @ Oct 1st 2009 6:29PM
@Taylor
Well, SSD drives are coming into popularity which no longer have moving parts so sooner or later, it will more or less be a situation where there should be less hardware failure imo. If we start downloading games, no discs(for disc read errors/optical drives to fail) onto ssds or onto say 64gb flash-card kits we take to our local game-store and download from kiosks the new games in a matter of a few minutes. If we can get either one of those two systems working, we should be back to a state near 'cartridges' where hardware reliability is great.
I think then, our most common failures would become overheating. Especially the heat being generated by video cards/cpus. If only, we can somehow remove the moving parts(fans) in cpu/graphics cards, while retaining the current speed we have in graphics without generating overheating problems. That would be great.
NOT ME @ Oct 2nd 2009 6:37PM
all playstations have had reading issues....most people ended up having to turn their ps1's upside down or sideways....and everyone i know and i mean EVERYONE has had the disc read error screen on ps2....which is why i dont see why people bitched so much about xbox. sony didnt help at all they did honor anyone that was out of their 90 day warranty . Its crazy how people these days have such short term memory
Solace @ Oct 1st 2009 11:57AM
I'm not buying this crap. 3.0 FW sucked and should have never been released. People wouldnt have all these problems is there was nothing wrong after 3.0/3.01
BlazeKing @ Oct 1st 2009 12:09PM
You must really want your downvote.
These claims have been happening since 2.40 was released. Sony is just like "ok, enough is enough".
BlazeKing @ Oct 1st 2009 12:12PM
Damn! I just left that comment and I come back to find out that you're already faded into oblivion. Now THAT must suck :P
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 12:15PM
On a level of overall presentation, I would have to agree. I'm not much of a fan of this quick launch thing, or whatever it is the XMB seems to always start on now. The glitter was easy to remove, but looked pretty silly. Both minor gripes compared to the fact that the Playstation Store is getting shoved down my throat every time I want to switch tabs. I get it, I can buy movies and games and whatnot from a store inside the system. Wowee!
In terms of it screwing up consoles, or spitting discs out at deadly speeds (and on fire), it seems more like its the same stuff people whine about every other software update.
Ashitaka @ Oct 1st 2009 2:22PM
@ MrWeatherby
You can turn the What's New function OFF, you know? So you have nothing to complain about.
However, the new update ruined the Auto-Start feature for some of us. I can't get into a game automatically after I turn my PS3 on, unfortunately :[
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 6:15PM
I was saying it was a minor gripe, in comparison to the fact that PLAYSTATION STORE STORE STORE STORE STORE. That is the real kicker for me. Other than that, its not really a bad firmware update. Just more needless "improvements" just like every other one. vOv
Freakydemon @ Oct 1st 2009 11:58AM
My god Sony's gonna suffer from this ... and it's Xbox-fanboy heaven o_O.
We're screwed ! Sure hope this shit doesn't happen to my PS3 ='(.
arrrgh @ Oct 1st 2009 1:23PM
You wanna be safe?
DONT BUY ANYTHING. EVER.
It's the only way to be sure...
Chibi Chaingun - blackhivemedia.com @ Oct 1st 2009 2:23PM
"It's the only way to be sure..."
"Nuke the site from orbit."
David @ Oct 1st 2009 11:59AM
so let me get this straight.....if some of your games were fine before, but then didn't work after the new firmware update, sony is saying that it's your problem?
wow....i was gonna sarcastically congratulate sony for pulling a microsoft, but at least microsoft owns up to when they mess up (for the most part, at least....i recall them being pretty stingy if your disc gets optically scratched as a result of moving the xbox).
Maverick Saturn (Igor) @ Oct 1st 2009 12:01PM
Heh, Microsoft fired the guy who revealed thier naughty secrets about the RROD remember :)
David @ Oct 1st 2009 12:04PM
fair enough. the problem shouldn't have happened in the first place, but imagine the uproar if MS had just said "it's your problem."
Kevin949 @ Oct 1st 2009 12:11PM
That guy probably got fired because he talked about things from work that he didn't have the right to make public. He broke a company rule and probably a stipulation of employment with them. I don't see that as microsoft being shady, I see that as them protecting their business.
MrWeatherby @ Oct 1st 2009 12:19PM
Kevin is probably right. I've been under NDA's before, and they usually dont care if you make a slip, or say something dumb about pay. What they do give a crap about is running your mouth about what they're doing wrong, and making them look a fool. NDA's usually have a segment specifically stating that you will not slander the company using inside information, something he did. They probably got him on that and fired him.
BlazeKing @ Oct 1st 2009 12:22PM
People also blamed the F/W for YLOD on every single F/W release. We all know NOW that it isn't. People were flaming others over this on the forums for days(Months) on end. They accused Sony of putting malicious code in updates to intentionally brick (YLOD) consoles. The ps3 forums has become home to soooo many theories it's discouraging to visit on a daily basis.
Here's a theory of mine: they just want to use their knock-off controllers again, but don't want to publicly say it :P
why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 1st 2009 12:49PM
No, MS hasn't owned up to optical drive issues. I had to replace my 360 due to the optical drive going out, and MS didn't rush to pay for it. They wanted to charge me $125 to fix it (which is still cheaper than fixing a PS3, BTW).
When the optical drive went out on my 360, I could still play many games, either the discs were easier to read or they didn't access it as much. My Wii optical drive was bad from day 1, but it only affected reading dual-layer discs.
So no, just because only some games are affected doesn't mean it's a firmware issue. Not on the PS3 any more than the other two platforms.
I have already gone on record as saying the optical drives in the 60G and 40G units (the ones that can read SACD) are very low quality and Sony should be fixing them for free. YLODs for early PS3s also, possibly. But still, none of this relates to a firmware issue.
Ian @ Oct 1st 2009 1:09PM
Sony charges a blanket $150 fee, IIRC, to fix any issue in a PS3. I had the fan go bad in mine, YLOD, and they wanted $150 to replace a $4 fan. I, instead, measured the fan, bought a similar one on newegg, and plugged it in. Boom, roasted. Cost me $5 and some time.
jmc0b @ Oct 1st 2009 11:59AM
pretty incredible . everything worked very well before new firmware. new firmware released shit is breaking. how crazy of us to think its the firmware creating these issues. i dont know how sony deals with idiotic people like us. o wait , by treating us even more like idiots
Traceur_Ryuk [All Digital until December] (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Oct 1st 2009 1:39PM
Yup, my PS3 was fine until 3.01. Now it won't play any disc, even DVD's. I now have to buy a whole new PS3.