Fox News offers their unique 'reporting' on PS3 dust story

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 19th 2007 at 10:00PM }

We love Fox News, if only because they offer such a unique perspective on things. Here's their reporting -- you decide on how hilarious it is. You may have read about one man's crusade to get his PS3 replaced ... but it was "too dusty" to be repaired. Sony is supposedly refusing to repair his machine due to "neglect." (Here's a picture of the system in question.)

It's fascinating to see the mainstream media pick up on this "story." With so much attention being placed on one man's defective machine, it seems wise for Sony to simply hush him with a replacement system, even if its unwarranted.

Tags: dust, dusty, fox-news

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Kinsey @ Nov 19th 2007 10:11PM

Its neglect! The machine looks disgusting. If I was Sony I'd say. "Lick it completely clean, then we'll give you a new one"

cma @ Nov 19th 2007 10:12PM

and that brings me to my next point:

dont

smoke

crack

organic_shadow @ Nov 19th 2007 10:19PM

I'm sorry but you have to draw the line SOMEWHERE. Waiting until you see a samurai sword perfectly skewered through the PS3 is too late. Refusing it due to a fingerprint is too early. Dust literally CAKED on every square inch of the system, not to mention who knows HOW bad it is on the inside, is appropriate in my book.

Of course you don't need to hear my argument. The fact that Fox is reporting this, and is on the side of the PS3 owner, is enough to tell you who is 'right' and 'wrong'.

N.K @ Nov 19th 2007 10:19PM

THat thing looks like he fuking buried it in a cemetery and dug it back out and decided "hey i still have a warranty, why not get a new 1?"

hypersauce @ Nov 19th 2007 10:21PM

Jesus look at that thing! I've had mine for five or six months now and it looks basically new with a few crumbs of dust on there. Did he take that goddamn thing spelunking with him?!

Scott @ Nov 19th 2007 10:22PM

i like how the reporter acts like this is a normal problem. If i was the reporter told to do this story and i saw the pictures come up, i would be like wtf, what the heck did you do to that thing. Ive never seen any of my hardware get that dusty. ever.

shirtgduyom @ Nov 20th 2007 12:22AM

Yes, the EE-ject button.

Yes, NEIL from customer service.

While this kid was trying to get his disc out of the PS3, did he notice how FREAKING DUSTY the thing is? I mean, how do you even let the console get that dusty.

I don't buy the whole "hazardous to health business," but this guy is a moron. I've had a PS3 since late last year, and have never dusted it. It's surprisingly clean. I don't know where this individual had their PS3, and I don't want to know.

The fault with the system is user error. I think console companies should put big giant labels on their consoles saying "KEEP IN AN OPEN SPACE," because people are apparently too dumb to do so. It's the same situation when that woman sued McDonald's for spilling hot coffee on herself. "The cup didn't say it was hot! I want restitution!" Here's some restitution, for both people: Use common damn sense, and don't take advantage of companies for your errors.

moogle @ Nov 19th 2007 10:25PM

that guy looks like a pothead

they say sony should just get some clean towels and wipe it down for him?

why didn't he do it? I treat my ps3 like a god, i keep it clean and maintain it everyday, only an idiot would buy a to $500 system and complain about dust problems that most likely occured because that guy is lazy

its like saying,"hey sony, i somehow managed to take a dump inside my ps3, I DEMAND ANOTHER CONSOLE!"

btw... slow day huh fox?

there's a war going on and you'd rather report on this type junk :[ shame on you

Dru @ Nov 19th 2007 10:28PM

Not to flamebait, but when is the mainstream media going to fill in the rest of the world with the RRoD stories. Won't all the parents be pissed when they find out after xmas that the new 360 they bought lil Johnny doesn't work anymore. Is mainstream media waiting for some kind of uproar? What gives?!?

fartpartnerdotorg @ Nov 19th 2007 10:29PM

"Dude, let's watch Planet Earth, maaaaaan!"
"Yah, man, good idea. Let me just wipe off all the cocaine and bong resin off the ps3 and we'll be good to go, buddy."
And that's how abraham lincoln freed the slaves.

Slaytan @ Nov 19th 2007 10:29PM

Gotta love Fixed News.

After seeing the guy who owns the playstation, I completely understand why it's so dusty.

Darkdrium777 @ Nov 20th 2007 12:21AM

This machine should not be repaired because it clearly falls under the clause of "Neglect" which voids the PS3's Warranty.

=====
Cry kid, cry. I won't feel any pity for your little pathetic case. Oh you might win, because consumers nowadays are jackasses when it comes to legal action of some sort, and you might probably feel proud about winning. But in the darkest place of your heart (Or mind, by whichever you swear), you will know that you are a douche bag, and that for the rest of your entire life. I have no respect for you, trying to abuse the system when you systematically know you failed... :/

Now please, stop spamming the internet with your pathetic little life stories, we have other types of news that interest us, ones that revolve around gaming, and not sobbing.
=====

Kevin @ Nov 19th 2007 10:32PM

That PS3 is hell. Jeez. Like Moogle my PS3 is treated as God of the household. I do wipe it everyday with a Levenger cloth. But this guy is strange.
He's gonna take Sony to court?!?

Well for one thing he would lose. No self respecting family would want that much dust on anything. Then Sony is a HUGE company with more than enough lawyers to help themselves. But Sony is probably getting some seriously bad PR here.

kentuckyfried @ Nov 19th 2007 10:38PM

Sony shouldn't cave into this idiot, just like Apple should never cave into people with bs battery warranty claims; who knows, this whole incident could be staged by Microsoft for all anybody knows.

PhillyVu @ Nov 19th 2007 10:33PM

Fox needs to bring in some common sense to that story, wait it's Fox.

That PS3 was gross. I hope Sony doesn't cave in and their PR team explains to those angry people what neglect is.

Justin @ Nov 19th 2007 10:33PM

I can't believe firmware 2.01 just kicked me out of my game of uncharted without letting me save...

Zombie Huggles @ Nov 19th 2007 10:34PM

I have had my ps3 since the beginning of december, i kept in a room I rarely clean, and I have never physically attempted to clean the machine. Not only have not collected 1/5 the dust this guy has, but I've had zero-problems with it. I really think this guy accidentally dropped it while building a sandcastle or something. Or maybe he just broke, dumped some sand on it, and told sony it was dusty. Whatever, point is, he's done something more than let this sit on his shelf for almost a year.

macview @ Nov 19th 2007 10:36PM

Hey all - PS3 firmware has been updated to 2.01 as i speak

Vincent060 @ Nov 19th 2007 10:37PM

I find it suspicious that he says that he hears alot of people saying their PS3 is collecting dust. I think they were talking figuratively (as in not used that much) and he took them literally.

I also find this outrageous that they are making a bign deal out of this one incident. And when he said he'll take Sony to court because of this is just unbelieveable.

Snuffulufugus @ Nov 19th 2007 10:44PM

At least majority of the PS3 community are behind Sony on this one. That amount of neglect on a 500$ system is totally unwarranted (pardon the pun).

And to further reiterate what everyone else has already mentioned, Fox news is biased news and always seems to be on the wrong side of the fence. I hope too that Sony doesn't cave in to this ridiculous claim.

Myke @ Nov 20th 2007 12:21AM

This has to be the dumbest thing I have ever seen all year....

How retarded does the reporter, guest, and "gamer" sound? What was wrong with this dudes hands? Could he not clean it himself. If his parents can afford $600, then he can buy some condensed air to clean it. If you dont wanna clean your system, then buy 1 of those retail store warranties and have them replace it. You dont whine to company because the system doesnt work cause you decided to not take care of it. If he couldnt see that dust, then he must be blind as hell. And the guest was dumb too. Talking about sony should get towels to clean it. The guy should of cleaned it his damn self. Its called MAINTENANCE. Its not Sony's fault that you didnt take care of your stuff.

Hey kid, if you bought car and you were being negligent and wrecked it, would you call the dealership and ask for a new car just because it's under warranty? HELL NO cause it would be your fault.

People are just stupid. I feel sorry for my unborn childern already.

John @ Nov 19th 2007 10:49PM

FOX News is Pravda. It's run by right-wing neocons with investments in oil, war, torture, etc. They also favor American companies like Microsoft. They favor American companies like Blackwater. Now. Have you EVER seen anything on FOX News talking about the Xbox360's 33% failure rate? Of course not. You're being lied, to.

bish @ Nov 20th 2007 12:20AM

Ya know I defended the guy before the pictures went up. Mainly because I agreed that it could potentially accumulate a lot of dust inside the unit if you left it on for folding home. However I take it all back now that I've seen the pictures. That unit is absolutely covered in dust way beyond what would normally accumulate if you were not neglecting to dust it off and keep it clean and I can only imagine what was inside. It looks as though it was kept in an area where a lot of sanding or wood work was taking place. So in my opinion if your never going to clean it off or take the time to make sure it's not covered in that much dust (which would be sucked in by the fans as well if you leave that much dust sitting there there) then you should be considered negligent. The easy solution in this whole thing was to clean your PS3 regularly and then you wouldn't have had to go through the whole hassle in the first place.

It's funny because after the story came out I immediately went over to my ps3 and cleaned all the dust off of it thinking "boy there is a lot of dust here". After seeing those pictures, I can honestly say I had hardly any dust on my system at all.

fishy @ Nov 19th 2007 10:55PM

okok he took this well but every1 it looks like its snowing on his console all bloddy winter and him being a hardcore sony fan man if he were to live under the same roof as me he wouldnt last the nite seeing me dust the expensive goods. and what time that pot headed peice of s*** brings this up when its christmas and its chance for the ps3's to sell but 1 thing every 1 says atleast its not as bad as rrod and here the point y i support sony ' Why should sony clean your console when you should used a towel at your own house before sending it in' maaan right now i wouldnt be suprised if xbox are paying you to do this i.e funding you to ruin sony. go bak to your boring life and smoke a dusty bong with your dusty coutch and your dusty floor man im suprised you never came on fox with a layer of dust on your head. anyways needed to take it out on him somewere cause him saying he's a hardcore sony fan makes me feel pissed. peace out and goodluck to all the rest of you who know how to take care of there consoles.

fishy @ Nov 19th 2007 10:56PM

forgot to add the pictres for those who havent seen the state of his ps3

http://consumerist.com/consumer/polls/is-this-playstation-3-too-dusty-to-be-repaired-under-warranty-322858.php#poll_=EDMwQTM

seansloan @ Nov 19th 2007 11:01PM

Looks like he lives in the town from "the hills have eyes".Next time dont leave the PS3 out on the porch

Sora57 @ Nov 19th 2007 11:01PM

Fox must run a report on the Rrod-- that is actually newsworthy right before the holidays. What's the death rate? 30%? That is outrageous.

Adam @ Nov 20th 2007 12:20AM

Give me a break. It's an embarrassment to send it in looking like that. 30 seconds of effort could've avoided this whole situation. As the saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine. This is just another story in the ongoing band wagoning of Sony bashing. People write it and the company off and they have never used/owned one.

And fox is devoting entirely too much time to this story, there has GOT to be something more worthwhile to report on. If this guy really does take Sony to small claims court than that's just pathetic. I agree that Sony just needs to repair or send this guy a new console and shut him up, although that replacement console will probably just get dusty again, and we will hear this same story emerge in a years time.

r3acer @ Nov 20th 2007 9:33AM

Just look at the headline at 3:52 during that report blaming Sony. "Microsoft set aside $1.5 billion to replace xbox 360 parts". They should have mentioned how much Microsoft set aside to pay for dirty news like this.

AK @ Nov 19th 2007 11:26PM

what company in the right mind would believe that happened naturally? it looks like he chucked it out of a 4WD car in the desert, left it there for a day, came back, picked it up, smudged his hands all over it, stuck it in his car, in perfect reach of his pet dog, and said "sony you douchebags, fix it!"

Iridium @ Nov 19th 2007 11:37PM

Here's what we should do. We should all e-mail the Fox Business morning show complaining about this story.

I think this kid has a 360 in his room and dumped dirt all over a PS3 to create this "story". He probably stole it from someones house. The ammount of fingerprints and dirt are impossible to accumulate in a year. I'm sorry but if your PS3 gets that dirty from being in your room you would have severe respiratory problems.

I call MS BS on this one. It isn't beyond XBOX fanboys to do something like this. Even someone that likes Fox news would have to call out this garbage story as a snub piece. Any consumer advocate would say that neglect does not warrant a free repair.

If I drive my car without ever changing the oil and my engine blows the car company is under no obligation to fix it.

Jon D @ Nov 20th 2007 12:19AM

i'd look on the bright side:

for $150, I could get a brand new replacement console. BRAND NEW. That system cost his parents $600 + taxes + games + accessories. When they told me it'd cost me $90 to get a replacement PSP, I told them "I don't have the money, but when I get it, you'll be the first to know."

what a jackass. he needs to wash his hands once in awhile too. if he committed some sort of crime, he'd be caught instantly judging by the massive amount of fingerprints on that thing.

btw, how is he going to take them to court over this? he'll lose, they'll counter, and he'll lose more than just his busted system.

Iridium @ Nov 19th 2007 11:40PM

by the way here you go. E-mail Fox News and tell them how someone who neglects a PS3 like that should not have a warranty repair. Also how this story is not news worthy and that they should report on the 30% or higher failure rate of the 360.

Subject line: Sony Tells Gamer PS3 Warranty Voided by 'Excessive Dust'

to: feedback@foxbusiness.com

Seminole @ Nov 20th 2007 12:18AM

I'm sorry, but I spent $600 on my PS3. I clean it twice a week on the outside, and blow compressed air inside once every two weeks. When I have to take it somewhere (a friends house/home on break) I wrap in a towel to keep it scratch free.

A year later and my PS3 looks just as good as the day I took it out of the box.

This asshat doesn't deserve a PS3 or any console if this is the way he treats his stuff.

Bruno @ Nov 20th 2007 12:01AM

Well, first, I think that guy should read the safety manual, court? it would be a laught.

second, his parents seems to buy everything for him, I worked hard to get mine, so I threat it like a god, this guy must have said, "dad I want a playstation 3 now", "here it is son."

about working hard to get it... I live in Brazil, the ps3 here costs 1250,00 US dollars.

JerJerBinks @ Nov 20th 2007 12:12AM

Seriously, I vaccuum my PS3 and the area surrounding it weekly. If you dont take care of your shiznit, then its your responsibility in the end. I take pride in my PS3, and I take care of it accordingly.

Consolcwby @ Nov 20th 2007 10:19AM

Sony should find a few towels and dust down this unit?? Since when is it a company's responsibility to replace a product that has obviously been neglected? By the looks and remarks of the owner, we can safely give him a new designation to safely separate him from the rest of his generation. His new designation: Generation "No Dah" - As in: My playstation is dusty. No dah. Its too dusty to work. No dah. I enjoy suing people for my own fault. No dah. I am a asshat. No dah.

Skinchaser @ Nov 20th 2007 10:10AM

This was what I wrote to Fox: Did any of you actually look at this guys system? All his vent holes are clogged up with dust. I am sure your IT gentlemen clean the dust from your equipment once in a while so it does not break down. His system looks like he dropped it in a hole. Really now, is this fair unbiased commentary? What kind of twit would actually send his system in for warranty looking like that? I am embarrassed for you and him. You both must be sharing a pipe to do that story. You can have some integrity and just tell people like him that there are consequences for their actions or inaction in his case. The 60% that voted that they should warranty the unit obviously did not see the pictures of it. It's a testimony to the quality of the unit that it lasted a year with that kind of abuse.
Not that anyone there will read it or care.

MGSteve @ Nov 20th 2007 2:33AM

@27 - thanks for that email address, email just sent off to fox...

------------------------
I’m amazed that any media outlet, especially one so well known as yourself would run a story like this. The PS3 has a very, very low failure rate and that idiot who somehow managed to get his PS3 covered in dust so bad that it looks like it’s been out in Iraq deserves to be told by Sony that its neglect.

Are you owned by Microsoft or something? There is no other reason I can think of why you would come to such an idiotic decision to run that story. An ounce of journalistic research (you do still do that in the US, don’t you?) would have realised it was down to user neglect and not got involved.

What about the huge failure rate of Xbox 360s? Not news worthy? Or is it because it would be bad press for an American company.

I mean, would you neglect your car by not checking the oil level and then sue the manufacturer if it ran low and destroyed the engine? Haha, of course, its America, you probably would. Land of fat people suing McDonalds for making them fat.

Thank god that in the UK, our BBC isn’t as blatantly biased and downright stupid as you appear to be.

------------------------

cajie @ Nov 20th 2007 10:07AM

In another poll, I voted that Sony was right in rejecting the warranty. The thing looks too disgusting.

But when the story hits mainstream media, it's time for some PR damage control. They should apologize and give him a replacement unit. It's just not worth the hassle to create negative publicity just to prove you are right.

cajie @ Nov 20th 2007 4:23AM

In another poll, I voted that Sony was correct in rejecting the warranty claim.

However, once the news hits the mainstream media, it's time for some PR damage control. Sony should just apologize and give the guy a replacement unit. It's just not worth the effort to get so much negative publicity just to prove you are right.

John @ Nov 20th 2007 4:25AM

I Say don't repair it! I SUPPORT SONY! FCUK that thing is ridiculous! how can you not a least wipe it clean be4 sending it in.

Make this kid lick it clean then send it back to sony for repairs

UltimateNinja9 @ Nov 20th 2007 10:05AM

Sony should replace the guy's PS3. They should also replace my Sony tv because there is too much dust on the screen for me to watch movies. I could clean it myself but it's Sony's fault that the air in my house is full of dust. Sure I might neglect to clean my house but I didn't buy my house from Sony so the cleanliness of my house is irrelevant. I'm gonna call this guy up and we'll sue Sony together.

Ok, the above paragraph is just a joke. Sending in a PS3 with that much dust is like not wiping your ass for a month and then going to the doctor. So dude clean your PS3, and while you're at it WIPE YOUR ASS!!!

Joey_Numbers @ Nov 20th 2007 6:07AM

It's really unbelievable how dusty his PS3 got. Maybe he had it connected in his patio... It just looks like he treated it like an outdoor console.

Seminole @ Nov 20th 2007 7:56AM

Here was my e-mail to them:

"Dear Fox News,

I have been a loyal viewer for many years now, and I find your information to be the least objective of any of the networks. But I just became aware of a recent news story you ran about Reid Godshaw. In this story you report how Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) refused to fix his broken Playstation3 because it posed a "health hazard" to it's technicians.

I would like to raise a couple issues with your story.

1) Here are pictures of Reid Godshaw's Playstation3:

(Insert some pictures here)

Now, I own a Playstation3 myself, and I admit that the shiny finish does attract quite a bit of dust. But as anyone who spends a considerable amount of money on something, I make sure to wipe the Playstation3 down and blow compressed air into the inside. The levels of dust on Reid Godshaw's Playstation3 are beyond normal amounts. Mr. Godshaw must have never cleaned his Playstation3 once to achieve levels of dust at that magnitude. As you can clearly see in these pictures the dust is not just on the surface of the unit, but it has gotten into all the USB and multimedia ports on the front. Mr. Godshaw states several times that "it is absolutely ridiculous" that Sony refuses to fix his Playstation3. What is absolutely ridiculous is the amount of dust Mr. Godshaw has let accumulate onto his system. The Playstation3 manual clearly states that all failures will be fixed during the warranty period as long as the said failure is not due to owner neglect. The excessive amount of dust is clearly an example of neglect on the part of Mr. Godshaw. The dust on his system has almost surely coated the inside of his system and caused the internals to fail. This is akin to someone never changing the oil on their car, and when the motor blows up, demanding a new motor.

2) Mr. Godshaw states multiple times that many other Playstation3 owners are suffering from dust problems. He says that these problems have been evident since 1 week after the consoles release. Even your "expert" brings up how consoles are prone to dust. The people on the "blogosphere", as your anchor likes to call it, do not report dust problems of this magnitude. Rather, most complaints are due to the shiny surface of the Playstation3 being hard to keep clean from small amounts of dust that detract from it's appearance. I challenge you to find another story where someone complains of the Playstation3 attracting as much dust as Reid Godshaw's has when the console is properly maintained.

3) You seem to make a big deal out of one kid who neglected his Playstation3 and caused it to break. You never asked Mr. Godshaw if he routinely cleaned his Playstation3, or why he let it get to the state it was in. Infact, people on the internet were originally behind Mr. Godshaw, but once SCEA made the pictures available many people switched their opinions due to the obvious neglect on the part of Mr. Godshaw. After watching the story, you put up the pictures for a few seconds for the viewers to see. Once those pictures had been seen, your anchor should have challenged his position.

4) From a news perspective, a far more troubling story, is about the failures of the Xbox360. Google search "Xbox360 Red Ring of Death" and you will come up with over 1,090,000 articles. The Xbox360 is experiencing a failure rate of at least 33%. Owners who turn their system on are sometimes greeted by a red circle of LED lights, nicknamed "The Red Ring of Death." This renders the
Xbox360 completely useless, and the only way to fix the problem is to have Microsoft give you a new Xbox360. The problem is so severe that Microsoft has had to extend the warranties on the Xbox360 from one year to 3. This is after they continually denied any problem for months and forced consumers to pay for a new console. Microsoft has also had to set aside over $1.5 billion to fix defective Xbox360's. Microsoft has still yet to find a cure to the problem, there are multiple articles online about consumers who are on their 2nd or 3rd Xbox360. One consumer has even gone through 7 consoles due to the RRoD. To merely say, as your anchor said, "Xbox has had issues in the past", has to be one of the understatements of the century.

In conclusion, I am appalled at your failure to deliver a balanced report. You seem to find the story about one kid who abused his Playstation3 more newsworthy than a multi-billion dollar corporation suffering losses of billions of dollars due to defective consoles. The references you do make are with the wave of a hand, as if all console suffer such problems. In reality, both the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation3 have failure rates of less that 1%. Needless to say, your blatantly biased report has made me question whether I will continue to be a viewer of yours in the future.

Sincerely,
Brad Ellman"

Carlton @ Nov 20th 2007 8:36AM

To all those saying "he looks like a pothead" or "don't smoke crack" - what has that got to do with anything? I'm a pothead and have also partaken of the occasional crack pipe, that doesn't mean I'm some kind of filthy degenerate. Well okay, maybe I am, but I certainly wouldn't let my electrical equipment get in that state, much less expect anyone to repair it for free!
In fact, I'm so incensed by FOX's obviously biased "reporting" that I need a spliff just to calm down (I think I'll lay off the crack though...)