The trials of replacing a broken 60GB PS3
by Nick Doerr 
{ Jun 5th 2008 at 7:30AM }
Ever wonder what happens to that glorious 60GB PS3 you sprang to the stores on launch day when it dies? How Sony works the warranty of a console SKU that no longer exists? Ars Technica sure did -- they even wrote about their experience doing just that. This is a very important read to all early adopters and reinforcement that you did, in fact, get the best model of PS3 available. But summation of the PS3 SKU's aside, we found the death of their 60GB the most pressing matter to discuss.Their 60GB console died during a long session of Grand Theft Auto IV (what else?). Their unit was purchased in September of 2007, but manufactured in February of the same year. The laser diode has died out, hindering its ability to read discs -- everything else is still functional. They went back to GameStop to cash in on their extended warranty. They were told a new 60GB system would be in their hands in about a week. Not so. The only real option is to "upgrade" the consumer to an 80GB system -- this loses some backwards compatibility (Emotion Engine chip to software emulation) and a few other nitpicky options.
So what about contacting Sony directly? They contacted customer service and were told that if they sent the 60GB in, it would be repaired and the necessary parts replaced. They should get back what they sent in, except repaired. They decided to wait on GameStop to find a replacement and are still waiting. It seems Sony will repair your console so long as they have the parts to replace in your particular console, but it might not continue forever in regards to canned SKU models.
Moral of the story? Early adopters: be careful with your PS3. You bought the best. Treat it that way.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
koehler83 @ Jun 5th 2008 7:38AM
Please qualify your allusion of the 60GB being better than the 80GB.
Please tell me what they 60GB plays that the 80GB does not that ANYONE would give a half a damn about?
I can tell you a list of newer games that the 80GB plays much better, has not suffered through freezing issues and has better heat dissipation.
Frankly if I could swap my 60 for a new 80, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
Nathanical @ Jun 5th 2008 7:45AM
how about backwards compatability?
koehler83 @ Jun 5th 2008 7:56AM
Yeah what about it? The 80GB has very good Backward Compatibility.
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus
Check that out and tell me 5 PS2 games the 80GB wont run that anyone would care about? In fact, give me 1.
greg @ Jun 5th 2008 8:02AM
The ratchet and clank series doesn't play on the 80gb system. That's my only major concern with it so far but it still sucks.
FrankTheCrank @ Jun 5th 2008 9:20AM
My 20GB runs like a champ...it now has a 160GB drive, and no, I don't run Folding@home...
Player1 @ Jun 5th 2008 10:42AM
I know when I try to play Soul Calibur 3 on the 80g, any stages with a lot of animation in the background (that one room on fire) cause some serious slowdown. Kind of sucks for a fighting game to do that. Though 4 is coming soon. I haven't tried SSX On Tour on my 80g yet but it's supposed to have issues. Metal Gear Solid 3 as well.
Player1 @ Jun 5th 2008 10:45AM
I believe God of War has issues on the 80g too. I hear that game was kind of popular.
Nick Doerr @ Jun 5th 2008 11:44AM
It's not a very big difference, true, but having the PS2's Emotion Engine inside the system guarantees you can play your entire PlayStation library. For me, this is really important, since I've got a lot of obscure games I'm too nervous to move onto software emulation.
I'm sure they'd work, but I'd still think they weren't getting emulated 100% properly. I'm paranoid that way.
highman888 @ Jun 5th 2008 1:13PM
The 60 gig has an emotion chip, if yur a big fan of PS2 and have alot of titles for it it's a big problem , if you care nothing for past epics but only current next gen games than yur fine ;)
Lars @ Jun 5th 2008 2:27PM
"I can tell you a list of newer games that the 80GB plays much better, has not suffered through freezing issues and has better heat dissipation."
Please elaborate, I'm very interested in this as I've been thinking of getting another PS3 for a different room in the house.
For the record, I've never had a problem with heat, and I've rarely had the system freeze over the entire time I've owned it (and I play it A LOT). GTA4 has not once had any problems and I've probably put 60 hours into that game. In the last year, it froze twice when browsing the web (and I think that was because of the particular site I was visiting), and the only game it's frozen on has been Oblivion, and that's kind of expected, being a PC port and all. Heck, my PC locks up a lot more than the PS3. I'm pretty sure the system hasn't frozen more than 5 times during the hundreds of hours I've spent on it, plus all the times I've left it on for Folding@Home or remote play.
Lars @ Jun 5th 2008 2:40PM
"Check that out and tell me 5 PS2 games the 80GB wont run that anyone would care about? In fact, give me 1."
I just looked at it. Almost all the games I care about have issues. Most might be playable, but they say "runs significantly slower..." or sound issues. Half say "hangs at a specific point".
God of War, Ratchet & Clank series, and the Eye Toy games. You asked for one, I give you ten.
TheUsedVersion @ Jun 5th 2008 10:55PM
I'm sorry but I have to call BS on this story. I just sent my PS3 in for the very same reason and got back an entirely new 60GB model PS3. I bet they would find that out too if they sent it in instead of just going by whatever the customer care rep told them.
bob @ Jun 5th 2008 7:43AM
This gets confusing, seeing as you can put a 250gb HDD in there if you want....Maybe a re-classification is in order.
But yes, I have an original EU PS3, so I presume you are reffering to the number of USB ports and memory card slots on there. Typical sony, though....add loads of stuff, promote loads of features, then wittle them down until something sticks.
Eggy @ Jun 5th 2008 7:46AM
I don't see the problem. Just send it to Sony and get it fixed.
Kodros @ Jun 5th 2008 12:22PM
The problem is that the parts that Sony has is limited.
comedian @ Jun 5th 2008 7:54AM
Since when does the 80Gb Model not have Backward Compatability?
Eggy @ Jun 5th 2008 7:55AM
It has like 80-90 % instead of 99% but hey that wouldn't make a sensational article now would it.
Toby @ Jun 5th 2008 8:01AM
my launch 60 is giving me troubles now, it will only play for 30mins before things start to stretch, i get crazy pixels, or it just straight up freezes. i have a third party warranty, and it sucks that ill get an 80gig out of the deal. i love my launch console.
kids, dont run folding@home for 1000 units.
William @ Jun 5th 2008 8:47AM
That is exactly why I never started on Folding @ Home. The power bill isn't something I care about, but the thought that I'd have to deal with warranty service because I ran my PS3 fulltime for a year is too much.
I know the stresses that are placed on a PC when they are run like that from experience... But those parts are cheap and easy to replace.
JoJo @ Jun 5th 2008 9:39AM
Why so?? I used to run it.. but i have not run it for like 5 months now.. and i won't do it no more.. waste of energy..
John S @ Jun 5th 2008 12:18PM
My launch 60GB died, while playing GTA 4. The screen would freeze with random pixels displayed all over. Even when no game were in the console, with only the XMB displayed.
It was out of warranty and Sony replace the unit for $150.00. I was pretty happy with the service and time frame. Never really worried about backward compatibility because I still have a PS2 and use that for PS2 games.
Lars @ Jun 5th 2008 2:50PM
JoJo, I wouldn't call curing diseases a "waste of energy." I'd call it energy well spent.
Buying water bottled in france and shipped to the US, burning tons of fuel in the process when you could just get water from your kitchen faucet... now THAT's a waste of energy.
Deaddy @ Jun 5th 2008 3:19PM
I'm with Lars. Well said.
Kevin Adder Snake @ Jun 5th 2008 8:08AM
This has been my biggest reason why I haven't sold my PS2. If I am in the mood to play my old PS2 games, I just boot up the PS2. I would love to play them on the PS3, but since Sony robbed me of the chance. I'll just have to do it this way. I'm not tracking down a 60gb for bc, nor am I paying more for an 80gb. I'm getting the 40gb and that's that. I hope that rumor about BC in a firmware update for the 40gb is true. Oh well, who knows?
Carney @ Jun 5th 2008 8:08AM
Even though I don't own and never have owned a PS2, the idea of a crippled PS3 was too lame to contemplate (plus I wanted some PS2 games and SACD), so I just got a factory sealed NIB 60GB from eBay two weeks ago and paid a pretty penny for it too, especially with the 4 year SquareTrade warranty I bought on top of that.
Dratted thing has three issues:
a high pitched whine;
propensity to suddenly shut down requiring the power switch to be thrown;
juddering and flashes on my only Blu-ray movie (Narnia); and it's not the TV, a brand new Sony Bravia.
The hassle of shipping this thing out and getting it repaired (no doubt the beautiful piano black finish will be scratched and marred by indifferent careless repair techs) is going to be huge especially since I foolishly threw away the box and packaging.
After all, I thought, this is a Sony product, the apex of quality electronic brand names, brand new, sealed. Nothing's going to go wrong with it out of the box, right?
Lars @ Jun 5th 2008 2:43PM
You sure it was NIB? If it was it sounds like someone drop-kicked the box a few times.
GuardianBob @ Jun 5th 2008 8:18AM
Just a few popular titles which suffer from issues of varying degrees on the 80GB, but run fine on the 60GB model:
Beyond Good & Evil
Disgaea 2
Dragon Quest VIII
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Odin Sphere
Psychonauts
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
AF @ Jun 5th 2008 9:52AM
Really, Odin Sphere has problems on the 80? I've been playing through it on my 60 and it works great. What kind of problems? Never heard about them. Got a friend who wants to get an 80 and might want to play Odin Sphere...
Neptune @ Jun 5th 2008 10:18AM
Yeah Odin Sphere works perfectly in my 60 gb (european) model.
Star Ocean 3 on the other hand froze totally when I got to a certain spot.
Phizzy @ Jun 5th 2008 8:23AM
I thought my PS3 was dying recently, the screen went blank and there was a whir sound, then it went back to normal. Turns out my 360 was turning itself off and messing with the HDMI switch. Rude little thing!
fersis @ Jun 5th 2008 8:25AM
40 GB is the 'standard' PS3, all the majority of tests are done on 40GB PS3.
GRT @ Jun 5th 2008 8:33AM
My 60 gig died a while back. It was out of warranty.
I sent it back to Sony for repair. I called them on April 19th. Coffin arrived April 25th, a Friday. I sent the broken PS3 back on Monday, April 28th. I received a working 60 gig on May 5th. Total turnaround time from initial call was 16 days. I thought that was pretty good, given how many weekend days were in that period (6). So 10 business days.
Just to fan the flames, I also have had to get a 360 repaired, and that took over a month. They got me the coffin sooner but then it just vanished for almost 4 weeks before they sent it back.
Of course the 360 cost me $100 to repair (it wasn't a RROD so no free fix) vs the $150 repair bill for the PS3.
reson8er @ Jun 5th 2008 8:40AM
I have a launch day 60GB that (knock on wood) still performs flawlessly.
But yea they really should just send it in to Sony for repairs. :/
Tony @ Jun 5th 2008 8:56AM
If they can't repair the 60gb/ give me an 80gb, then I expect a brand new PS2 to go with my 40gb replacement. How else am I supposed to carry on playing Onimusha 3/4, Monster Hunter, DMC 1 and 3, Sly 1 and 2, and Castlevania LOI? B/C was a major factor in buying PS3, and my replacement would need to play PS2 games...somehow.
Matt B @ Jun 5th 2008 9:12AM
I must be lucky. A while back my dog ruined my GH3 disc one day, and my then 18 month old son stuck it in the drive so it wouldn't come back out. Called Sony, got coffin in 2 days, got my replacement back in 4 days with the 2 discs stuck in a bag. Turn around time was 6 days and they didn't even make me pay. Yes it was a different 60GB too.
Denkigrve @ Jun 5th 2008 9:20AM
Please update your article to remove the "loses backwards compatibility" comment. It doesn't lose that when you get an 80GB model. It just has different backwards compatibility.
Gamestop has openly stated that if you get a 60GB from them, and their warranty that they'll give you a refurb of the compatible SKU. Meaning whatever is available, 60 or 80.
Sony is still updating the backwards compatibility stuff too. I've seen games in the list that show recent firmware revisions that have fixed issues.
Nick Doerr @ Jun 5th 2008 11:41AM
Thanks for asking so kindly! Consider it updated and clarified.
Matt @ Jun 5th 2008 9:23AM
I wonder what would happen if my 20 GB died...? (knock on wood)
Denkigrve @ Jun 5th 2008 9:37AM
Sony would repair the damaged parts, and give you back a 20GB unit... The issue with this article is that the fault is Gamestop. Sony replaces like-for-like. Gamestop does not.
I JUST had my 1st gen PS2 fixed. Rather than send a new one out to me, I got another 1st gen PS2 back. This is like 10 years after it came out. So this article is just fluff to start internet flames. The Ars Technica article is more of a ode to the woes of dealing with Gamestops "extended warranty."
derek @ Jun 5th 2008 12:08PM
I had an issue like this with my 80gb, I was playing call of duty 4 then i lost the gunfire sound but I could still hear the background noise. So I reset the ps3 and It wouldn't spin the disks. Sent it back to (the worst people in the world) Circuit City and was told that they would be getting a new shipment in, in about a week. Meanwhile i heard on here that the 80 was being discontinued and that bestbuy was told to take it off the shelves. So now I've been waiting since Febuary to get my 80gb ps3 back and thank god it's coming out next week. but i kind of got screwed by sony
linton @ Jun 5th 2008 10:31AM
My 60Gb(now 250GB)PS3 Still runs smooth n quiet as always.
It plays all my PS1 and PS2 games, but has trouble playing Gran Turismo 4, and Panzer Front Ausf.B. I 'd Cry like a 12yr old boy if My PS3 died, knowing I'd get it replaced by some non BC 40Gb no no!
DHDrew @ Jun 5th 2008 10:48AM
The 60gb is said to have the ultimate b/c with ps2 games because it has the Emotion Engine found in the ps2. The 80gb is said to be second rate compared to the 60gb because it uses software emulation to play ps2 games instead of a chip (it doesn't have the EE chip)! The 40gb has no b/c with ps2 games at this time because it does not have an EE chip or software emulation currently. HOWEVER, there is a rumor on the internet now that a 40gb ps3 COULD get a firmware update near the end of the 2008 year (such as October) which would include b/c for ps2 games. I do not know the validity of these rumors, but it would be nice to have b/c with ps2 games on the 40gb Ps3.
SlyTheBoss @ Jun 5th 2008 10:53AM
"be careful with your PS3. You bought the best. Treat it that way"
Does that mean limit the time you play so you don't burn your laser diode?
Sounds much like what happened to the PS2 and its 'Read Disk Error'.
History repeating itself?
frankym @ Jun 5th 2008 11:04AM
Got my 60gb PS3 in March of 2007. It was built In Februaruy of 2007. It completely shut off in December of 2007 during an online game of COD4. Took about 1 month between sending the unit to Sony and receiving the fixed unit.
JimyD @ Jun 5th 2008 11:16AM
My Blu-ray drive crapped out on my 60GB model. I called Sony Support and the first person I spoke to sounded like a robot in a boiler room asking for $150 for the repair, which I was pissed about since I was barely outside the one year warranty window. I called a second time and got a person who was all business and they processed my return request without a hitch. It took a few weeks to get a 60GB replacement but it looked brand new and runs a lot quieter (less Blu-ray drive noise) than my previous machine. Overall, a pretty good service experience.
Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jun 5th 2008 11:27AM
My 60gb unit also died from GTA4, its causing quite a bit of PS3s to break their Blu-Ray drive, just google "GTA4 broke my PS3" on Google.
: (
iFester @ Jun 5th 2008 11:47AM
If Sony does add a backwards compatibility firmware update for the 40g, I'm still thinking it will be digital downloads of PS2 games a la Xbox Originals for the 360.
derek @ Jun 5th 2008 5:14PM
I did cry, i've been crying since febuary when my 80 gb died.
Kevin @ Jun 5th 2008 12:27PM
My 60gb had turned completely off, no red light 3 or 4 times over the course of a few months so I called Sony and they just gave me a brand new 60gb unit no problem. This was probably a few months ago so your 60gb units are safe.
beaner @ Jun 5th 2008 12:53PM
my 60gb (europe) keeps freezing when playing games. sony told me to go back to the shop for a replacement, but because they dont do 60gb anymore i couldnt. now sony have told me theyll put my case to the head office and will ring me in 7 days about giving me a replacement one.