If you're considering upgrading your old PlayStation 3 to one of the new Slim models, there are multiple reasons in support of that idea. But there may be another one you haven't considered…
Of course, all of this is nothing more than a theory; we're merely noting a running coincidence in responses from our readers and e-mails we've seen in our inbox. In the past, some firmware updates for the PS3 have proved problematic, but many times, they seem to hit older models harder. With the most recent update – firmware 3.10 that delivered Facebook to your XMB – some users were complaining of games and movies freezing on a continual basis and when further prompted, you will find that most of them have old 60GB, 40GB, or 80GB models. I'm wondering if Sony has a response to this, simply because the coincidence appears to be…well, too large to be just a coincidence. I know nothing of programming or how the firmware updates are delivered, or if it's even possible that older models would suffer more from these updates. I'm no tech guy; never have been. I'm only reporting on what I've seen and when I hear a complaint related to a firmware update and I ask after the model in question, 80-90% of the time the answer is expected: they have a PS3 that's at least a year or two old. So, is this all conjecture or might the newer models simply receive these updates in a more reliable fashion?
Perhaps we'll learn more about this in the future but in the meantime, I would say that if you're a Slim owner, I wouldn't be too concerned about downloading new firmwares (at least not for a while).
I haven't had any problems with my 60 gig
Same
+1
Same here, launch 60GB PS3 with 500GB HDD upgrade, and no problems here.
Last edited by FoReVeR_0515 on 11/21/2009 3:32:32 PM
Ditty for me as well
Ditto, and I have two of them.
I never did either!
just saying 😉
i got a 60gig day 1(UK) and its fine.
Aye, same here, got 2 60GBs from early 2007 and they're both doing fine. Touch wood!
Yo tambien
same here
other than my YLOD ps3 replacement probably due to overheating, I've never had any problems with my 60gb and firmware.
I got me a launch day 60/500gb PS3, never had any problems with firmware updates.
No firmware problems to date on my 60.
I had my day one purchase going YLOD, man it was the worst feeling in the world, especially the way I found out that the yellow light meant that my PS3 was dead – i was oblivious to it before it actually happened to me. Things got worse when my receipt showed that the PS3 was over a year old. Kindly, very kindly, sony replaced the console for a refurbished one FREE of charge.
That moment they informed me they would replace it for free, it was like renewing my vows with playstation. 😛
Got the last 80 Gb version, (w/ MG), that has bc, (through emulation), and I haven't had any problems with firmware updates.
pure bs i own a 60 no problems,my psn id a60ngga addme if u like
I think that it is probably just a coincidence. I have a launch 60GB and no problems but, I dunno?
I think it's possible and to be safe I'm not updating my fat one. It's my daughter's now and she only needs it for games, nothing else.
One problem i had with the firmware on my slim:
Whenever i my trophy data tries to go in the sony server, i stops at 15% and comes with his error. Meaning i couldn't go on my profile and change my color or people couldn't view my trophies.
How i solved it:
I continuously clicked on my profile without stopping. Eventually it will work.
i kind of do not think that was from the firmware update. i am almost positive that was happening before the update. it seems more like the server. i could be wrong. i had trouble a few times but like you said i just tried a few times and it worked. to me it seemed that the trophy sync problem happened about the time MW2 came out.
I couldn't sync my trophies with the server right after the update either. The next day it performed the sync just fine.
Yes this is a problem that me and a few of my friends have been experiencing. After countless attempts it finally worked for me. The progress went up to 10% quickly, crawled VERY slowly to 16% and jumped to 100%. Sony has said that they're working to fix this.
Snipey, that's not a problem with the Slim, its an issue across all the various SKUs. I gotta 80GB, I also have the same syncing problem and its been in existence for I don't know how long.
Well this is a new one on me. I thought whenever there was a firmware problem it was across all systems.
Only problem I had was my system freezing when trying to install the BFBC2 beta. I had to attempt the install three times for it to get fully loaded. I've got two of the first 80GB PS3 with partial BC. The problem only happened on one system, not the other.
My 60 gig is still fine. Perhaps because it was one of the few to be "Made in Japan"?
No offense, but a lot of lower quality products tend to be made in china. But then again, this may just be a theory. Electronics made in Japan though, have always worked wonderous for me.
The only problem I got from the recent firmware update is that I can no longer stream the videos in the psblog.
Last edited by daus26 on 11/21/2009 3:14:39 PM
er were are ps3 slims made from? D;
Now that you mention it, since 3.1, I haven't been able to stream the videos from the blog either. I thought it was probably just the crappy browser and that I just need a hit on refresh, but it still wouldn't work. Looks like this update brought along more wrong then right.
Oh and I know sony said this is just phase one of facebook integration, but why didn't they just wait until they had it ready for full integration? Seems kinda pointless to force your users to update when all your adding is just a little piece of an unfinished feature.
Last edited by Charger7302 on 11/21/2009 6:18:39 PM
@SnipeySnake
All game consoles are typically mass produced in China, and that includes the original 60 gig ps3. I was just one of the rare ones that had a PS3 to be produced from Japan.
Just take a look at your PS3. It will most likely say "Made In China." If not, then you're one of the few as well.
I suspect those old model owners already have issues with their consoles and wait for the next firmware update to blame it on, just my thoughts.
I never had firmware update problems with my old late 60GB. My 2nd 80GB never had no problems till I sold it, my 3rd 80GB is also fine.
I love ps3 just as much as anyone, but I'm not naive enough to believe that the original models were 100% Sony quality. I got the YLOD on my original and I've noticed a lot of other people reporting the same happened to them.
I've heard that Sony's "fat" ps3 model had sub-par ventilation, and other manufacturing defects (however minor) over time they may just give out. I look at it like the "Slim" was the relaunch of the ps3 meaning it's the ps3 that Sony wanted to wait and release, but they could only let M$ get so far ahead without having their next-gen to compete or risk losing even larger numbers of their install base.
With that said I think it's obvious who's "rushed to the market" systems are more dependable.
I think I've made a valid point all things considered.
I remember when sent my 40GB in for exchange, the 40GB I got for Christmas after a few hours of playing on it felt like it was sitting in a oven. The one I got since Summer '08 while issues had popped up from time to time, this thing runs much cooler. As for the update itself I've played "Uncharted 2" "NBA 2k10" "Madden 08" and "Ghostbusters" and the only one that froze was "Uncharted 2"
If I'm lucky this thing holds up until I can get enough money to trade it in for the slim.
At the risk of sounding insensitive to the problem affecting you and others (ya know like "it's just you"), I'd have to say that comparing YLOD to RROD is statistically an exaggeration. The numbers speak for themselves, across all users as opposed to a select few.
Personally, I've never had a problem with any of my electronics (including my 360, which is a used 2005 manufactured model). But, this could have to do with my gaming habits (I play in "chunks" and I never leave it running when I'm not playing) and the colder northeast US climate I live in. My 360, though, sounds like a jet taking off when it's running (or more realistically like a hair-dryer).
The first generation fat models didn't have as much as a ventilation problem as they just had "hotter" chips. In other words, the ventilation more or less is the same across all fat models. But, the launch models as well as the later ones used more power and generated more heat.
And this has been a problem in computer architecture since the advent of faster processor technology like the Intel's Itanium, that attempted to push processing speeds to 3.2Mhz and beyond. The theoretical solution was to reduce the burden on processors by distributing it across multiple core processors instead of just one, but the problem still remains.
Aftab you seem to have a lot of knowledge in the technological aspect of the problem which I like, I was merely offering my opinion as a possibility. I didn't mean to come across as merely a comparison between the YLOD and the RROD but more as an insight into if, and why they would have rushed the systems to market though their performance may not have been 100% satisfactory.
Show me some factual evidence that the ps3 is one of these "rushed to the market" systems please.
Sure there are problems with it, but its quite minor. Not saying that those who go thru it are lying, but to say it was rushed out is false. If thats the case, every system released has been rushed out
Last edited by aaronisbla on 11/22/2009 8:49:26 AM
I understand, NaztyCuts. And, again, I'm not saying the issues you've had with your ps3's are just with your's (iirc you said that your brother-in-law's ylod'ed on you, too). In fact, I am interested to know about why it might be happening to you and other's like you. Do you live in a dusty/hot climate? Where do keep your ps3? What are your gaming habits like? Was your unit brand new or were they used/refurb's, etc? I'm not saying, either, that it was your fault that it broke, or that you are not careful, but today's faster processor technology (i.e. Consoles, computers, laptops) is a lot more touchy than before.
@Aftab It was a brand new 40gb purchased Dec. 07 it YLOD'd about a year and a half later. I live in NC, I think my original system gave out due to HEAVY use. I logged over a month of playing time in CoD4 alone. I had it in an optimal environment well ventilated, no excessive dust, etc. That combined with information from my friends (many whom suffered the same scenario) I was left with only the info I put into my piece above to draw a sensible idea as to why this may be happening.
@aaronisbla Hey man I was just speculating, there's this thing I do it's called thinking. Do you think that Sony is going to release "official facts" that would hurt their image? No and if you think the xbox wasn't rushed to market for a headstart then you must not have watched the news when it launched. In business you can only let your competition get so far ahead (even if you have a better product) before you HAVE to get something out there to compete with them. Again these were just my views and opinions man.
Are you blind Nastycutz? where in my response did i say xbox wasn't rushed? You say you do this thing called thinking but do remember to read all i wrote, it wasn't a lot and im not sure where you got the idea that i said 360 wasnt rushed out. We all know that.
I know its your opinion, all I'm saying is if you find some solid proof that it was rushed out like the 360 was, please sure it with us.
Last edited by aaronisbla on 11/22/2009 7:15:12 PM
@Aaron
My bad man I misread what you wrote, and as far as the rest, if I happen to come across anything that supports it I'll let you know. I doubt I will find anything official on it, and I know PS3 has a very low fail rate (especially vs. the 360) they just never tell you what was wrong with them to cause the YLOD, they just say "system hardware failure" or a "drive failure" What's really the cause ya know? Something had to make these components fail.
I never had a problem with my 60gig ps3, bought since launch, but i did encounter the famous yellow light of death 2 times, I fixed it myself both times.
how did you fix it yourself?
i used a guide i found on the net, its fairly easy, and works every time.
all you have to do is buy a heat gun, and some thermal paste, open the ps3, clean the cpu and gpu, heat every chip for 20 seconds, apply new thermal paste, and assemble back together again.
Last edited by hu24ebr on 11/22/2009 3:19:16 PM
Thank you very much, Ben. Neutral feedback such as this is invaluable, because corporate response is always guarded by marketing interest. I have not updated my 60gig original as of yet, because I wanted to wait until it was safe (statistically more or less). I'm getting a bit impatient, 'cuz of not being able to access the network.
It could be that 90% of the time, the problematic sku reported happens to be an older model, simply because 90% of ps3 owners have an older model. Meaning that would be the case even if the sku was not a factor of the firmware update problem, at all, or in other words, if the firmware was a equally and proportionately a problem across all sku's. Hopefully that is the case, especially since there are people here with older models who are happily reporting trouble-free updates. So, wish me luck, knock on wood, I'm going through the update, tonight.
I believe it's just coincedence.
firmware 3 yellow lighted my 60gb launch :/
Oh good grief.
Ben, no offense, but you're the last person I'd have thought would run this kind of crap.
It's a firmware update, all it can do is run the software that the system will run. With the exception of something literally designed to stress a system by thrashing the HDD and forcing the CPU/GPU to maximum activity for a continuous period in order to push as much energy as possible through them and cause as much heat as possible, there is no merit to the thought that a firmware update could somehow stress an older PS3 more than a newer one.
Apart from anything else, the three systems you mentioned above all have different motherboards and components ranging from original launch systems with 90nm CPU/GPU and a complete PS2 chipset on board all the way to the 40GB system which shares a motherboard with the second generation of 80GB systems and uses a smaller Cell and RSX than the original launch 60GB systems.
As for everyone face with a fault that causes a yellow light on the PS3, call Sony and arrange a $150 repair. Your system is anything up to 3 years old now, the chances are you've used it pretty heavily and the HDD is fragmented and the BluRay drive needs a clean, it's even possible that dirt and grime have built up in the cooling system to an extent that reduces it's efficiency. The fact that a firmware update happened within the last month is pure coincidence if your PS3 was going to fail anyway.
Statistically PS3 still has a low failure rate. Sure for the person it's failed on, the failure rate is 100%, but over all it's very low. So it sucks if it's you, but that still doesn't make it a widespread issue.
Systems do age, hardware does age. Power cycles stress components all the time, some components may have an imperfection that is undetected until years of service have stressed the component to the point of failure. That's normal and unavoidable.
I've worked with hardware for decades now, and firmware updates can introduce bugs that cause problems. Sometimes it's a revision that's incompatible with particular components or a bug that's only activated when there is a articular combination of configuration. That can cause a system to brick, but it doesn't cause a hardware fault. A hardware fault will happen whether or not there is a firmware update.
This theory that a firmware revision is somehow tougher on launch systems is utterly without merit.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 11/21/2009 4:46:10 PM
Should have added the obligatory – IMHO of course.
Ben's article seems to ignore the fact that MOST PEOPLE have a system a year old or more…especially the people on forums such as these. If you have 10-20% new models and 80-90% older models, OF COURSE a lot more older models are gonna see random issues.
i gotta agree with higlander!
i said it in the last article about the 3.10 update caysing freezing issues and ill say it again. There may be a few people having issues but they are obvisouly in the minority. Yes Sony will fix it regardless the amt. of people having problems but its nothing to gripe about.
Updates have no hidden agenda whatsoever! they are put out to patch and fix, and yes update our systems for bigger and better things. Even though facebook isnt a necessity it definately makes the console more appealing.
It actually seems like the consumers with the older ps3 are having less problems as well. I dont see the point in articles like this because it stirs up controversy that sint needed, wether its a harmless question or not! all someone has to do is read the headline and they will run with it!
Get over it people they are updates, and Sony would do whatever to fix a broken update so please just accept the fact that Sony is actually on our side with these updates and want to make the systems better! I dont see updates being harder on older systems, that and the hardware is the same in the ps3! I have seen no conclusive evidence of this at all!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/21/2009 5:02:20 PM