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PS3 problem
DarkSymphony
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
so I have had my PS3 since launch and it's definitely been used frequently over the years. well, one year ago it started to shoot out spikes from characters on screen in Assassin's Creed 2. No other game had that problem until about 3 months after the initial time I noticed it. Now most of my games do it, some less than others, and some games just outright freeze. It seems to me this is a vid card problem, but what i was wondering was:
is the warranty you buy from the PSN storefront able to cover something like this? and, with a warranty, would I be able to get back exactly the same PS3 I sent them? i do NOT want to lose backwards compatibility and I want to be able to keep all my DLC and Rock Band songs without having to wipe the HDD or re DL them again.
OR I could open the thing up, use a can of compressed air and really clean the fucker out. I live on a dirt road so the amount of dust that thing must have caked on the inside, I imagine, is quite attrocious.
thoughts?
is the warranty you buy from the PSN storefront able to cover something like this? and, with a warranty, would I be able to get back exactly the same PS3 I sent them? i do NOT want to lose backwards compatibility and I want to be able to keep all my DLC and Rock Band songs without having to wipe the HDD or re DL them again.
OR I could open the thing up, use a can of compressed air and really clean the fucker out. I live on a dirt road so the amount of dust that thing must have caked on the inside, I imagine, is quite attrocious.
thoughts?
DarkSymphony on
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This is where you e-mail Sony's Customer Service/Support center and ask them all these questions. If it's anything like Microsoft's repair/support center the general process is this:
They will attempt to repair the PS3. In the event the repair is too costly (aka the system is "totalled" if you will), they will send you a (random, different) refurb'd system. I would assume that since the HDD is internal, they'd copy over all your data but there again, call Sony and ask them.
If you ever plan to send it to Sony for repair, this is a terrible idea. As soon as you "crack the case" you'll void any warranty you may have paid for or that may have come standard when you bought the system. a 3rd party might still repair it but Sony will probably tell you you're up shit creek without a paddle; if they're nice, they'll just charge you an arm and a leg to fix it.
as an aside,
It sounds almost like an overheating problem. Do the "spikes" and freezing occur the instant you start up a game or does it get progressively worse the longer you play. If it's instant, you're very likely hosed and no amount of cleaning is going to save your system (The damage is already done). If it's progressive, you might be able to clean up the fans/vent and get it to start circulating air again. You'll probably have (other) problems down the road, but you'll be able to salvage it for now.
So, I've had the system for 4 years, 1 solid year of the spike issue and some freezing on occasion and wanting to do anything to get rid of this issue.
So even without a warranty, if I were to open the system at all they wouldn't fix it? even at the normal cost for fixing a system without a warranty?
So far as I know, they'd fix it, but it's not cost effective. It was barely cost effective for me to send it to PSR1 for repairs. At some point it becomes cheaper/smarter to just buy a new Slim PS3 and a new PS2 Slim (if you can find one).