E74, RROD, YLOD – We’re All Doomed!
For years, PS3 owners have been holding it above the heads of Xbox360 owners that their console doesn’t have all sorts of crazy hardware problems. For years, they’ve been right. The 360 has failed massively, especially with the launch systems, causing thousands of consoles to die randomly and require repair or replacement. This just simply hasn’t been the case with Sony’s console. Sony has always held a standard of having the most reliable hardware.
It all started with the Red Ring of Death, or RROD, which was a bullet to the brain for the 360. Then, we got the E74, an error signifying general hardware failure which renders a console just as useless as the RROD. Playstation owners snickered, as their hardware stability was one of the only one-ups the system has going over the others. Microsoft was forced to extend the system’s warranty to cover these two errors because of how common they were, which is just crazy.
But now, at long last, the Playstation has its own brand of the RROD: the YLOD, or Yellow Light of Death. This post discusses one poor soul’s story about the yellow light, and what it cost him.
According to that tale, Sony is showing a downside over Microsoft when it comes to console repair regarding these hardware issues. They charged the poor fellow nearly $250 for the repair, and sent him back a refurbished system instead of his own. At least when it comes to RROD and E74, Microsoft takes care of them for free.
But, the difference there likely lies in the rate of failure between the two consoles. The PS3 is still very good hardware, and is way less likely to encounter an error than the 360. Microsoft has no choice but to fix them for free, while Sony can afford to let its few instances go. Hardware fails, it’s just a fact.
Though as someone who’s Xbox 360 console is currently at Microsoft being fixed for E74, I can’t help but grin slightly inside as I find out that the seemingly perfect PS3 has a problem, albeit much less common.
So how about you? Have you come in contact with a YLOD, or know anyone who has? How was the situation handled for you?
I had a PS3 fail on me with the drive mechanism. It is the 2nd one I purchased, for the office. I called Sony and told them my situation and they tried walking me through some remedies. Nothing worked. The next day they had someone drop off a brand new PS3 for me, sans the HDD – since I took the old one out of my malfunctioning PS3 anyway – and they left with the old one. And that was that.
I have worked in the gaming industry and have friends / colleagues who span the globe who are gamers. We all take our gaming pretty seriously, and of the whole lot, I am the only one who has had any serious issues with one of my PS3s. And my service experience was great. Maybe the US Sony and JP Sony work differently, so I can’t say for certain. (Yes, I live in Japan.) So one faulty system and great service equals a no-brainer in best of a bad situation, AFAIAC.
Now, compare this with the fact that I have had TWO 360s RROD on me, and at least 2/3 of the people I know who own 360s have had an RROD on them. And these are guys who work at some big game studios, too. And you’ll understand exactly why MS *HAS* to have excellent customer support. They’re hoping will key in on *THAT* instead of *THE REASON WHY* people need to contact their customer support in the first place.
Honestly, I don’t see why this is even news, except for 360 fanboys to say “HAH! The PS3 is just as faulty as the 360! 360 wins!” and completely ignore the bigger picture.
Love the comment, and I’m glad to get your input. I would venture a guess the Sony service in JP is a little better than USA – but like you, that’s just speculation. Though to be honest, in the USA, we are generally amazed when service DOESN’T suck, for any company. Service is almost parallel to suckage, so when something goes well, we’re in shock.
And I don’t think people are caring about the YLOD because it’s “news,” it’s just that people should be aware of an issue that is out there. When things happen, people write about them, in any circumstance, about anything.
Hi, nice posts there
thank’s for the interesting information
I think it’s completely naive to think that hundreds of thousands of electronic devices can be sent out into the world without some percentage of them having to be returned to the manufacturer, so any possible faults with the PS3 don’t completely surprise me.
I don’t own a PS3, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s had any serious problems with theirs, but I guess at least Microsoft’s service support has improved leaps and bounds since the 360 release, (speaking as someone who’s on her 4th).
That said I think its a testament to the potential of the 360 that so many people that own them are prepared to put up with the continual threat of repair, you can’t buy that sort of marketing really can you?
I’m with you there – like I said, hardware fails. Sell a lot of it, some are going to go bad. I also don’t know anyone who has had a PS3 problem, but you’re right with your comment about Microsoft and the loyalty they have gained with the 360 despite the problems. I’m someone who had spent a decade as a total Sony fanboy, never had the slightest bit of interest in the first Xbox, and yet today I have no interest in a PS3 and am going through withdrawal as my xbox sits at Microsoft getting fixed for E74.
I remember reading a while ago about the failure rate of each of the consoles. This was the result of a study done by some company. Unfortunately I can’t find the article now.
The article stated that in the electronic industry there is an acceptable failure rate of about 4%. This is after the internal quality control so it means about 4% of all devices that are sold to consumers will have some sort of flaw in them that causes them to fail at some point.
They went on to say that the failure rate for Nintendo’s Wii at the time was about 4%. The failure rate for Sony’s Playstation 3 was about 1%. The failure rate for Microsoft’s Xbox360 was about 33%.
Also, part of the article that details the guys experience with his YLOD talked about the problems Sony had when they released Firmware 2.40. However, it does not make mention of the fact that people that experienced problems with 2.40 were sent a file and instructions from Sony that when followed allowed them to install a working firmware and continue on their merry way.