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Dealing w/ PlayStation 2 Disc Read Errors?
Habitual submits this tidbit: "Ars Technica has a guide on how to essentially re-align your busted PS2 laser. The fix is meant to eliminate the Disc Read Error that tends to appear as our beloved PS2s age. The procedure isn't for the faint of heart, but it does work."
Sell 20 million of something and find out how many problems get reported on the internet. Seriously, if the failure rate is .1% you are still going to have a lot of angry forum posts.
They have a high return rate, because they have a high sale rate.
(For the record, my PS2 for launch day is still working. I'm on cube #3)
Look at the first picture in the article, the caption says "PS2, screwdrivers, and a can of air".
What the picture shows is: A PS2, screwdrivers, and needle-nose pliers.
So, it may be ArsTechnica, but if they can't tell the difference between a can of air and pliers, I'm not sure I want to trust them with my precioussss PS2...
You can't take the sky from me...
"They have a high return rate, because they have a high sale rate."
If the original Playstation is any indication, that is simply not true in this case. I'll never forget the first christmas those things were out. 1 in 4 of them were returned within 90 days. 1 in 4. We sold 4, one came back. That's not "well it's only a problem because alot were sold", that's a 25% defect rate. Sony sold a crappy product, and lots of kids had disappointing christmases. (It is for this reason I have made a personal decision to not own a PS2.)
What I said has absolutely no bearing on what's happening with the PS2 here. However, I would caution you against simplifying it down to just high sales. Something is seriously defective if normal everyday use results in the same problem for many people.
Frankly, I'm shocked that people are so forgiving about it. Depending on when you hop into the cycle, you could lose anywhere from $150 to $300.
"Derp de derp."
"Hrmm. If you only sold 4, I can see some problems making this sort've judgment..."
My post was written really badly.
Here's what I originally said:
" I'll never forget the first christmas those things were out. 1 in 4 of them were returned within 90 days. 1 in 4. We sold 4, one came back."
Given the chance to fix it, I'd say: " I'll never forget the first christmas those things were out. 1 of every 4 of them were returned within 90 days. 1 out of every 4. If we sold 4 in one day, we knew one wouldcame back."
I had the right idea in mind but I was in such a hurry I didn't realize the implication of what I had originally said. Sorry about that.
What it boiled down to was our store was shipped 100 PS's, almost 25 of them would end up in the back ready to be shipped back to HQ. They were defective. We offered a one year warranty on the machines, most people bought it, so we had a pretty good sampling of how many were defective.
It wasn't just our store, either. Whenever I visited other stores, I noticed there was always a stack of PS's in the corner waiting to go back.
Frankly, it was just not worth owning a PS without the warranty. It was to the point that I was more comfortable with the reconditioned units than the brand new ones. Those almost never came back as defective. Guess having a second chance to look it over was worthwhile.
"Derp de derp."
When I got my first PS2, I already knew there were reliability problems with the drive. So I did something I never do: I got the extended replacement plan from Best Buy. I'm on my 3rd PS2 so far, both replacements on Best Buy's nickel.
But the really great part is that their replacement plan doesn't cover the price of a replacement unit--it covers the price you paid for it when you bought it. Sony keeps dropping the price of the PS2 over the years, so both times I've had to get a replacement, I got not only a brand new PS2, but enough money left over to pick up a game or two.
The only down side is that you have to live with no PS2 at all for a week or two while they process your return. But hey, I can live with that stress.