Thread: Store managers detail PS3 failure rate at less than 1%

The inquisitive folks over at Ripten decided to do a little research on the failure rate of current next-gen consoles. Their conclusions should come as no surprise, with the PS3 resulting in a low failure rate. What is surprising however, is the failure rate for one console in particular appears to be higher than previously anticipated. An EB Games associate singled out the Xbox 360 console by advising "failure rates for all other consoles were not high enough for EB to consider revising their policies" further claiming the failure rate of the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii to be "less than one percent." An EB Games manager reiterated the low failure rates of the Nintendo Wii by exclaiming that "zero [consoles] have come back defective." A Best Buy manager then went on record saying "a quarter to a third" Xbox 360 consoles sold, come back defective, confirming the 33% failure rate percentage. The methods used to determine failure rates for these consoles appear to be too elementary to really prove anything concrete. Nevertheless, this story allows us to breathe a little bit easier, as it continues to prove our console of choice can still fold like a champ and have a longer lifespan than that of its direct competition.link

PS3 is my console of choice for BD playback. But for games i can' t get past the PS3 controller. I can't stand it. It just isn't comfortable and my hands hurt after a few minutes of use. While the 360 contoller feels natural and I can use it for hours and my hands feel much better than with just a few minutes using the PS3 contoller.

And here in Denver, the BestBuy people told me they were all coming back in about the same numbers. Also, our friend that runs a GameStop out in Chicago (Lord Loudog) said that they got back every single PS3 that they sold at launch. It all depends on who you talk to, I suppose.

The 360 hardware issues are definitely a problem, but I disagree with these types of articles because they are no more scientific than me asking the people at BestBuy or asking my buddy. Factual is when you bust out the actual paperwork and numbers from the returned systems from a wide selection of retailers. Take our store, for instance. We have never had a new or used 360, PS3 or Wii returned to us defective since their respective launches. Not a single one.The major difference is that we have sold quite a few 360s, about 10-12 Wii systems (due to lack of supply) and 1 PS3. We have plenty of access to PS3 systems, but haven't seen any interest from our customers in the system. That is also a demographic thing, though. At our old location, in a less affluent part of town (the median income at the new location is nearly 3x that of the old location), Sony was king. Here, not so much. So, while I am sure that some stores have had high 360 returns and low Sony returns, you are also going to find places where that is not the case at all. These articles and "studies" can say anything you want them to.

I think the PS3 failures are probably lower or we'd hear more about them - generally speaking of course.

That being said, I agree with Wormhole - when I play my PS3 my hands/wrists hurt after only a short time of playing. Conversely if I play the Xbox 360, I can play for hours without any pain. I think it is the placement of the R1 trigger in relation to how the controller is held. For whatever reason its not ergonomically correct (for me anyway).

So the Nintendo products never die? Sounds about right.

Originally Posted by Peench

I think the PS3 failures are probably lower or we'd hear more about them - generally speaking of course.

That being said, I agree with Wormhole - when I play my PS3 my hands/wrists hurt after only a short time of playing. Conversely if I play the Xbox 360, I can play for hours without any pain. I think it is the placement of the R1 trigger in relation to how the controller is held. For whatever reason its not ergonomically correct (for me anyway).

For me its the opposite, but I'd rather have a 360-like controller

Originally Posted by Gordon

So the Nintendo products never die? Sounds about right.

The screen just blinks and you have to be a good blower. BLars and Cujo always had good working NES's.

I think the PS3 controller is one of the reasons I don't play PS3 games. I started playing Resistance and it was just not comfortable. I use the PS3 remote now for everything I do on the PS3 since I'm not playing games. I have started looking at 3rd party controllers to see if I like them better.

Hmm did you guys ever have a PS2? Its the same controller mabey just a lil lighter.

I had a PS1, but not a PS2. It does seem a bit too light for me, but what gets me is the placement of the primary button - the primary button is where the bumper button is on the 360. For some reason holding the controller at that angle puts too much pressure on my wrists and ends up hurting after only a short time of gaming unfortunately.

Clean bill of health? What about Game Deficiency Disorder? Or Hyper-Online Instability?

I love me some Sony, but they are really hitting the bottom of the barrel at news to report.

Wait!!! This just in!! Ms. Lippy's car, is green...

Billy likes soda.


I like the controllers just fine, although I prefer the layout of the 360 better (just without the heft).