Yellow Light of Death

[Robin91939]

I was aware of the Xbox "Red Ring of Death", wasn't aware that there was a PS3 equivalent.

I was playing MLB 2011: The Show and it flashed on and off, like the screen flickered, then about a minute or two later, it just shut off all together. I went and tried to turn it back on, and the light goes green like normal, then a faded, yellowish-green, then blinks red...

Nothing.

I've had the system since 2007, keep it in an open space that allows it to breathe, and have always kept it in good shape. I keep the area around it clean, and free of dust. And when I transfer it from or take it anywhere I keep it wrapped in a towel or blanket.

I'm pissed about this, I paid over $400 when I got it and it just breaks like this after I've taken care of it and everything!

Anyone know if there's a way to fix this? Is this the end of my PS3? Do I need to buy a new one? Or is it fixable? And I'm not looking to send it to Sony to have them charge me 200 bucks.

-R

 

[Anubis]

No.

Either you buy a new one, or you pay the money.

 

[Robin91939]

No.

Either you buy a new one, or you pay the money.

Thanks, that was....constructive.

-R

 

[Ponyboy]

Do you have it plugged into a proper surge protector? If you don't, it might've gotten zapped by something. Realistically though, sounds like you got 4+ solid years of regular usage out of it. In this day and age with technology advancing that means it's ancient now. You might have to pull up yer bootstraps and just get a new one.

 

[Robin91939]

Do you have it plugged into a proper surge protector? If you don't, it might've gotten zapped by something. Realistically though, sounds like you got 4+ solid years of regular usage out of it. In this day and age with technology advancing that means it's ancient now. You might have to pull up yer bootstraps and just get a new one.

It's just a real shame. I want it replaced...and I know I'm going to (I mean Batman: Arkham City comes out next month!) but I'm going to go spend over 250-300 dollars on a new system and then in the next two years Sony will go and debut PS4 and I'll have had spent almost a thousand dollars on PS3 hardware...it just sucks. If you put that much money into it and take as much care of it as possible, it should last longer than it ultimately did....

-R

 

[Ponyboy]

here's what you do... get a product replacement plan or one of those other such things from best buy or some other big box store on a new PS3. Use it for a couple years... Then you purposely fry the thing (ie. zap it with a car battery) so it's unfixable. Then you get a voucher and/or store credit to put towards something else. bada bing. Next.

 

[Robin91939]

here's what you do... get a product replacement plan or one of those other such things from best buy or some other big box store on a new PS3. Use it for a couple years... Then you purposely fry the thing (ie. zap it with a car battery) so it's unfixable. Then you get a voucher and/or store credit to put towards something else. bada bing. Next.

Didn't know that was possible...but I'm either doing that or looking for a refurbished PS3 to get on the cheap. If this happened 2-3 years ago I'd buy a fresh one...but it's just not smart to do this late in the products life cycle.

-R

 

[KALEL114]

Look for a place that is local to get it fixed. Sony charges way too much. Some people here have got theirs fixed for about $100 I believe.

 

[Superhero 101]

I tried looking for a place that would fix my original ps3 but i couldn't find anybody in my area. i ended up trading in my original fat ps3 for the slim one i really wish i wouldn't have done that now

 

[Spider-X]

No idea where this $200 talk is coming from, but Sony only charges $120 to $150 to send yours in to them for a new one, but you'll lose your saves/hard drive. If you have the older giant model (like me and my 60GB) you'll have the option to just trade it in for a new slim for only $100.

Also, unless you are an amazing computer wiz wise in the ways of the matrix, or you can actually find a place that can fix your PS3...you won't be able to rescue your data at this point. Basically, you can't plug the HDD into a desktop and try to move the files over because windows and Linux can't read the file format and you can't put the hard drive into another PS3 to move the files because when you put your hard drive into a different PS3 it forces you to reformat. Your only hope is that you already have your saves backed up.

The reason i know all this: My 2006 60GB model yellow lighted on me a few years back.

 

[Robin91939]

No idea where this $200 talk is coming from, but Sony only charges $120 to $150 to send yours in to them for a new one, but you'll lose your saves/hard drive. If you have the older giant model (like me and my 60GB) you'll have the option to just trade it in for a new slim for only $100.

Also, unless you are an amazing computer wiz wise in the ways of the matrix, or you can actually find a place that can fix your PS3...you won't be able to rescue your data at this point. Basically, you can't plug the HDD into a desktop and try to move the files over because windows and Linux can't read the file format and you can't put the hard drive into another PS3 to move the files because when you put your hard drive into a different PS3 it forces you to reformat. Your only hope is that you already have your saves backed up.

The reason i know all this: My 2006 60GB model yellow lighted on me a few years back.

Thanks for all the feedback/help guys.

I called Sony this morning and they are going to replace my 2007 Model (20GB) for the slim one (120GB) for $100.00. It's refurbished, but not an awful deal. The only thing that stinks is that I AM losing all of my saves:

- Batman: Arkham Asylum (I had all the game and riddle's beat/solved)
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Story mode and treasures)
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Story mode and treasures)
- Assassin's Creed
- Assassin's Creed 2
- NHL 11
- MLB 2007-2011

Not a lot of games compared to most, but that was a lot of time and effort. It's a shame that I'm going to lose it all....

-R

 

[Ponyboy]

Didn't know that was possible...but I'm either doing that or looking for a refurbished PS3 to get on the cheap. If this happened 2-3 years ago I'd buy a fresh one...but it's just not smart to do this late in the products life cycle.

-R

Yep. It's the best way around getting a product replaced/fixed. I had a mate that would do that to his TVs right before his extended warranty would run out (after 3 years or whatever)... take it outside, and touch the audio video inputs with the jumper cables. It will fry just about everything, but look as if you got hit with a power surge. Since power surges are often covered under those extensions, you're in like Flynn. Not the classiest thing in the world to do, but hey...

 

[hippie_hunter]

I had the exact same thing happen to me. I sent it to Sony, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they just chucked it away and gave me the same model that was brand spanking new. Although I am a bit upset that I am on my third PS3 now.

 

[Robin91939]

I had the exact same thing happen to me. I sent it to Sony, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they just chucked it away and gave me the same model that was brand spanking new. Although I am a bit upset that I am on my third PS3 now.

It's a bit ridiculous that a system, for what you pay for it- dies like that.

And it seems to only be the newer generation systems...

My PlayStation (14 years, $150) works fine, my PS2 (10 years, $200) works fine still, my GameCube (9 years $150) still runs fine...but the system that cost at least twice (over $400 at the time) as much as each of those is broken after 4 years of use? Are you kidding me?

And apparently this happens with the XBox 360 as well? Shouldn't these more advanced systems be able to outlive their predecessors? Hell, in college, my room mates had an N64 that worked perfectly, and an NES.

B.S.

-R

 

[hippie_hunter]

It's a bit ridiculous that a system, for what you pay for it- dies like that.

And it seems to only be the newer generation systems...

My PlayStation (14 years, $150) works fine, my PS2 (10 years, $200) works fine still, my GameCube (9 years $150) still runs fine...but the system that cost at least twice (over $400 at the time) as much as each of those is broken after 4 years of use? Are you kidding me?

And apparently this happens with the XBox 360 as well? Shouldn't these more advanced systems be able to outlive their predecessors? Hell, in college, my room mates had an N64 that worked perfectly, and an NES.

B.S.

-R

The first time I lost my PS3 it was due to a tragic ceiling collapse accident. Where all the water fell only on my PS3 which had 100% on LittleBigPlanet .

The second time was the YLoD.

 

[Robin91939]

The first time I lost my PS3 it was due to a tragic ceiling collapse accident. Where all the water fell only on my PS3 which had 100% on LittleBigPlanet .

The second time was the YLoD.

I feel your pain.


I'll probably go back and replay both Uncharteds and Arkham Asylum after I play through Uncharted 3 and Arkham City but not before...I don't want to be sick of both titles by the time I start playing the new games.

I probably won't double back and play through the Assassin's Creed games, though....

-R