PS3 and the Yellow Light of Death


So this is my PS3 as of last Thursday, about to be shipped off and repaired somewhere in Texas.

About a week prior to this photo being taken, my PS3 simply up and quit on me. We were streaming a video on Amazon Prime, and the next thing I knew the screen just went black. Attempts to start up the devices resulted in it beeping, flashing a few lights, and then a constant, blinking red light.

I later learned this was called the yellow light of death, due to a very brief flash of yellow that normally doesn’t appear in the startup sequence.

I got on the phone with support, and though it’s an issue that typically happens with age and time (something comes loose in the machine), it’s not something that’s covered once you’re outside the normal warranty. I found a few videos showing how to fix the problem yourself, but they were more hassle than I wanted to undertake – and some videos claimed that the same “fix” had to be applied, a few months later.

So… I ended up having to send the machine in for repair, at a cost of $97. The plus side with this is that Sony sent me a pre-paid box (above) for shipping. I tried to talk my way out of the service charge, after learning that Matt’s dad was able to do this for a similar problem… but had no luck with the manager I spoke with. The guy did offer me a free game title, once the repair was complete – which was nice. So assuming that game is somewhere in the neighborhood of $50, all in all it’s not a bad deal.

Funny how lately, the PS3 has become more of a streaming video device and less of a gaming system. There’s definitely a gap now in our TV watching, and not having Netflix/Amazon just feels weird. We’re watching old DVD’s, like barbarians.

Related:
Amazon Prime Instant Video Finally Available On PlayStation 3
A Saturday Afternoon Spent Watching The Movie “Krull”
Playing Journey

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