I got my Playstation 2 on launch. It's a big piece of shit now. I can barely get brand new games to play without the infamous "Disc Read Error". I am really getting tired of this crap. I've read multiple times that you are able to send your Playstation 2 in, and recieve a new one free of charge. Does anyone know anything about this, or where I might go to find information regarding this? Thanks in advance.

do you mean you ordered it online?

if you bought it from a store though I do have one suggestion. Hopefully you kept the reciept for it, and you can take it back to the store you bought it from. Most stores (some dont) will refund it or else give you a new one without any fees.

Failing that I would check Sony's website, they may have something about sending in mal-functioning equipment.

This has happened with my friends on a few occasions, their solution was to turn it so its standing on its side, it helped read the discs and they were able to play. Hope that works for ya, i know its simple but it did the trick for them =P

I've turned it upside down, on it's side, right-side up. Now i just throw shit at it. I'm going to try to pull some shady stuff and return it to Wal-Mart. God knows Sam doesn't need the cash. =P

Give credit where credit is due. =p

I didn't want the feds after you!

The same thing happened to mine, bought on launch day and a few months ago started getting disc read errors on DVDs. Piece of crap.

Wal~Mart is the devil!

If you are going to buy a replacement, might be smart to wait for E3. Rumors going around of drops of Xbox and/or PS2 to $99.... Course that means waiting 2 more months.

Kad

www.techtv.com/xplay/feat...50,00.html (http://www.techtv.com/xplay/features/story/0,24330,3516150,00.html)

www.gamefaqs.com/console/...26308.html (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/26308.html)

I copied both links off the PS2 forums. Some people have had luck with the TechTV fix. I know another post said that Sony would fix it for free.. but it looked like a guy talking out of his a$$. I'd say overall, if the warranty has expired they would charge you an arm and a leg.

And as already noted.. many of the systems are falling to 99.00 to compete with Gamecube's reduction in the comming months.

This problem is huge with the PS/2...Shinji Mikami of Capcom flamed Sony for it (<a href="http://www.gameforms.com/news/?414" target="_new">www.gameforms.com/news/?414</a>). Many...MANY...people have complained about this. IMO this is worse than the overheating problems of the PS1. I don't know why Sony can't get it right...and every other manufacturer seems to be able to deal with these problems beforehand without some issue that is the trademark of one of their products.

Anyway...here's a good article on Ars Technica about dealing with disk read errors on the Playstation2: <a href="http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/003/gaming/ps2/ps2-1.html" target="_new">http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/003/gaming/ps2/ps2-1.html</a>

I'm looking at having to replace mine as well as mine has gotten so bad it will not read anything. One thing that helped for a while was setting it on it's side...but the problem just gets worse and worse. My PS2 lasted somewhere between 2-3 years.

One thing I would do differently is buy a separate DVD player. One of the ways I kinda justified spending the cash on the PS2 was that it would double as a DVD player. Let me tell you...PS2's make shitty DVD players. I had a PS2 and a computer hooked up to my TV...the PS2 was on the component input (The 5 head RCA connector cable) and my Computer was on my VGA input of my TV. That component connection is supposed to be one of the best ways you can hook up a video device to a TV as far as quality. Hands down...the computer (and I'm willing to bet any progressive scan DVD player) kicked the crap out of the PS2 for in video quality. The pic on the PC was very smooth whereas the video from the PS2 had big ugly raster scan lines (this is on a 36" television...so it would prolly be less apparent on a smaller TV). In addition, you extend the life of your PS2 =).

Anyway...the answer is...no...Sony will probably NOT repair the problem for free. The good news is that the Ars Technica article above tells you how to open up your PS2 and hopefully fix the problem =). The problem sounds remarkably similar to the read problems endemic to the PS1...you'd think they could find a solution to it the second time around =/.

EDIT: Ok...well...now I found an article that says they WILL fix it for free even if out of warranty (but not if you've installed a modchip)...<a href="http://forums.blasteroids.com/thread_view.cfm/73" target="_new">http://forums.blasteroids.com/thread_view.cfm/73</a>

it seems hella far fetched, but this happens to people at or around the same time, could it be if you changed the date back 2 years
it would work better, might be sonys way of making you buy another one... lol if this works im a genius =p

Did the thing on TechTV. It works perfectly now. Thanks a bunch!

ALL Playstation 2's are defective, in the regards that they are not X-Box's or Gamecube's.

I had this happen.

I got my PS2 on launch...about 6 months ago, same deal. I went to Best Buy, bought another PS2 with cash...came home, removed the guts from the new PS2 and put them in my PS2. Then I put the defective guts back in the new PS2 case (the one with the new serial number on it), and returned it to Best Buy.

Worked like a champ.

Its a laser problem, happens over time because Sony are gimps and didnt think about how much thePS2 would have to do in a regular household (Game Machine, DVD Player and even Audio Player in some cases) meaning most people will have their PS2s doing a lot more than their PS1s ever did.

I heard that Sony do a replacement scheme provided your PS2 is unmodded, undamaged and unaltered in any way. My PS2 is on its way out too, but I had it rigged for disk swapping (wire attached to white CD tray arm and then fed through a hole that I drilled in the side of my PS2) so if I returned it Sony would just laugh.

I heard the lasers tend to die quicker when reading CDR/DVDR media due to extra reflection of the laser from the disk. As far as that goes, I have no idea of any truth to it but it seems logical that some damage would occur in such instances.

Actually...the PS1 had the exact same problem. There was a little potentiometer in the PS1 that you had to adjust once you started getting serious full motion video choppiness and read errors.

PS1 CD Laser repair (http://www.cyber-mag.com/station/laser.html)

If you ever have a defective electronic product still made, its easy to get a new one for free. Purchase new one, return old one with new one's recept. Then the place you bought the new one will send it to the manufacturer to get replaced. Personally waiting to mail it to the manufacturer is just lame :)

I actually don't have a problem doing this to Sony. Back when I used to chip Playstation 1's, my original PS1 finally bit the dust. I bought a new one (at Target)...opened it up to transfer my chip...and noticed finger prints all over the aluminum heat shield...it also had junk-yard crayon writing on it (like auto windows/doors/etc that come from a junk yard do). I also noticed that nothing was where it was supposed to be for a new model playstation. Then I realized Target had sold me a refurbished PS1 as though it was new. The unit worked fine...the seal on the box was unbroken (I inspected it...no funny business)...all the cables and manuals were there and packed as though it was brand new. I thought it was pretty shitty of Sony to send out 4 year old units that had been repaired as new.

I seriously doubt someone returned it to Target and Target resold it...because all the Sony factory seals were still on the box. I understand it might be possible to remove the box seal and put it back, but it didn't look tampered with at all...that and the unit worked.

easy solution...just go to wal-mart, buy a PS2, put your broken PS2 in the box and return it.

I tried the TechTV advice and got the biggest smooch from my spouse -- who is now able to play his Madden football game that I got him for Christmas. In other words, it worked great!

Thanks so much for the link!!

I just had to re-do the tech tv thing again today, but it's working once more. I can deal with doing it once a month. I suppose...

That's enough of your babbling, Ainwein.




Maylen Bojangles