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Disc Read Error, for life?

November 7, 2003 By Glenn Turner

Today Arstechnica posted an article on how to get rid of the dreaded PS2 Disc Read Error, with handy step-by-step pictures so even a hardware buffoon like myself could do it. And in fact, I will be pulling my dead PS2 out from my trashbin (under my bed) and try to revive it Frankenstein-style.

But for those of us PS2 owners whose errors occured way before this enlightening article was available, it was a grave problem. There were sites that sprung up, such as Phony's Disc Read Error which while entertaining, does not have a wealth of information other than pointing at repair forums. And while the repair forums are a bit of a consolation in the way that we love wallowing in misery with others, I'd reckon many ended up walking away either confused, or with a completely busted up PS2.

I encountered the infamous Disc Read Error after purchasing a used PS2 from EBGames (which was a trial in and of itself). In the matter of a few months the errors started popping up, and culminated the day of GTA: Vice City's release resulting in a open PS2, a can of air and virtually no playing of said game for a month, until I finally ended up just getting a new PS2. And we all know of the notorious 'Dirty Disc Error' that riddles the Xbox. In fact, the only current console that I haven't heard of anyone having any problems with is the Gamecube, but that doesn't mean Nintendo is without blame - anyone recall getting on their knees to blow dust out of your NES, or applying the same oral technique to the system's cartridges?

Am I the only one that sees a problem with this? While consoles have not always been entirely reliable, all signs point to them slowly but surely devolving to an unstable platform. More and more users seem to be having crippling problems with their hardware and an even harder time getting the damn things fixed. The main selling point for consoles is the instantaneous gratification of popping a game into your system, and these errors invalidate that promise when you have to crack open up the unit just to get it to play. Will we see a 'hardware stability' rating for the next wave of consoles, and then re-evaluations as new hardware models come out? I can understand the mounting pressures of getting a new unit out in a timely manner while having mind-blowing technical specs, but are the console makers starting to take 'the next step' a bit too far and sacrifice the quality of the gameplay experience? After all, that's what we buy these systems for, and is it fair to basically force the console owner to beta test the hardware?

All I can say is that as a result of my Disc Read Error experience, I have become leary of buying any used consoles - no matter who or where they are from. Perhaps that may not help any future console glitch, but it most certainly will hurt nothing but my wallet. And here is my question for you - are you satisfied with the current hardware stability and required maintenance of consoles? If you have any horror stories to share, now is the time!

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