Sony PS3 no disc read issue is the real deal
Filed under: Gaming, Sony Playstation 3 | By: Daniel
Posted on: August 5, 2008 | 225 Comments
The Sony PS3 no disc read issue is the real deal and lets quieten the gamers that claim its just coincidence that people are getting this problem after firmware 2.42 update.
We have had over 40 reports of the Blu-ray / Disc read issues and this is not just a few Playstation 3 owners getting this problem. 40 people are not many, but that’s just reports to us and we see many more on other sites and forums.
Have you had disc read issues with your PS3?
The comment below was one we heard from one of our readers and they raise some very good questions:
I’m 39 years old. I take very good care of my electronics. I don’t have kids (yet). Bought a pre-owned 20GB PS3 off someone back in Feb 08. It was in immaculate condition. Never had a single problem or issue with it at all. Until this weekend. I can’t recall if it was specifically after 2.42 that I got the “no disc read” issue, but it was definitely after 2.41 for sure. As of this weekend (updated to 2.42 a few days back with no problems in gameplay/Blu-ray playback etc) my PS3 no longer reads/recognizes any kind of disc whatsoever. I get the “working bubble” in the upper right hand corner of the screen, but the disc doesn’t appear in the XMB. This is NOT a phantom issue, and if it’s a “coincidence” that so many of us are experiencing this (and at an increasing rate) then maybe OJ really WAS 100% innocent after all and Dubya is truly the greatest president this country has ever seen.
I don’t have the warranty option, so it’s either send the unit in and shell out the money to get it fixed, or wait for a possible firmware update to correct the problem.
My question is this: what do they do at the Sony repair center to correct this problem? Is it firmware related, or is it simple mechanical failure? Can anyone with tech experience sound off on this? Why are so many of us all of a sudden having variations on the same problem in the span of a few months?
Yes, this is a real problem. As I stated before, I’m super careful with my stuff and know better than to shut the console off during an update, etc. I’m happy for those of you who aren’t suffering this frustration, and hope that you won’t have to. Or in the least, that if it happens to you Sony will already be on top of the issue instead of shrugging it off and happily collecting 150.00 a pop for the trouble.
C’mon Sony. We deserve better than this.
So why are so many people getting this disc read issue after firmware 2.42, is it software or a hardware at fault?
CLICK HERE to keep updated with the latest news, share a comment or problems with products and services. Follow us on twitter or read more Blu-ray, disc, Sony PS3 news.
Well, isn’t this a fine kettle of fish? Let me just add to the conundrum.
I have two PS3s. One is connected to the internet via ethernet, the other relies on a manually optioned wireless connection. The 60G that is connected via ethernet stopped working last night during a blu-ray play of Lost Boys. It won’t play anything now. No blu ray, no PS3 games, not even the old PS2 games.
The 40G hasn’t been updated probably since March or April. I put Lost Boys in there this morning and it played all the way through. I was also able to play the blu ray version of Enchanted, all my PS3 games worked and the PS2 ones I tried worked as well. I didn’t bother checking what fw version is on there, but I daresay it’s probably 1. something.
So how does that play out? Is it a coincidence that the regularly updated machine suddenly flopped out? Or is it a faulty machine? I’m fairly sure at this point I don’t want to try updating the 40G to see if it has the same problem as the 60G. Plain stupid doesn’t suit me.
I believe Sony charging for repairs on this problem is unwarranted, especially if this is a problem caused by one of their updates. I’m going to call tomorrow and see what’s up. Both my machines should still be covered by the warranty but I couldn’t tell you offhand where the reciepts are. And I’ve read somewhere else that you need to have a copy of the reciept in order to get a replacement unit.
Should be interesting. I’ll let you all know what happens.
@ IHateYouAll
Okay, I’ve just about had it with you 10 year old brats. Your name says it all. If you don’t want to help, then shut up. I’m not the other Matt. Yes, there is more than one human being in the world named Matt. I was responding to earlier posts where Sony is implying this is a hardware problem. This is not a hardware problem, it is a update problem. Therefore, there should not be a warranty issue. Sony has already admitted screwing up updates in the past. And they are preparing to make another statement about this update. If you did not update to 2.42 then wait. If you did, and your system cannot read disks, then wait, they will have another update relatively soon.
I’m personally disappointed with Sony, they had my respect as a company that put a lot of effort into quality. Now it looks like they trying to pretend they are not at fault here.
@ Matt
Matt, buddy, come on…you have to be able to back up your frivolous claims.
“This is not a hardware problem, it is a update problem”
Explain how you know this rather than Sony’s 2.4 previous update; provide a link that gives facts, not speculation.
“Sony has already admitted screwing up updates in the past”
Are you saying because a company admits one fault that every claim made from that day forth should be believed without any hard evidence to back it up other than claim on forums?
“[Sony is] preparing to make another statement about this update”
Please, post a direct quote from a Sony spokesperson and provide the link so people like me can believe you. If you and Product Reviews don’t provide these quotes and links, everything you say is meaningless like your life.
“If you did not update to 2.42 then wait”
Too late, I updated my system and it’s still working great.
“they will have another update relatively soon”
Do you know the exact date Sony will be releasing their next PS3 firmware update or are basing this on the fact Sony regularly updates the PS3? (D0uche)
“Now it looks like they trying to pretend they are not at fault here”
And here’s where you pretend that you know what your talking about. Playing video games and owning a console doesn’t magically qualify you as an engineer, or didn’t you know that?!
**Stop fanboyism; hang yourself**
Agreed, MattG. I called Sony this morning and they had me reset the 60G to factory defaults. It worked for about ten minutes, then froze up again. If it was a hardware issue it wouldn’t work at all, I’m sure.
I’m debating over waiting for the next fw update or sending it back. I still have a couple of months on the warranty (and I found the receipt), but do I want to wait for the next update only to find out that it screws it up more?
How often do they release updates? Anyone know?
All right. I called Sony back again and here’s what I was told.
They want me to send the machine back to them. I pestered the poor girl with so many questions she had to put me on hold so she could ask someone. Seemed to me she was doing her best to toe the company line, but there is something up.
The most important things she said (and these are direct quotes) were that this is a “known software issue” and that it’s “rare”. They want the machine back and they’re sending a box for me to return it in. I asked if this was an issue related to one of their firmware updates and she put me on hold, only to return and say that she wasn’t aware that it was.
She’s not aware, or in other words “I’m evading your question”.
So there you go. If it’s a “known software issue” then Sony shouldn’t be charging for people to have their faulty machines repaired, not even after the warranty period as far as I’m concerned.
Oh, and one more thing. This girl kept asking me if I was playing “actual blu-ray discs” or copies of blu-ray movies. The ones I have are all actual blu-ray movies purchased from WalMart. No copies. I don’t own a copied disc and I have no idea where I’d obtain one. But she kept asking if I’d used a PC copied blu-ray disc at any time. Maybe this voids the warranty? You all might want to keep that in mind when talking to Sony, just in case.
I’ll post back and update with more info as I get it.
@ Vigilante
Everything you’ve said is hearsay since you are the only person to her these “direct quotes”. If you can provide no tangible evidence (web site, news article, et cetera) that is hearsay.
“I asked if this was an issue related to one of their firmware updates and she put me on hold, only to return and say that she wasn’t aware that it was.”
Did you ever think that maybe she didn’t know what the cause of the problem actually is and put you on hold to ask a peer, supervisor, or manager to insure she was giving you correct information as best as she could? Not everybody’s out to get you, schizo…you don’t need to sound so paranoid.
Here, check this out.
So I called Sony this afternoon to inquire why my PS3 wouldn’t play my X-Box 360. The rep I spoke to was very friendly and professional, but when I asked why my 360 copy of Unreal Tournament wouldn’t play she said, and I quote, “At this time we don’t support our competitors games on our systems”. So I ask if this had to do with Microsoft’s software and she stated “No. The issue is that 360 games are made with 24K gold, and here at Sony we are still using cardboard because Blu-Ray is all fictitious and something we made up to try and make money”
See, I have a direct quote from a Sony rep who stated PS3 games are made out of cardboard.
I believe you, Vigilante, as much as you believe me.
**Stop fanboyism; hang yourself**
I think there’s a direct correlation with updating the firmware to screwing up the system of PS3s. And being in the Philippines. I’m not covered by the warranties enjoyed by other countries. Even the Sony Service Centers here are not authorized to honor the warranties. Which really sucks. There are a lot of instances where updating the firmware via internet damages the unit. It can’t be just a coincidence that my PS3 broke down right after I installed this 2.42 update (I haven’t even played yet). I looked around the internet and it didn’t happen just to me. Shouldn’t Sony do something about this?
oh, and by the way, My unit is only 2 weeks old. I haven’t even played 2 levels of metal gear solid 4 yet.
I made some searching in various website and it is conceivable that updating the PS3 firmware has the risk of damaging the lens. No idea why though.
I’ve got the disc read as well on a 60Gig Launch unit (PAL) and a friend of mine got the same on a 40Gig unit.
The problem is not reading discs but recognizing them. If they don’t show up in XMB I have to eject and insert disc (a few times) until it spins up the disc, but once it recognizes the disc it reads them flawlessly.
IHateYouAll, darling, you’re going to have to do better than that. I deal with trolls like you all day long, day in and day out. And I can tell you this, if you don’t believe me I DON’T GIVE A GOOD GOLLY GOSH DARN.
My comments weren’t directed at you. Everything I put up there is intended to shed some light on what appears to be a growing problem. Do you think I came here just because of you? I came here because my PS3 unit is having a problem and I wanted more information, I wanted to see if anyone else had the same problem or a possible fix for it.
What are you here for?