This may not be news to some but it was to me. A listener sent in a complaint about his PS3 bricking. Apparently this is just called an 80010514 error (because that is the error that is shown on the screen). While it isn’t quite as dramatic as the RRoD (Red Ring of Death) experienced by Xbox 360 owners, it amounts to the same thing – replaced console. The difference? You can (generally) still play DVDs and Blu-rays but no games. Oh, and the problem isn’t prevalent enough for Sony to extend their minuscule 1 year warranty.

While I have no love for Microsoft (and you know I don’t), you got to admit they they stepped up to the plate with this RRoD issue. They even extended their warranty for this particular problem. Since 2 out of 3 Audioholics have experienced it, I really do appreciate that. Now Sony, on the other hand, is content to charge you $150 for the fix if your warranty has expired. Now realize this is a software issue and not a hardware one. From reports, it seems that one of the common causes is interruptions or disruptions when updating firmware. Wow, that just sucks. A lot of times you are forced to update your firmware just to get access to features (like DTS-HD decoding) but to find out that a power glitch or a router hiccup could cost you $150 is a little disheartening.

Websites out there are suggesting such things as making sure your wireless connection is stable, following instructions, and dusting your machine to stave off this problem. Well, that’s reassuring. I’m surprised they didn’t suggest blood sacrifices or staring into the mirror and chanting, “I’ll never pirate Sony software,” three times. What I don’t quite get is how you can have a problem with an update and NOT be able to revert to previous settings. Even reformatting the drive and doing a factory reset does not seem to help the problem. Wow, that just sucks.

This problem definitely isn’t as prevalent as the RRoD phenomenon but it is happening. While I feel for those going through this, there is a small part of me that is smirking at all those, “You should have bought a PS3” comments when my Xbox bricked. I remember all sorts of overheating problems with the PS1 and tons of reported problems with the PS2. All this does is remind everyone what it isn’t Microsoft or Sony that is the enemy. They all suck… just to varying degrees at particular times.

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