September 5, 2008
consoles - they dont make them like they used to?
seem very prone to breaking down - my xbox blew up within a month and had to be replaced (also scratched a brand new copy of GTA4 - so I had to buy it again ??!)
my mates PS3 has just kicked the bucket -
remember NES ?? remember Sega Genesis / Megadrive..
N64 - Gamecube…I dont think I ever came across a faulty N64 or NES EVER - infact I still have a working N64 - its over 10 years old and still works..
SNES was a great console
They don't make them like they used to, they make them out of more advanced and more fragile technology. But that doesn't mean they're prone to breaking unless you abuse them. The ps3 owner's manual, at least, has very clear instructions for keeping it in good order.
By far the biggest difference between the new consoles and the old ones is the amount of processing power and number of processors. I don't know if you've ever seen the difference between a 600 mhz pentium 3 and a 2.8 gHz pentium 4, but you should take a look. The p3 coppermine is a square about 1.5 inches on each side, with a small heatsink and fan on top of it. The P4 is about 3 inches on a side, with a huge heatsink and a huge fan, about 8 times as big in volume. That is how much more heat is generated by a 3ghz cpu than a 1ghz cpu. It's a barrier the industry has been trying to break for a long time, 4 gHz is about the max for any single core which is why pc's and consoles have gone multicore.
The ps3 has a total of 8 processors, 1 3.2 ghz core and 7 co-processors also running at 3.2 ghz. The xbox360 has 3 cores, again each running 3.2 ghz. That is a lot of heat. The ps3 needs extra cooling rods and powerful case fans to get the heat out of there reliably. Both consoles push the limits of how fast a box can run without the processors cooking themselves.
Compare that to ps2 and xbox (and wii, for that matter), the ps2 ran on a 300mhz core and the xbox and wii run on 700mhz cores. They don't need much cooling, just the regular heatsinks and a system fan.
So you can run the last-generation consoles in 80-plus degree weather, and let them get dusty, and get away with it. But not with ps3 and xbox360. They are as powerful and as sensitive to heat as pc's are, and you should treat them like pc's, avoiding running them at higher than room temperature, or below the dew point, and not allowing them to get dusty.
The xbox360 especially had problems because it was rushed into market without enough heatsinks in the design, leading to all kinds of hardware failures. Most of those were people who treated them like the previous xbox's though.
Having to take better care of the console is the price of having a better console. If you're that nostalgic for the older ones, you could just stick with them. But if you're keeping that xbox you'll have to live with the heat issue.
Filed under GTA4 Xbox by GTA
Comments on consoles - they dont make them like they used to?
why do so many people compain about this, the new age of consoles do also come with morep roblems but they have a greater number of parts and complexity to them in providing HD graphics, Blu-ray/DVD players, wireless internet, several processors and graphics cards etc. etc.
Your basic N64 stuck a cartridge in a box and it did a great job.
Plus Xbox and Sony are pretty reliable in getting repairs/replacements sorted.
In answer to your question, no they don't make them like they used to because then they wouldn't be next gen consoles would they?
I've had an xbox two years now and not had a single problem.
totaly,
my wife bought me a nintendo nes and snes in one for our anniversary!!!!
brilliant,mario,starwing……ect
As agius said, the problem is that they have more moving parts now and squeeze this hefty powerful parts into a small space while keeping the cost down - so over heating occours.
the next gen is going through some evolution, the next set might even be plauged with simlair problems.
Yeah of course the more high tech parts they have the greater the chance of something breaking.
First of all the PS3 failure rate is less than 1%
The 360's is 33%
But this generation of consoles do so much more,surf the net,watch movies,download games,play wirelessly.etc,etc,the old consoles only had to play games, and yes the old consoles also broke, mines stopped working and i kept it in great condition.
hey whos to say the new generation of consoles won't work in 10 years.
your absolutely right. they don't because people are more money hungry and they just want more of it. hey my N64 still works to after 10 yrs and some of the cords got chewed up from my rabbit and it still works. if my n64 could servive that any next gen console should. microsoft cheaped out and put a cheaper less expensive chip into the xbox so they could save money. now they regret it with all these xbox's failing.
but all the consoles you mention were from nintendo. maybe just nintendo makes good high quality consoles. but my ps2 still works as well after 9 yrs of ownersship.
its like they can't cheap out with these current counsols. they need to make sure they will last long enough. or maybe there purposely making them faulty so us as customers will buy new ones.
that is so true
cool, i have a 10yr old n64 aswell =p
my only problem is that both my controllers r broken and i can't find another one for less that 15$ that is nintendo made
i remmeber a few yrs ago, gamestop hadd n64 consoles with a controller for $10…if only i cashed in on em and sold em on ebay lol