The PS1 was not that reliable?

[lindbergh]

I've had a lot of good memories with the PlayStation. I've played a lot of good games in it. But during the course of enjoying the games, the were some instances when the console failed me and I had to get it serviced. The main problem that I faced was with regards to its lens. There were times when it couldn't read discs that I wanted to play. Do you think that the PS1 was not a reliable console?

 

[SS42A]

In my case, my old PS1 still played the genuine discs without any incident, but my pirated discs have not been played with. Perhaps the lens reader has already been strained through time, and it then stopped playing pirated games. Gradually, the lens reader either stopped reading even the genuine discs, or suffered a malfunction. Though the PS1 does have good memories, in the end it depreciated itself to oblivion and I wouldn't miss it much, unlike the PS2.

 

[DrRipley]

I had this problem too, and I agree that it wasn't very reliable once it got old. I had to flip mine over each time I wanted to use it just so the lens would read the disc. Also, it didn't always work that way as I usually had to tilt it a good number of ways just to find which angles would work best each time. I'm sure glad that newer consoles are a lot more reliable nowadays, as that time really has made me appreciate it.

 

[cenarion]

Actually, I've hardware issues with both my PS2 and PS3, but my PS1 still works like a champion I think. At least it did a few months ago. Maybe I was lucky, though.

 

[Titan]

It depends on the model PSX you have. Launch models are plagued with laser issues.....like pretty much every first generation of any Sony console, lol. My PSX though hasn't been turned on since I got my PS2 though I bet you if I hooked it up and fired it up, it would work. I actually kind of want to try this right now.

EDIT: Doesn't work well. What do you know. Powers up but seems the laser is an issue. Stood it up vertical like a PS2 and went into the game. Guess that's what 13 years of sitting will do to it Guess I'll have to use my PS2 for all my PSX games.

 

[deathbyprayer]

Well for one, that ominous Sony logo at the beginning, I hate it when that logo appears more than 30 seconds, it gives that tinging feeling. For the original game discs, I have not much trouble with, but the pirated ones are a pain in the butt, they often, more times than not, freezes. I had a pirated copy of Metal Gear Solid 2 once, and every time I reach a certain level the game just freezes, which is very very frustrating, I've never finished that game ever since.

 

[Haymansafc]

I have to consider myself to be quite fortunate in this respect, then…! I had a fairly early original Playstation and I didn't have any major issues with it. The round top-opening lid worked itself a little loose over time and of course, it occasionally crashed when the Sony/PS logo appeared after turning on a game but that was pretty much as bad as it got for me…

I also suffered one (perhaps two) memory card breakages and I recall a controller starting to go a bit temperamental where you had to really press the buttons or 'wiggle' the wire connecting the controller at where it joined for it to jump back to life…

Having said this about the actual console, I know one of my best friends at the time did have an issue with the lazer on his Playstation – but this only cropped up after he got it chipped.

 

[wilson83]

I don't recall mine ever going bad, I really think back then Sony made better disc readers, as later on with the PS2 they became cheaper, now with the PS2 I went through a few systems, and always having to clean it, didn't have those problems with PS1 that I can remember, and I played my PS1 A LOT back then. And a funny thing, I did pick up a PS1 slim, or what ever they called it while the PS2 was on the market, now that was a cheap system.

Disc on the other hand, it seemed like it was very hard to keep them in good shape.

 

[Madcat32]

My original grey PS lasted about 7 years although the last couple I had to play the machine upside down to read discs LOL it actually worked!

 

[SpaceTiger]

The PSX was very reliable mainly because there was no reason to want to sit it on its side and have it fall over like the PS2. In my experience you would've had to have been doing some serious moving around or dropping stuff on it for it to mess up a disc.

 

[gamerteabwoi]

I never really had any problems with my Ps1 the only time that it began to give me problems was when one of my little cousins ran through the living room as we were playing and dragged the console to the ground. It was only after it had gotten that fall that it began to react differently but after a few short days it was back to working as good as normal. So for me it was very reliable.

 

[The Unlosing Ranger]

The fatty was great but we had a break in years ago and it was stolen (when I was a child pf course). My parents got me a tiny One but it didn't last as long as the fatty... it's around in this apartment but it's barely functional by now.

 

[Razor]

I never really had any problems with my Ps1 the only time that it began to give me problems was when one of my little cousins ran through the living room as we were playing and dragged the console to the ground. It was only after it had gotten that fall that it began to react differently but after a few short days it was back to working as good as normal. So for me it was very reliable.

Kids running through the house give me bad flashbacks of my Genesis and PS1 breaking.

 

[yvette4887]

I feel the PS1 was reliable. I really do not remember having any problems with my PS1 console. It all depends if you got a good one out of millions sold or how you treat it. I think I played my PS1 the most out of the others. I was happy to have a PS1 when if first came out. I played it to death, like it was going out of style. I still have my PS1 but I let the little ones play with it now. Even though I don't care about it anymore and the little ones are rough with it, it is still going strong. As I think about it there were times it did not read the disc but I never had to take it to be service. I would just clean the disc or the disc reader and it would work. PS make good and reliable game consoles, which is why I still have my PS1, and a PS2 and PS3, and soon a PS4.

 

[SpaceTiger]

I was watching that destruction test between GC, Xbox, and PS2 (I wonder why DC wasn't included) and the PS2 didn't do so hot. I will say that it was extreme situations it was tested in. If it's everyday stuff like falling from an upright position the PS2 was pretty okay given that it was off and nothing was inside. Falling from waist or like from a dresser--which is just asking for it to be broken--I doubt it would work afterwards.

Personally I believe that the Sony built them not with "Everyone of every age will be playing this" in mind, but that their fanbase was growing with them and by a certain age/period in the PlayStation family their fanbase would know how to handle electronics. By the time PS3 and PS4 came out, that fanbase that grew up with PSX from the jump would mostly be older and at the age when they buy their own consoles. When you buy it yourself you're likely to take better care of it.

 

[Razor]

That makes sense to me. I mean there will obviously be younger kids each generation getting the consoles, but for the adult gamers who invest in their consoles it does seem like they were built less and less sturdy. However, they could afford to be less sturdy since most of us are at the age where we shouldn't put any electronic device in any sort of peril. It's one thing if PS4 is your first console and you don't know how to prevent overheating, but if PS1 or PS2 were your first, by now you should know better. I'd even argue if the PS3 was your first you should know to take better care of a gaming console.

 

[SeanM]

I've had a lot of good memories with the PlayStation. I've played a lot of good games in it. But during the course of enjoying the games, the were some instances when the console failed me and I had to get it serviced. The main problem that I faced was with regards to its lens. There were times when it couldn't read discs that I wanted to play. Do you think that the PS1 was not a reliable console?

I wouldn't say that, remember alot of things have to be taken into consideration, the lens gets less powerful over time and it also can get dirty, also the dis itself could be dirty or scratched.

 

[Tomba]

That makes sense to me. I mean there will obviously be younger kids each generation getting the consoles, but for the adult gamers who invest in their consoles it does seem like they were built less and less sturdy. However, they could afford to be less sturdy since most of us are at the age where we shouldn't put any electronic device in any sort of peril. It's one thing if PS4 is your first console and you don't know how to prevent overheating, but if PS1 or PS2 were your first, by now you should know better. I'd even argue if the PS3 was your first you should know to take better care of a gaming console.

I think the question was more about the reliability and not the durability. PlayStation durability varied by the console generation, but they were typically reliable.

 

[firelily99]

Mine probably aged prematurely due to the fact that it was used so much. I wasn't the only one who played on it so it saw heavy wear.

 

[FosterTXT]

I have to disagree. I felt that the PlayStation was a very reliable console. In fact I still have my original PlayStation 1 that is nearly 20 years old. It is one of the few consoles that hasn't given me any issues, the other one being the SNES.