How long should a Console last ?

WIBSBOT · 16 Mar 2007 at 13:51

How long would you expect a console to last before it breaks down/goes kaputt ?

Dr_Evil · 16 Mar 2007 at 13:56

3-4 years if you look after it?

dustiestrat · 16 Mar 2007 at 13:59

yeah i'd say 2-3 if you play a lot though not 13 month like my 360

roboffer · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:00

I dont understand peoples concept of consoles, it shouldnt break.

1CE · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:03

My megadrive 2 is still going strong

Logsi · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:04

roboffer said:
I dont understand peoples concept of consoles, it shouldnt break.

Thats exactly what i was thinking!

You've payed for something to last not break, ever!

But manufacturers do it on purpose though to get more revenue, like GHD straighteners for example, my sister has gone through 3 of them in as many years. These are £100 straightener, they use cheap components in them to only last like a year.

She still buys them though

Josh

TC1 · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:04

Still using my PS2. Awesome!

dannyjo22 · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:09

roboffer said:
I dont understand peoples concept of consoles, it shouldnt break.

Exactly, but the competition has driven them to push limits.

WIBSBOT · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:11

roboffer said:
I dont understand peoples concept of consoles, it shouldnt break.

What not ever ??? :eek:

Raymond Lin · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:19

1CE said:
My megadrive 2 is still going strong

My SNES is still working, my original 1989 Gameboy still works !

Dannyb01y · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:20

Consoles are far more advanced than the days of the megadrive and the snes. Now we have moving parts, multiple processers and heat to deal with among many other things so i guess its not surprising consoles break down more than they used to.. having said that i dont think 5 years is an unreasonable length of time to expect something to work..

theo · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:24

Dannyb01y said:
Consoles are far more advanced than the days of the megadrive and the snes. Now we have moving parts, multiple processers and heat to deal with among many other things so i guess its not surprising consoles break down more than they used to.. having said that i dont think 5 years is an unreasonable length of time to expect something to work..

well the whole point is is that when those old consoles came out they were pushing the limits aswell

i will say though that before cd's were used in consoles though i'd never heard of a single one breaking

still have a master system, a mega drive, amiga500 and n64 working, whilst my old xbox is on its way out, though the saturn still works fine

it's just the way consumers are being bullied these days to be satisfied with things working for only a year or so

Sanchez · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:30

I think it's unreasonable to expects consoles to last a long period of time. I remember getting through a couple on SNES when I was younger. If memory serves they used to last about 14 months before breaking (just after the warranty had run out). This happened to me and a number of my friends too. I've been through a few DC too. I'd expect a console to last about 3-4 years probably.

JUMPURS · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:31

My Original PS2 still works, or at least it did the last time i fired it up, musta got that 2001? I got my old PlayStation from years before that and i also have a dreamcast from sometime.

I would be annoyed if a console didn't last me at least 3-4 years. I dont really expect PC components, dvd players etc to last longer than that, so i think it is a bit much to expect a console to last much longer.

The older ones will still work, but the majority of the old ones that still work are probably all cartidge based. So less to break.

Logsi · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:33

I have had my release day PS2 since release funnily enough and it still works!

DOesnt play Blue Disks but plays DVD ones.

There is a fix though but ill have to open up the PS2 to do that.

Josh

skullman · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:35

I reckon the 2 main culprits these days are cd/dvd drives and also the HEAT current consoles are generating. If components are operating at too high temps then they simply wont last as long.

Yas786 · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:43

In theory forever really, but in reality maybe a good few yrs ie 2 yrs max or less.

Syph · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:45

I've only ever had one console break, and that was because my brother dropped the Dreamcast getting out of the car. We bought a second hand one for £50 and it's still going strong, along with my NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii and a selection of handhelds.

In terms of the question, I would say 5+ years is a fair time, longer really, but things do run outta juice. At least if you could guarantee 5+ years you'd at least have the next model.

Joebob · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:46

Spawn said:
In theory forever really, but in reality maybe a good few yrs ie 2 yrs max or less.

If a console only lasted 2 years I would be really annoyed and take it back to the retailer and rant at the manager about the sale of goods atc tbh.

Syph · 16 Mar 2007 at 14:46

Spawn said:
In theory forever really, but in reality maybe a good few yrs ie 2 yrs max or less.

2 years max? There's not a chance I'd buy anything £200+ that would die within 2 years. I'd be gutted if I had a 360 or Wii die within that short space of time. They should comfortably take a hammering to the next generation IMO.