Right now i don't like much of the PS3 games in 2007. I'm waiting for GTA IV, MGS4 and Gran Turismo 5 in 2008. I love those games!

Anyway right now i've been using my PS3 as a Blu-Ray Player, but i am getting a bit worried because i remember what consumers say about the PS2 when you use it as a DVD Player. It drained the life expectancy out of the PS2.

Will that happen to the PS3?

Personally, I don't believe in stressing a console's life by extensively using it as an optical media player. The tasks required of it are different (constant reading at a consistent speed) than gaming and it seems to burn through drives. I killed both a PS2 and an Xbox this way (second systems in other rooms, should have just coughed up $100 for a DVD player at the time).

With that said, the PS3 seems to be holding up well as a media player. I personally wouldn't test it but that's just my opinion and I'm sure there are several others who will disagree.

How long did it take for your PS2 and Xbox to be burned out?

It took about a year and a half for both, maybe two years. Again, I have to state that my experiences may not be typical. I am terrible about leaving a menu running overnight while I fall asleep and that will absolutely murder an optical drive.

It will be replaced about 2012, thats the plan.

I don't think anybody is going to have any kind of real answer for you since it'll have to happen to several people to nail it down. Even so I kinda doubt you'll have a problem since the PS3 is built way stronger than the PS2 ever was. I've been using the hell out of mine for a year now and it runs like a top but with my PS2 after about 6 months of using it as a dvd player it started making funny noises, never died tho.

"my PS2 after about 6 months of using it as a dvd player it started making funny noises"


That's what i mean when i used my PS2 as a DVD Player 6-12 months down the track it started to make those weird sounds.

I hope it doesn't happen to the PS3.

Well considering there hasn't been a reported case of it happening yet (that I've heard of) I probably wouldn't worry about it urz-truly. Just for a reference, I used my PS2 on and off as a DVD player for the last 3 years and it's still going strong, so it varies. Here's hoping that you're not one of the first unlucky people to have their blu-ray screw up.

This is why I haven't used the internal drive of my 360 as a movie player and kept my standalone DVD player in the cabinet.  Optical drives have fairly small motors and the more you use them the higher your probability that you will experience a failure.  For next-gen movies I have the 360 external HD-DVD drive, so I would be out $179 if I had to replace the mechanism.

You could look at this in a number of ways... if you don't watch movies often, then it's likely not going to have much of an effect.  If you watch movies regularly, maybe the PS3s will cost $199 by the time your drive might fail and then who cares (unless that $199 model lacks features such as BC that your current model has, and that would mean more money to replace the unit).  If you watch movies a lot, then perhaps you would be better off with a cheap standalone player.

Hear that Sony??  Don't make people replace a $400-$500 game console 1 year from now because you sell your standalone Blu-ray players for too darn much!

If it were me, I would go light on the Blu-ray movies until a cheap standalone blu-ray player could be had.

My friend's launch model PS2 died the first month he had it from DVD use. I got mine after the first price cut and it lasted a year and a half. Luckily I got the extended warranty after seeing what his did.

I don't have a PS3 yet, but he has had his since launch. He doesn't have room near his TV for a lot of equipment, so he uses the PS3 as his primary DVD player. I think that is foolish, but so far it still works like new.  

Even though the Blu Ray format seems to be winning the format war, I'm not going to invest any money in media or players until HD-DVD is dead.