That sounds like a 360 Fanboy to me.

I wonder how many people went, oh look it's slim, it must produce no heat if it's that small, let me put into this small cabinet with no air flow, or how about I put it close to the wall blocking the exhaust, it doesn't matter because the slim is so quiet and cool...4 days later...OMG SONY SUCKS, MEH PS3 SLIM IS OVERHEATING!!!

These types of people in the past have killed many 360 and to a lesser degree PS3 doing retarded things like this...it's a fact, some people just don't know how to take care of their electronics and because of their incompetence, their electronics break.
Use to work at EB my self, and yeah I had to deal with it as well, the most common things I saw were brand new games being returned the next day only to have the data side scratched to the shit house and them claiming they bought it like that, the parents would get pissed once I denied their request, bitches got owned XD

It could also be that the people that return the PS3 slims are doing so because they need the money back, many buy on impulse even if they haven't got the money, credit cards, the best friend to those that can't control their finances, and as such have to return the slims back to get a refund, of course the return is followed up with an excuse and what better excuse than to say it over heats just because it's a little warm after gaming on it.

I'll give this to the end of this year, if nothing more is said, then it's either some defective units or retarded customers, but if things blow out like RROD did, then Sony has a big issue on their hands....I guess we have to wait and see how things turn out, but I'm guessing it's the latter and not the former that is the case a majority of the time.

Well, you guys have to understand, that although power plugs usually work any way you plug them in,one way actually really is "incorrect", as it creates a lot (about 1000x more than the other way round) of static interference and electro-magnetic fields (so called "electro-smog").

I'm not sure if "e-smog" really is bad for your health, but it quite surely is bad for electronic devices as it may induct currents into sensible parts. That's why I think companies should finally start labeling how cords are plugged in the "right way" into the devices/outlets.

But the PS3 slim power cable has AC current running through it, the current is constantly changing direction hence the name Alternating current, so it doesn't matter which way it's plugged in because the result will be the same, and this is why the plug the connects to the slim has a uniform shape, otherwise it would have a specific shape which means their is only one way of plugging it in, like the phat PS3 power plug, but that's not the case.

In regards to EMF pollution, by law PS3 and all consumer electronics have built in shielding, so that 1) the don't affect other electronics, and 2) doesn't expose us to unnecessary EMF, the cables them selves do emit a minute EMF, but it's nothing tha can affect us nor affect other electronics.

it does everything- including working with the power cord put in upside down

Lafiel, I'm an electrical engineer, and not to blow my own trumpet, but thats a load of sh*te. Mains power is AC, alternative current going back and forth in the active wire. So as far as a switchmode power supply is concerned, which the PS3 has, switching the polarity of the AC plug is simply seen as a 180 deg phase shift, which has no effect on the EMI performance of the circuit.

These plugs are sometimes keyed, but usually its to aid mating with the socket, not due to some polarity induced issue.

There's only one way it can go in, first of all...

Also, the system just launched... of course there are going to be some noob remarks on the internet, or just some xbots making shit up.... UPSIDE DOWN???? SERIOUSLY??

@ Destroyer_of_knights )

Then I wonder why there still is a measureable difference in the em-fields between plugging a power cord into the outlet one way or the other.
I'm not aware of the concrete physics behind that, but I know that there are people that make a living by running through peoples homes with emf detectors and not seldomly identify an "incorrectly" plugged in cable as a source of radiation.(we do have AC in germany aswell, so that shouldn't be the reason)

It didn't seem to me that all of 'em are charlatans (although I'm willing to believe that many are).

I'd have to say they are charlatans, at least the majority, cuz I'm sure there a genuine situations. Put it this way, there are IT people payed to simply set up computers...now if you look at it everything is colour coded and has symbols and all, hell they could simply base it on the physical plugs, but no they hire and pay big bucks to have a 'pro' set things up for them.

There is allot of money to be made off people who are reluctant to learn or even attempt to try do things them selves.

I use to work for an ISP company here in Australia, and I remeber telling this guy to simply unplug the phone cable from his ADSL modem wait about 3 minutes while we configure his modem, and he stopped me right there and requested a technician to come out, a fucking technician which would cost him 150 bucks for the service call, I told him it was simple and that I'd guide him on what he needed to do, he declined and said he wanted the pro's todo it, so I booked him a tech...sigh there are so many people I had to deal with like this.

the ps2 was the same aswell