Which Console is the Most Reliable?

[Polygon]

I'm curious which revisions of a console are the most reliable. The PS2 fat or slim? Any revisions of the original X-Box that were more reliable than another? PS1 or PS One? Which model of 360 and PS3? I just wonder which systems I should be buying up to keep the unreliable systems alive.

[BricatSegaFan]

Genesis model 1 = Built like a Toyota pickup. This is the one to get for many reasons.

Nes toaster = self explanatory 72 pin failure

Sega CDX = very prone to major problems. Opt for the Xeye for the all in one Sega CD consoles.

Neogeo CDZ = tends to over heat. Opt for the standard flip top for reliability for the CD consoles.

[Greg2600]

Until the last couple gen's, the older the better, now it's the reverse.

[JakeM]

The N64 will live through the nuclear holocaust, unfortunately the controllers analog stick will not.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

General rule is to never buy a launch version of a system. Launch systems are prone to the most number of problems because they lack actual tested designs that stand the test of time. Later revisions always address earlier problems and try not to introduce new ones. That being said:



The PS2 fat or slim?

Slim models made in 2007 and onward are very reliable.


Any revisions of the original X-Box that were more reliable than another?
Any but the 1.0 which has a fan over the GPU instead of a heatsink. Not only is a fan loud, but it can also fail, while a heatsink just keeps truckin' along. As long as you dont buy a launch release Xbox, you're unlikely to get a gpu fan xbox.


PS1 or PS One?
It doesn't really matter as long as you don't buy a launch PS1. They're otherwise equally reliable.


Which model of 360 and PS3?

Buy an Xbox 360 made after at least 2010 - prior to that systems had a severe risk of RROD.
Fat PS3s are far more reliable than fat 360s, but I suggest you get a slim PS3 (not the super slim ones that came out not too long ago).

[bigbacon]

60gb PS3 != reliable. I'm on my third one and I have 2 total in the house. one the drive stopped reading discs so it is a media devices now.

one went yellow light of death and was replaced with another one which the HD went bad with in a month luckily the place I bought it was nice enough to replace the HD for free and get it working again.

[AdamAnt316]

Call me a luddite, but I think the worst thing that's happened to console reliability are moving parts. CD-ROM drives, hard drives, floppy disk drives, etc. Our first two PS2s both suffered optical drive failures, and the hard drive in our first Xbox developed the "click of death" after we'd had it for a month. Some of these drives are more reliable than others, but eventually, all of them are likely to fail at some point, and replacement parts may become hard to find, if they aren't already.

Cartridge-based systems are generally more reliable, only requiring cleaning/adjustment of the contacts in order to make things work again. Electronic components can also fail, particularly electrolytic capacitors, but these are usually easy to find, and fairly easy to replace in the older systems. Granted, these systems do still have some moving parts in their controllers, but a joystick issue is typically easier to overcome than one with a disk reader.

[wiggyx]

60gb PS3 != reliable. I'm on my third one and I have 2 total in the house. one the drive stopped reading discs so it is a media devices now.

one went yellow light of death and was replaced with another one which the HD went bad with in a month luckily the place I bought it was nice enough to replace the HD for free and get it working again.

Are you being sarcastic?

[bigbacon]

i am not being sarcastic.

[Polygon]

General rule is to never buy a launch version of a system. Launch systems are prone to the most number of problems because they lack actual tested designs that stand the test of time. Later revisions always address earlier problems and try not to introduce new ones. That being said:




Slim models made in 2007 and onward are very reliable.


Any but the 1.0 which has a fan over the GPU instead of a heatsink. Not only is a fan loud, but it can also fail, while a heatsink just keeps truckin' along. As long as you dont buy a launch release Xbox, you're unlikely to get a gpu fan xbox.


It doesn't really matter as long as you don't buy a launch PS1. They're otherwise equally reliable.



Buy an Xbox 360 made after at least 2010 - prior to that systems had a severe risk of RROD.
Fat PS3s are far more reliable than fat 360s, but I suggest you get a slim PS3 (not the super slim ones that came out not too long ago).

Thanks man! Exactly what I was looking for. Look like I'm halfway there.


Call me a luddite, but I think the worst thing that's happened to console reliability are moving parts. CD-ROM drives, hard drives, floppy disk drives, etc. Our first two PS2s both suffered optical drive failures, and the hard drive in our first Xbox developed the "click of death" after we'd had it for a month. Some of these drives are more reliable than others, but eventually, all of them are likely to fail at some point, and replacement parts may become hard to find, if they aren't already.

Cartridge-based systems are generally more reliable, only requiring cleaning/adjustment of the contacts in order to make things work again. Electronic components can also fail, particularly electrolytic capacitors, but these are usually easy to find, and fairly easy to replace in the older systems. Granted, these systems do still have some moving parts in their controllers, but a joystick issue is typically easier to overcome than one with a disk reader.

I love technology, but I agree with you. I have no real concerns about my cartridge based systems other than freak accidents or leaky caps. All these new systems, there's just too much crap to fail.


i am not being sarcastic.

Well, reading your post it seems you're saying that the 60GB PS3 is reliable, and then you go on to say how you've gone through three of them as they've broken. So, you can see the confusion.

[Ed Oscuro]

!= means "not equal to."

PlayStation 7500 has been solid for me over the years. Even the controller is still usable.

PS2, well, I don't have a lot of experience there; I'll give it a while longer. I also need to put back together all my fat PS2s...

The most common point of failure in the original Xbox is the disc drive, of course. Stay away from the Thompson. Still, ours lasted almost the entire time the console was in service. Some games have circular scratches now but it's not too bad. Gotta boot up my replacement sometime and get back to Otogi 2 and Ninja Gaiden, and other stuff (Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is a game that drive hates more than the others for some reason).

For 360 I'm really hoping the latest slim models will be both quiet and reliable. I've got a '09 model but haven't really done much on it - however I consider it a loud console.

[Polygon]

!= means "not equal to."

For 360 I'm really hoping the latest slim models will be both quiet and reliable. I've got a '09 model but haven't really done much on it - however I consider it a loud console.

Never seen it done that way before. I've always seen that represented by ≠ to say, not equal. I'm guessing someone came up with the other way because they didn't want to bother to look the right one up on the character map?

I've also been wondering the same thing about the new slim 360s. I've thought of getting the 4gb model and just saving to a flash drive.

[Parodius Duh!]

Original Fatboy Playstation SCPH-5000 and up. The slim "Psone" has power buttons that stick or completely break over time. The Debug console is best overall as it is region free and will play back ups, stock.

Genesis Model 1 "High Definition Graphics" version (says this on the console) has a better picture and sound than other models


Panasonic Q Gamecube....it plays DVDs and looks cool.

Dreamcast Divers 2000.....its a Dreamcast TV.

[Polygon]

Genesis Model 1 "High Definition Graphics" version (says this on the console) has a better picture and sound than other models

That's not true. All Genesis model 1s had equivalent video quality. Especially when RGB is used as the video isn't encoded. Also, the audio quality is the same among all model 1s except that last revision, the VA7.

[tom]

Using VCS and Coleco with no worries my first console to break was the NES, there and then I thought, yes Japanese cheap crap (should have known when I later found out that Nintendo recalled over 1 million consoles in Japan), later same with PSX, CD stopped working, again Made in Japan, crap...
My first VCS still works a treat, as did my Coleco/Adam setup (sold the Coleco/Adam in 2004).

Even Wall-E still uses a VCS, so there you have it

[Haoie]

Stuff sure isn't built to last nowadays is it?

Everyone see that Gameboy that survived a bombing?

[Guyra]

Never seen it done that way before. I've always seen that represented by ≠ to say, not equal. I'm guessing someone came up with the other way because they didn't want to bother to look the right one up on the character map?

Actually no, but it's not strange if you haven't seen i before: It's mainly used in programming languages, because they use ASCII and not Unicode. And ≠ is not found in ASCII.

[BricatSegaFan]

Using VCS and Coleco with no worries my first console to break was the NES, there and then I thought, yes Japanese cheap crap (should have known when I later found out that Nintendo recalled over 1 million consoles in Japan), later same with PSX, CD stopped working, again Made in Japan, crap...
My first VCS still works a treat, as did my Coleco/Adam setup (sold the Coleco/Adam in 2004).

Even Wall-E still uses a VCS, so there you have it


My broke Xbox,Xbox 360 and Atari jaguar CD aren't Japanese......

[tom]

true, one could say American quality went downhill after the Japanese invasion (although my Jaguar, and CD and XBOX work fine)

[BricatSegaFan]

Either way, I do agree with the reliability of the vcs. My coleco vision still works like a champ with zero hiccups.

Don't knock all Japanese products, Toyota made a name for itself for reliable trucks. Sony makes some of the best tvs on the market and they have Godzilla :p

On that note Chinese products are crap not Japanese.

[bigbacon]

Actually no, but it's not strange if you haven't seen i before: It's mainly used in programming languages, because they use ASCII and not Unicode. And ≠ is not found in ASCII.

I am programmer by day which is why I used that though I guess I could have also used <>

[shopkins]

The SNES seems very reliable. It's got so few moving parts that there aren't many points of failure and the cart slot seems to remain tight. I see a lot of people saying that the original Genesis is reliable, I wish I could say the same for the Genesis 2 because I've got a couple where the cart slot no longer works correctly. My X'Eye is like that, too.

[frogofdeath]

As already mentioned, moving parts means more chances to fail. Multiply the number of moving parts and the opportunity for problems also increases. It's just the way it is. For me, I've been lucky that there has only been one system I've had issues with: the Dreamcast. It kept resetting itself. Luckily this was an easy fix.

Don't knock all Japanese products, Toyota made a name for itself for reliable trucks.
Not sure I would call sudden acceleration and spare tires randomly falling off as reliable. Plus, Toyota trucks aren't made in Japan, they are made in the United States.

[Polygon]

Actually no, but it's not strange if you haven't seen i before: It's mainly used in programming languages, because they use ASCII and not Unicode. And ≠ is not found in ASCII.


I am programmer by day which is why I used that though I guess I could have also used <>

Ah! I didn't think of programming languages.


Not sure I would call sudden acceleration and spare tires randomly falling off as reliable. Plus, Toyota trucks aren't made in Japan, they are made in the United States.

When they started making them they were made in Japan. And I'm sure they're referring to the ones built in the 80s. Not the crap boxes they make now.

[lkermel]

I have both a PS2 fat and slim. The fat to play US games (well, I've been using my PS3 for that though), and the slim to play Japanese games. I find the slim a bit 'clunkier' than the fat, the CD door feels more fragile and I'm not a big fan of the front buttons. But I LOVE its size and the system has been very reliable so far!!!!

As for PS1/PSOne, I also have both and I love the small PSOne. I think it is an awesome console, and I prefer it to the original PS1.

As for other revisions (sorry, I went beyond my call of duty here) - I have the old/new SNES and the only problem I've had with it was related to hardware compatibility. For instance, I purchased some old wireless controllers, and realized that the space between the controllers' port is different, so I couldn't use them with the new model... About NES, I only have the old gray console (very unreliable!!) so I can't say about the top-loader, but as far as Famicom goes, the Sharp Twin Famicom is a blast! Finally, I think the most reliable console of all has to be my PC Engine - the CoreGrafx is amazing and none of them every failed me (except for one which I've killed by accident). The PC Engine CDRom is a bit more fragile (obviously), but I've found the Duo R and Duo RX to be very good (better than the Duo in my opinion). I'm not a big fan of the American Turbografx, too big and clunky to my taste, of, and early PC Engine systems (especially TurboExpress/GT) are very prone to sound issues !!! What else, oh yes, the Megadrive/Genesis - I heard that the Sega CDX and Wondermega are really good! But a bit too expensive for my wallet, so I've never been able to test them...

[needler420]

I would say when you factor how many units are in circulation and factor the ratios at which they are repaired the NES,SNES,N64, sega genesis are the most reliable. Probably the most cost effective to fix as well.

[jperryss]

The SNES seems very reliable. It's got so few moving parts that there aren't many points of failure and the cart slot seems to remain tight.

Agreed. I've had many of them pass through and I don't think I've ever seen one that wouldn't boot up a cart with minimal effort.

They sure do have some nasty discoloration problems though. I held onto the one I have now due to the minty-ness.

[old_skoolin_jim]

For what it's worth, here are the systems I have never had to replace:

Dreamcast
Xbox (original)
Xbox 360 (60gb Jasper model purchased circa July/August 2008)
PS3 (320 gb slim, purchased January 2011)
Wii (purchased march 2007)
Atari 2600 (lol whuuuut?)
GBA (purchased September 2001)
DS (fat model, purchased August 2005)
SNES mini (acquired holiday '97)
3DO panasonic fz-10 (bought from local shop last spring, honestly only used for maybe a week or two)


Systems I've had to replace to to some sort of malfunction (i.e., no fault of my own or not due to wear-n-tear):
PS1 - model that came with demo CD vol. 5, holiday '97 - disc lens would grind/get stuck, wouldn't load many games
PS2 - had to replace at least 3 different times... first due to 2nd controller port suddenly not working, then 2 more short-term replacements before I got my current fat (scph-50xxx?) (thank you EB Games warranties) and modded with a flip-top lid to play imports/booties.


System I've had to replace due to something stupid I/my friends did:
Sega CD - DO NOT EVER EVER EVER plug an NES AC adapter into a Sega CD power port- IT WILL INSTANTLY FRY IT, even though it seemingly fits perfectly. I did this twice, somehow; my friend was very unhappy about his lost Lunar 2 saves.
Sega master system model 2 - I think my friend fried the ac adapter somehow when I let him borrow the system. Of course he never owned up to it, though (a different friend than the sega cd incident...)- replaced this system with a power base converter I modded to fit my Genny 2.

[BricatSegaFan]

As already mentioned, moving parts means more chances to fail. Multiply the number of moving parts and the opportunity for problems also increases. It's just the way it is. For me, I've been lucky that there has only been one system I've had issues with: the Dreamcast. It kept resetting itself. Luckily this was an easy fix.

Not sure I would call sudden acceleration and spare tires randomly falling off as reliable. Plus, Toyota trucks aren't made in Japan, they are made in the United States.

The older ones pre 95 were all Japanese and they were the ones which are most reliable.

[Parodius Duh!]

That's not true. All Genesis model 1s had equivalent video quality. Especially when RGB is used as the video isn't encoded. Also, the audio quality is the same among all model 1s except that last revision, the VA7.

Well regardless the VA7 is more common and you are best off just seeking the HDG model to be sure you are receiving the best Genesis available.

[goldenband]

The original Intellivision was prone to overheating and chip failures. The Intellivision II didn't have that problem, but the controllers were somewhat flimsy -- I have four (controllers), and of those two have issues. The most reliable model may well be the Intellivision III, which was really a repackaged version of the original model, but didn't seem to have the same failure/overheating issues.

[tom]

My Magnavox Odyssey (1972) still works a treat

[otaku]

the more moving parts and complicated these things get the less reliability at least long term they will have (parts being hard to find at some point I'm sure) I've always had the best luck with nintendo hardware. in stress tests I recall from the previous gen the original xbox did quite well.

[jammajup]

I think the Megadrive/Genesis and Atari 2600`s spring to mind as being very reliable,with CD drive machines probably the Dreamcast then 3DO.

[BlastProcessing402]

Any revisions of the original X-Box that were more reliable than another? Any but the 1.0 which has a fan over the GPU instead of a heatsink. Not only is a fan loud, but it can also fail, while a heatsink just keeps truckin' along. As long as you dont buy a launch release Xbox, you're unlikely to get a gpu fan xbox.

I have a 1.0 launch Xbox. Even just went to double check and yep, fan is there on the GPU. It's been one of the most reliable disc based systems I've ever had. I'd be shocked if you could hear the GPU fan over the system fan. In any event it's still a quieter system than a 360 or a Dreamcast.

This isn't just some system I have locked away in a closet or something, I've been using it pretty close to daily as a media center, and the only time it's ever given me a problem was when the solder free modchip got jostled out of position and I had to open it up to readjust it.


The most common point of failure in the original Xbox is the disc drive, of course. Stay away from the Thompson. Still, ours lasted almost the entire time the console was in service.

Thomson (no "p" in there, btw) got a bad rep mainly because it sucks with recordable media. This isn't really a big issue since it's fine with rewriteable media, and honestly it's better to just mod it and run stuff from the HDD (make sure to throw in a bigger one!) anyway.

[wiggyx]

The GBA and GBC are pretty damn near impossible to kill. Of the 150+ "broken" GBA systems that I've acquired, only 3 or 4 were beyond repair. This completely disregards all the systems I've acquired that were advertised as working.

Even when "broken", they work :P

[Neb6]

Using VCS and Coleco with no worries my first console to break was the NES, there and then I thought, yes Japanese cheap crap (should have known when I later found out that Nintendo recalled over 1 million consoles in Japan), later same with PSX, CD stopped working, again Made in Japan, crap...
My first VCS still works a treat, as did my Coleco/Adam setup (sold the Coleco/Adam in 2004).

Even Wall-E still uses a VCS, so there you have it

Well said! And I was going to say ColecoVision. :)

[sloan]

I see too many people posting about wonky picture and graphical artifacts on Colecovision to to rule it a reliable system. I have two CV systems and have had to repair both over the past few years.

On the reliable side:
Atari VCS, original 4 or 6 switch woodgrain models. Solid as a rock.
INTV model 1 woodgrain console. Most are still running fine 30-some years later.
NES front-loader. Yes, even with the flashing screen and 72-pin issues, I rate this as a Sherman tank. Most flashing screen and pin issues are solved with a good old-fashioned deep cleaning.
Genesis models 1 and 2. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
SNES. Only thing that goes wrong is a power-on fuse which is easily replaceable.
N64. Nintendo knew how to make dependable consoles, and this is no different.
Dreamcast. Never had one fail, short of a controller port fuse. Again, easily replaced and fixed.
Gamecube. Do these things fail? I have three and all run good as new.