PlayStation 1 slow access times

[gbpxl]

Anyone run into this issue?

[Gameguy]

It's the laser.

[gbpxl]

Looks like its about $16 to replace. Thats almost the price of a PS1 itself.

[fluid_matrix]

Looks like its about $16 to replace. Thats almost the price of a PS1 itself.

Replace the whole PS1 with another used PS1 that you don't know how long the laser will last, or simply replace the laser with a new one that's sure to last much longer.... tough decision.

[gbpxl]

Replace the whole PS1 with another used PS1 that you don't know how long the laser will last, or simply replace the laser with a new one that's sure to last much longer.... tough decision.

Well its not tough if you blindly assume the laser is actually new and of good quality. I am always skeptical of these "new" parts for 25+ year old systems. Were they taken off other used PS1s? Were they mass produced by a third party (so less reliable, more than likely)

[Aussie2B]

Well its not tough if you blindly assume the laser is actually new and of good quality. I am always skeptical of these "new" parts for 25+ year old systems. Were they taken off other used PS1s? Were they mass produced by a third party (so less reliable, more than likely)

It's the latter. They may be less reliable than the original ones were when new, I don't know, but they're no more unreliable than the average original used laser unit these days. $16 is pretty cheap, in my opinion, so I personally wouldn't be opposed to having to swap in a new one once in a great while. I've had a lot of PS1 systems pass through my hands, presumably with all original hardware, and pretty much all of them have had a less than perfect laser unit. Even my own PS1 that I bought brand new in 1999 and treated like gold ever since eventually developed issues with reading some games.

[gbpxl]

For sure

[Gameguy]

I tend to find cheap systems bundled with games or accessories and the system often works out free, that's how I got spare PS1 systems. I'm not sure if I'd pay so much for a new laser when I can find a replacement console still in good condition. It's been years since I needed to buy a replacement though, and the PS2(plus PS3) can play PS1 games so there's less reason for me to buy a new laser. But the PS1 is easy to work on so if you'd like to keep it running it's easy enough to do yourself.