Dear Sony, Fuck You.

So.

A number of months ago I bought a PS3. I opted NOT to purchase an extended warranty, since, hey, it's not MICROSOFT I'm buying from! It's Sony! Right? Haha! Ha! Haaaaaaaah...

I wasn't even going to spring for the damn thing, because, at the time, (Nov. 07), there wasn't a damn thing worth playing on the thing I could get on the 360. I ended up springing for it because I didn't want to miss the boat on backward compatibility, which turned out to be a wise move. See, the only model Sony even MAKES anymore is the 40gb version of the PS3... and it's not BC at ALL. (Apparently they still make 80gb models, but you can't find them anywhere, and they use software emulation anyway.)

Anyway. So I ended up buying a 60gb, used and refurbished, from Gamestop. It then happily sat on a shelf for damn near 8 months, seeing little action as a PS3. It was used as a PS2, from time to time. Also, it's enjoyed quite a bit of activity as a movie player/media center. But it wasn't until GTA4 that I really started trying to play PS3 games on it.

And guess what? It's fucking BROKEN.

Now, I'm not sure who to blame here. Sony, certainly. For all their high and mighty speechifying about producing the superior console, at the end of the day they hamstrung their own system, putting me in this position. Gamestop? Perhaps... I'm not sure if what's wrong with my system is a result of their refurb process or Sony's hardware. Myself? Well, I did try to hold off as long as possible, but when faced with the prospect of not being able to play my lovely library of PS2 games on the new system any longer... I folded. I suppose I COULD have just bought a new PS2 for $100... but FUCK that. It's 2008, and I'm tired of dicking with memory cards.

So here's where I am now: My PS3 plays PS3 games... sometimes. Mostly, it crashes withing a few minutes of gameplay, but I can, once in a while, coax it into giving me several hours of gametime. I've talked to Sony, who have said, basically, "Uh... we dunno what that is. Give us $150 and we'll fix/replace it."

Now, here's the good news: They say they'll either fix my system, or give me a new 60gb. Which is nice. Having to pay $150 is less nice, but bah. I'm already $600 deep. What's another buck fiddy?

Now that catch: Sony MAY decide that the problem is 'my fault', and tell me to go fuck the devil in Hell. And keep my $150 for their trouble. Sony's reps were kinda sketchy as to what might 'disqualify' me from getting my shit fixed. So I'm going to try to coax my way through MGS4 before putting myself before the whimsical god that is the Sony Repair Center. And I'm going to ask, point blank, if it being a refurb is going to disqualify me.

...and before you ask, yeah, I thought about sneaking this one back into Gamestop as a trade in, and picking up another 60GB for the difference, which would be about $200. But... you can't actually find a 60GB hardly anywhere. So.

All in all? I am NOT pleased with this system. It's a giant waste of money, and if it wasn't for the fact that METAL GEAR FUCKING SOLID is on it, I wouldn't own one today.

Mr. Kojima, I love you. But I'm NEVER going through this shit again. Not even for you.