Why do People Not Maintain Their Game Consoles?
@ReViewMeMedia (3785)
United States
October 21, 2011 12:57pm CST
I'm just curious about this and I want to ask owners of new generation console owners, why does it seem that a lot of console owners don't maintain and take good care of their new consoles. Even though the XBox 360 has the Red Ring of Death, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to maintain it by cleaning it off and dusting it and vacuuming out the vents.
I had a PlayStation 2 that lasted five years and it only died because I accidentally left it on for a week when I was on vacation. My PS2 controllers lasted seven years before one of them wouldn't work and fortunately I had another one.
My brother has a white XBox360 and his still works great and he's had that for awhile, all he's had to do is buy a new headset and a new copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but his console works great and I think he's had that for awhile.
I think part of the problem is that people don't care about making their console last, and new consoles are expensive, but they don't seem to care that theirs failed, since they can go buy a new one. And I think people play too much every day and wear out the system faster. I've seen people who have consoles that are twenty years old and they still work fine.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
29 Nov 11
I think I'm a little late to the discussion, but I really think part of it is the generation of people. Those of us who grew up in the eighties and early nineties remember having to take crazy-good care of even the video game cartridges, or else we simply wouldn't be able to play a game. There were consequences for not taking care of your games back then; now, games are in CD form, and are much easier to take care of and tote around safely.
Also, many times if you didn't take care of things back then, you'd lose all your progress. I remember specifically the Nintendo 64 and my copy of Harvest Moon 64; I took good care of that cartridge! If I hadn't, I would lose probably 60 hours worth of gameplay. I ended up selling the N64 and the games because I needed the money back when I was in middle school; just some short years afterwards, I bought the system again and missed all my old saves on my first cartridges! 
Perhaps it's also because gaming is more commonplace now? For example, growing up, I had to save up my money and buy all my games. Being a kid, when you spend money, you are watching your purchase like a hawk! I have a cousin who's fifteen now, and my mom, grandma, and his mom have bought all his games his entire life. He took a CD folder full of gaming discs to a party, and it got stolen. He had over 200 Xbox 360 games in that thing, thousands of dollars worth of purchases, and they were gone, just like that. If I had bought that many games (even today, heck!), I would have protected that thing with my life.
Lastly, it may be simply ignorance. Many people probably don't know how to correctly clean a system or what you can/cannot do. Heck, I know I had to search up some FAQs to make sure I knew how to take apart my 360 and still be able to put it back together! Not many people are comfortable with taking things apart or cleaning pieces of technology; of course, after spending so much money on it, they should be!
Perhaps it's also because gaming is more commonplace now? For example, growing up, I had to save up my money and buy all my games. Being a kid, when you spend money, you are watching your purchase like a hawk! I have a cousin who's fifteen now, and my mom, grandma, and his mom have bought all his games his entire life. He took a CD folder full of gaming discs to a party, and it got stolen. He had over 200 Xbox 360 games in that thing, thousands of dollars worth of purchases, and they were gone, just like that. If I had bought that many games (even today, heck!), I would have protected that thing with my life.
Lastly, it may be simply ignorance. Many people probably don't know how to correctly clean a system or what you can/cannot do. Heck, I know I had to search up some FAQs to make sure I knew how to take apart my 360 and still be able to put it back together! Not many people are comfortable with taking things apart or cleaning pieces of technology; of course, after spending so much money on it, they should be! 
@Ramsesxlll (1431)
• Finland
6 Nov 11
Hmmm.... An interesting question indeed 
No, I cannot say that I "maintain" any of my game consoles neither. I DO have 2 fully functional Game Boy: Colors, 1 Wii and 1 PS3 that all work just fine.
Once my PS3 "broke", because my younger brother stuck 2 blue-rays inside of it, and even though he got them out of there, the PS3's disk system went into "total lockdown". Now... I COULD have just taken it to a shop or something and get it repaired there, but that would have costed me between 50 and 150€.
What I decided to do was search YouTube for tutorials on how to disassemble (is it even a word?) a PS3. Unfortunately, the tutorial was for American models (which have a few minor differences to the European ones), but I worked it out.
I got the PS3 fixed and all, but that isn't even my point. My point is that when I opened the PS3, it was FILLED with dust that could have probably jammed the whole system, or even catch flame!
Even after seeing that horror (just after maybe 1/2 year of use), I still haven't opened and cleaned it up even once. I probably should though.
No, I cannot say that I "maintain" any of my game consoles neither. I DO have 2 fully functional Game Boy: Colors, 1 Wii and 1 PS3 that all work just fine.
Once my PS3 "broke", because my younger brother stuck 2 blue-rays inside of it, and even though he got them out of there, the PS3's disk system went into "total lockdown". Now... I COULD have just taken it to a shop or something and get it repaired there, but that would have costed me between 50 and 150€.
What I decided to do was search YouTube for tutorials on how to disassemble (is it even a word?) a PS3. Unfortunately, the tutorial was for American models (which have a few minor differences to the European ones), but I worked it out.
I got the PS3 fixed and all, but that isn't even my point. My point is that when I opened the PS3, it was FILLED with dust that could have probably jammed the whole system, or even catch flame!
Even after seeing that horror (just after maybe 1/2 year of use), I still haven't opened and cleaned it up even once. I probably should though.
@babostwick (2036)
• United States
21 Oct 11
I don't know the answer to that. I've had an NES for over 20 years and it was running. Talk about a long time. I usually try to keep them clean. It's hard to say for sure on others.
@sassygirlanne007 (4517)
• United States
22 Oct 11
The people I know with game systems all are guys who's girlfriends keep the system clean,lol. I myself keep an eye on my boyfriend's 360 to make sure it don't get dusty or too warm but I do know some guys who just don't care what happens to it and I think it is because most of them where givin the system or got it from a friend really cheap. I still don't think that is a very good reason though.
@andreyeurope (150)
• Romania
21 Oct 11
Not all people don't maintain their game consoles.
I have a PSP from 2007 and still works. Every month I open my PSP, I clean almost every part, and I assembling back. I really like my PSP because I received from my dad.
