Over the years we have seen every imaginable issue you could have with a game console, some of which are more common than others. Some of the more common problems have been well publicised (Xbox Red Ring of Death anyone?) and are not really preventable from the user’s perspective to a certain extent, although there are some things that can help. This morning, I have decided to post a list of good console maintenance, which should help you avoid some of the damage we have seen to Playstations and Xbox’s over the years. As I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, I won’t be including the obvious ‘don’t throw your console down a flight of stairs’ style tips, and I will try to highlight the small steps you can take to make your console last that little bit longer.
1. Turn it off – You wouldn’t leave your car running outside your house all night, so do the same thing with your console.
Not only is it a waste of electricity, but the heat generated by the console is a huge factor in the wear and tear deterioration. It is absolutely a good idea to give the console a break every now and then to let the internal components cool down, particularly if you have been playing it for an extended period. This applies to all models of console, whether we’re talking about an Xbox One, a PS4 or a Nintendo Wii U. Heat really is the enemy here.
2. Storage – Make sure that the back of the console is not obstructed, and that the console is not ‘sealed in’ with games stacked up around it.
Like the first point above, heat is the enemy and this is a common theme that you are going to notice here. Make sure that the console is in a well ventilated area with nothing blocking the intake for the fan on the console. Avoid the ‘stack’ of devices on the shelf (having your Xbox underneath a Sky box, etc.), which we have all done in the past to save space. Also, more commonly that you would think we see damaged consoles that have been placed on a blanket or a rug or some other soft surface while on. This is another one to avoid, so make sure that the console is on a hard flat surface.
3. Dust – Make sure that you keep the area around the console and the console itself reasonably dust free, as dust can get sucked into the console and cause problems (again overheating). This one is fairly self explanatory, but I will say to make sure that you use a dry cloth to clean the console, plug it out before hand, and avoid using cleaning products and sprays on the console.
4. Movement – We have gotten a lot of broken Playstations and damaged Xbox consoles in our repair centre with failing hard drives. In conversation with the customers, it was explained that the console was moved, knocked, or something happened to it while powered on. Fundamentally a device with a hard drive is not a portable device as a HDD is not made to be moved while on. The iPod Classic is one device that tried to get away this and although it worked, the hard drives needed to be replaced every 6 – 12 months.
5. Lens Problems – Pausing Games.
Having games paused for a long time can cause wear to the lens, as can playing games for very long periods without stopping. Touching the lens is also to be avoided, as it is a very fragile component.
These tips will not keep your Xbox or Playstation running forever, but they are the 5 most common roots to all of the many console repairs that we perform. Following these simple tips should keep your console running smoothly for longer.