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PS3 Slim Dissected: increased efficiency, durability, and how we'll see a console 3X as powerful and half its size in 10 years

• By Patrick Shaw
• September 08, 2009 12:46 PM PST
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INTERVIEW: GamePro talks with console surgeons Rapid Repair to find out everything you wanted to know about the PlayStation 3 Slim.

ALSO READ: How to take apart the PS3 in 6 steps (NEW!)
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ALSO READ: PS3 Slim Q&A with John Koller

GamePro features editor Patrick Shaw talks with Ben Levy, CEO of Rapid Repair, a leading company that fixes everything from iPhones to PS3s, to find out just what exactly is inside Sony's shrunken down next-gen console, how durable it is compared to the Xbox 360, and more.

Patrick Shaw: Rapid Repair fixes video game consoles, but you've also put together an incredibly detailed do-it-yourself-guide to disemboweling the PS3 Slim where all you need are two screwdrivers and an exacto knife.

Do you think it's really safe for just anyone to open up the PS3 Slim if they follow your guide completely? Can anything go wrong?

Ben Levy: While it may seem easy to do, we recommend only experienced users take their consoles apart. Our generation of gamers are usually pretty tech savvy so most of the time they can easily replace a broken part like a laser, power supply or case.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong, one thing that happens often is having left over screws after its all put back together! One of the other problems we usually see is that consumers usually like to tear the ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) ribbon cables running to the board inside of electronic devices. They may tend to force things out.

A good rule of thumb is that if it's not coming out easily, then you probably missed a hidden screw or latch somewhere.

While most people simply want to take a peak inside, others can actually perform repairs quite easily. Most people like to keep their warranty options available though.

Patrick: Once you guys figure out what's wrong with someone's broken PS3, PSP, DS, Wii, or Xbox 360, you then give the owner a repair quote in 24 to 48 hours. What's the least amount people seeking console repairs have to pay (and what kind of issues does that low amount pay for) and what's the most amount people seeking repairs have to pay (and what kind of issues does that higher amount pay for... i.e. replacement of multiple parts, fire damage)?

Ben: For video game consoles, we charge a $19.99 diagnostic fee. This fee covers the initial diagnosis of the unit, and is put towards any final repair cost. However, if the owner decides not to have the unit repaired, we keep that fee. Generally, if no parts are needed to fix the problem, and it takes an hour or less to solve the issue, then that fee is all that we would charge.

For example, a Wii, may have been dropped, resulting in one of the internal connectors coming unplugged. As we already have the unit opened for diagnosis, we would just plug it back in, and that would be that, no further charge.

On the high side, we can fix anything, it's just a matter of whether or not it's worth fixing. For example, if you drop your PSP into a glass of soda, and then bring it to us, the odds are that every part inside the unit will be covered in corrosion from the acidity of the soda, and as such, completely destroyed.

In cases like this, we offer to sell the customer a refurbished unit if we have one in stock at a competitive price (the diagnosis fee would apply also towards the cost of the refurbished unit).

Most repairs however, are cost effective and are considerably less than the cost of a new, or refurbished unit, and when you throw in our 90 day warranty, you can't beat it.

Patrick: Sony says the innards of the PS3 Slim are pretty much the same as the regular PS3 with some exceptions. Have you noticed any differences between the two versions of the console's contents?

Ben: You still have a main circuit board, a Blu-ray disc drive, a power supply, good sized heat sinks, etc. but each and every one of these components have been redesigned, mainly to make them smaller. Other than the hard drive, every single part has been redesigned.

Patrick: Which is easier to open up to conduct repairs, the PS3 or the PS3 Slim?

Ben: Going along with the previous question, there are several models of the larger PS3 as well. The first generation PS3s (the backwards compatible ones) all had certain parts, and as newer ones came out, things were changed.

For example a CECHA01 60gb backwards compatible unit has one kind of power supply, one kind of Blu-ray drive, and a memory card reader, where as the CECHH01 40gb units have a completely different kind of Blu-ray drive and power supply, and do not have any memory card slots.

All in all I'd say that the general difficulty of repair on all PS3s is about the same, including the PS3 Slim, though with the parts being closer together in the Slim, reassembly is a bit more tricky.

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