Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2011/05/19/rockstar_reckons_ps3_firmware_update_is_overheating_consoles/

PS3s overheat after firmware update

Rockstar plays it cool

By Caleb Cox

Posted in Personal Tech, 19th May 2011 10:12 GMT

Rockstar has turned the heat up on Sony's PlayStation 3 again last night, after a forum post by one of its reps claimed the latest PS3 firmware update, version 3.61, is to blame for reports of older PS3 models overheating and uncontrollably shutting down.

“We have received some reports of PS3s overheating while playing L.A. Noire or beeping three times before shutting down/turning themselves off, mostly on older 60GB and 80GB fat models,” said a customer service rep in a statement yesterday.

“Primary reports seem to be that updating to firmware 3.61 will cause PlayStations to overheat. There have been various reports of this on a few different games now, all reporting their PS3s turning off or 'Red Lighting' after having installed 3.61.

“This can range from games randomly freezing to PS3s turning off anywhere between 30 mins use to 2 hours. We have confirmed locally that multiple games (Rockstar and non-Rockstar) overheat or freeze only when 3.61 is installed.

“At this time we are recommending contacting Sony directly to report the overheating issue. However, this is not the end of our support; we are continuing to test L.A. Noire on all firmware versions and hardware models to isolate the issues and see what can be done. As always, we will update this article as soon as we have updates.”

The post was subsequently removed and Rockstar contacted MCV to stress it wasn't an official statement from the company. It claimed the customer support team had sourced its information from the European PlayStation boards.

With the dust barely settled on yesterday's fresh PSN fiasco, the last thing Sony needs today is further criticism. If firmware updates are to blame for hardware issues, will Sony take a leaf out of Microsoft's book and offer those customers with older machines a free replacement? Don't hold your breath. ®