Tan

Had I known the back cover was uncommon on loose systems, I would have taken a better picture when I wrote that article.

Does anyone have any information on controller variations? Specifically, the difference between TurboPads marked NEC Technologies Inc. HES-PAD-01 and those with just the NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A.), Inc. on the back? I had initially suspected that as a Canadian, I had a mix of hardware from two countries. Since the Canadian power supplies (molded/printed info with CSA certification) are different than the American ones (black/silver label) I thought I'd try that approach first. Thanks!

1. Demon Attack 2. Atlantis 3. Missile Command 4. Cosmic Ark 5. Yars' Revenge 6. Super Breakout 7. Canyon Bomber 8. Pitfall! 9. Spider Fighter 10. Stampede

Neat list Ben! - Has speaker slits and channel select

Rastan for the Sega Master System. The music is so much better than the arcade version!

After FFVIII came out, I never seriously played VII again. Every time I get an itch for a PS1 RPG, I always reach for VIII. Where FFVII stood out and said "look at me, I'm 3D and I can do all kinds of fun things", FFVIII stood up and said "alright, show's over, let's get down to business with a bit less cute and a bit more depth".

Who was he before? And what is the doll supposed to be? I don't recognize it. I can't remember exactly but it was something like regalsin, or something close to that. If it is the same guy he has used like 20 similar usernames for Troll posts here and DP He's a special one that RegalSin: http://history.sydlexia.com/index.php?title=Regalsin =========== Your mother did a fantastic job on that Sackboy, it looks good enough to be an official one!

I have several of these. They are now my preferred PS2 pad of choice. Good quality, good battery life and comfortable. They are also officially licensed by Sony as well if that gives you an indication of their quality. Much better than the Logitech wireless and IMO, better than the DualShock 2's.

Best wishes for a quick recovery!

You can also buy an issue of Official Xbox Magazine that has a demo disc. Many issues, including January 2009, have the update on disc. http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/getinf...U-115-S-04020-A

The length of time you game per session has no bearing on reliability. It's not like the temperature just keeps increasing until it cooks off the longer you play. It probably reaches it maximum temperature in 15-20 minutes before it stabilizes anyway. Since it's so random, the same failure may take only a day for one system, and a couple years for another depending on the severity of the defect, not how much it's being used. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. Limiting yourself based on fears of hardware failure will only deny you the pleasure of gaming and make sure it runs past the warranty period before it does. My first X360 lasted a year and 8 months and it was used heavily, sometimes for marathon sessions of 12-14 hours. My Second machine with the newer chip lasted less than 10 months and I tried to be more careful and do all of the things your probably thinking of doing right now. It didn't make a bit of difference because you can't predict failure like this. I've heard of RRoD's from people who said they didn't touch the system for weeks at a time only to turn it on one day and there it was. Saving it for a rainy day won't extend it so enjoy it while you can. You just have to ask yourself if the hundreds you spend on the games per year is worth the $199 for an Arcade model, $100 for a non-warranty repair or a few weeks of living without it for a free repair every year or so. Now you know how PC gamers feel about upgrades.

Sorry I meant the 203 watt is the first model made since launch and the Zephyr mobo revision.

I really don't believe those coolers or any other homegrown solution will solve the problem. Delay it perhaps but not solve it. They only bring the temperature down a few degrees no matter which one you use and it's just not enough. Slightly better chance of it not breaking doesn't exactly inspire confidence in a $300-400 machine. I used your method for my first machine, it lasted longer than my second that had the new chipset but it failed eventually as well. If it's going to happen, it's better to not delay it so it's done under warranty than prolonging the issue with a homemade method. Especially if the RRoD warranty changes or another problem is caused by overheating and it's not covered by anything but your 1 year manufacturer's warranty. I believe the new Jasper units which are the third major chipset designs, have 150 watt power supply bricks (written right on them). If that's the case, here's the breakdown: 203 watt - Zephyr (first model made since launch) 175 watt - Falcon (2nd models completely replacing the first in stores January 2008) 150 watt - Jasper (3rd model still quite new that may or maynot be available depending on where you buy it) *product sticker on the boxes are known to give false info on the power supply so only a visual inspection can be trusted. Unfortunately the Jaspers haven't been out long enough to make a determination as to whether they are more reliable than the Falcons. Give it 6 months to a year or so more so the masses have a chance to put them through their paces. =========== I found out my X360 is still under warranty and that I had registered it online. It made it easy to answer a couple questions and confirm my address for the coffin without waiting on the phone for a rep. All I had to do was go to the Xbox support page and sign in with my msn passport.

My Falcon Elite just died a few days ago. I only got 9-10 months out of it. Less time than I got from my first model with the old chipset which almost took me through 2 years. So much for improved reliability. We'll see in a year or so if the new Jaspers are any better. Third time's the charm right?

Just be careful. Blowing a fan onto the PS3 may actually make it worse as it could keep the hot air from escaping the system at it's normal rate by causing wind resistance. If that's the case it'll cook off even faster. Just make sure it has lots of breathing room and let it's designed function take care of the rest.