Fat PS2: Actually unreliable, or just a myth?

[Purkeynator]

Bought my PS2 at launch on October 26, 2000. I used it fairly regularly and as a dvd player until around 2004 or so. It started having trouble reading the blue backed CD rom games. There was a class action lawsuit about the DRE (Disc Read Error) problem and I got in on a free Sony repair. They probably just adjusted the laser and/or cleaned it and sent it back. Since the repair it has worked great. I don't use it as often now since I have a slim and a 60GB PS3 but I used it a few weeks ago when messing around with Free McBoot and it still works great. I have kept it clean and dusted it out the years as well as occasional lens cleanings.

On the other hand I worked at an EB games in a small ass town in Wyoming in 2002. In the 6 months or so that I worked there I literally saw dozens of systems come back as broken and in need of servicing to people who bought the extended warranty through the company. Some of these were in pretty sad shape though with dog and cat hair clogging the air vents as well as tons of dust caked on the machines.

My assessment is this: Work well and you will be treated well. Work badly, and you will die.