Since L.A. Noire released earlier in the week, there have been reports of an abnormal amount of consoles overheating, leading to premature shutdown or even failure. Some have blamed the game, while others have pointed at the 3.61 firmware update that became available the same day that the PlayStation Network came back up. This report has caused some users to avoid playing the game due to fear, and perhaps has even prevented a few copies from moving off store shelves. Now both Sony and Rockstar Games have come together to deliver a response.
Rockstar Games has posted a follow-up regarding the overheating issues reported from users playing L.A. Noire, and it states the following:
We have received a very small number of customer support questions about PS3’s overheating or shutting down while playing L.A. Noire. At this time, Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or firmware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat. We are both committed to working hard to find solutions to this and any issues that may arise
After reviewing forums and user comments, as well as playing the game for several hours, I have a feeling this is simply due to L.A. Noire‘s hardware-demanding style. The game has some extremely impressive details, as well as a thriving city full of high-quality textures. PS3s are wired to increase airflow as the console’s internal temperatures rise, and the last time I experienced the PS3 making this much noise was back when Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (the graphics king) came out.
Another item to note is that the game is particularly massive, and I’ve noticed that the game loads constantly to keep up with the demands of the presentation. This also makes an impact on temperature.
If you’ve experienced any abnormal PS3 behavior since playing L.A. Noire, or have anything to share on the subject, please post a comment below. We’d love to hear about your opinions on the matter.
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