PlayStation 3 owners: HELP please ... the clock is ticking and I have to make a decision

[Tuvok Obama]

My decision is whether or not to return my PS3, and I have just a couple of days before my return receipt expires.

When I bought it (my first/only PS3, though I've bought a few earlier-generation consoles), the cashier warned me to back up the hard drive. "My brother's PS3 hard drive crashed, and he lost about a thousand dollars in downloaded movies and games."

He said to make sure I have an external hard drive that I can back everything to. (I already owned the external hard drive when I bought the PS3.)

Coincidentally, I happened to stop procrastinating on that backup project just as my window for returning the console for a full refund is starting to close. I have to decide by the end of the day Thursday (Dec. 10).

To my horror, I haven't found anything on the PlayStation Network or in the PS3 manual that explains how to back up all these downloaded PS3 games, downloaded PS3 add-ons and upgades, or downloaded PS1-via-PS3 games.

(I did find instructions for backing up the downloaded movies and TV shows.)

If I can't back up the games, it pretty much means I'm merely renting them until the system dies.

If that's the case, I'd rather return the console for a refund, take the loss on the downloaded content, sell the used PS3 game discs on Amazon, and stop throwing good money after bad.

Do any of you PS3 owners know how to back up downloaded games and game-related content to an external hard drive?

Thank you.

[quakerboy]

1. No idea. I dont have anything downloaded that

It would cost me anything to replace.

http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/console/articles/5957.aspx

[Tuvok Obama]

2. Thanks for the link

If I understand the info on that page correctly, I can backup my game saves to an external device (and I already found I can back up my movies and TV shows), and downloaded games can be re-downloaded for free (?) if my drive ever crashes.

That last part seems a little too good to be true, but the info is a starting point. (I sure wish I'd started looking for solutions earlier; on the other hand, I'm also not looking forward to returning the console and taking the monetary loss, so it's worth more investigation.)

[quakerboy]

4. No prob

I cant vouch for its accuracy, but that was what a web search turned up.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Um, what happens when you stick a flash drive in the USB?

I haven't done it myself, but was under the impression it was completely intuitive.

http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/ps3cheatsandcodes/ss/PS3HDDUpgrade_2.htm

[Tuvok Obama]

5. It's the same as plugging an external drive into the USB

The system allows the movies and shows to be backed up via the USB port, but the games can't (whether I plug in a flash drive or an external hard drive.)

That looks like a very valuable link. Thanks. I'm starting to realize I need to educate myself and become an expert at the PS3, and I didn't really want to do that (I miss the days when I could just pop in a game disc and have fun), but Medal of Honor: Airborne alone is worth keeping the system, not to mention Prototype, Oblivion, and Saints Row 2.

[bamacrat]

6. Never heard of that happening before.

Heard of the XBOX and its red ring of death quite a bit but never a PS3 messing up.

[Tuvok Obama]

7. My assumption is that everything dies eventually

I'm a game collector. I own a lot of PS2, PS1 and Dreamcast games, and I keep extra consoles, controllers, and memory cards stocked. Every memory card is backed up and stored in a separate location. Once I like a game, I want to keep it and replay it.

The difference between those consoles and the PS3 is that with the older consoles, all I have to do is keep the game discs scratch-free. My concern is that I'll invest a lot of cash (even more than I have already invested) into all this downloadable content, but never feel secure against a hard drive crash.

In fact, I remember reading once that the average hard drive lasts about three years. That means I can expect to have to replace my PS3 sometime before 2013. Without backups, I'll lose everything. This is upsetting to a guy like me who still gets a rush out of playing Colony Wars on my PS1.

[bamacrat]

8. True things do die.

Good to see you are a PS guy. They are far superior to XBOX. Not only the Bluray drive but their graphics and computing ability. Sony made the PS3 to be able to be modern even five years after release. I read somewhere a couple years ago that the military bought a bunch of PS3s to make imaging computers out of. They are quite advanced.

[Tuvok Obama]

9. I fell into the PS world almost by accident

My boss (at the time) kept telling me to get a PS2. I didn't know anything about the console, except how awesome he claimed it was. (The PS3 wasn't released yet.) My past gaming experience had been with the Sega Dreamcast and a couple of old Nintendo systems, but from everything he told me, I could tell I'd love the PS2.

I wanted one, but money was tight and there were other expenses that kept coming up. So one day he just bought me a PS2 console and told me to pay him back when I could. Because I didn't want to be indebted to my boss, I managed to pay him back right away.

I was a little disappointed in the system at first (over-hyped, I thought) until I discovered San Andreas. Then I was hooked, and eventually collected a trunkload of great PS2 games.

I bought the PS1 system next, then the PSP (snore), and recently, the PS3. It just made sense to stay with the same brand after getting so much satisfaction out of the PS2.

Besides, I've heard atrocious things about Xbox 360's lack of reliability. For example...

August 17, 2009 - If your Xbox 360 hasn't broken down yet or suffered from the dreaded red ring of death, then consider yourself pretty lucky.

A new survey published in Game Informer's print edition indicates the Xbox 360 failure rate has climbed to a shocking 54.2%. The magazine surveyed nearly 5000 readers, asking them about their experience dealing with broken consoles.

Here are their findings:

Console failure rate

Xbox 360 – 54.2%
Playstation 3 – 10.6%
Wii – 6.8%

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/101/1014486p1.html

[Kutjara]

10. The following link tells you what kinds of data can be backed up:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/backuputility.html

Generally speaking, copyright-protected data (such as games, movies, songs) you've purchased on PSN cannot be backed-up. Actually, that's not quite true. They can be backed-up, but they can't be restored to a new disk or machine (which makes backup useless if you need a replacement system).

The new PS3 firmware lets you transfer all your games and movies to a new PS3, but that again isn't much use if the first PS3 has stopped working.

Thank the copyright holders and their restrictive DRM systems for making life difficult for legitimate customers. "Pirates," of course, have none of these problems.

[Tuvok Obama]

11. Thanks for the link. Do you happen to know...

...if the content I downloaded can be re-downloaded in the event of a system crash? I'm referring to everything I've paid for through my PS account. Do they consider all that to be valid only for the life of the console, or can it be re-downloaded via the same account on a replacement console?

[Kutjara]

12. I believe you can download the same piece of content from the store up to five times.

The terms and conditions of the PSN store should be able to give you more info.