Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that it will offer extended warranties for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles. Retailers like GameStop and Best Buy already offer extended warranties. While the added protection offers gamers peace of mind, warranties have proven to be quite lucrative for retailers.
Sony’s press release lists its warranty pricing as:
- PS3 — 1-year extension ($49.99) or 2-year extension ($59.99)
- PSP — 1-year extension ($29.99) or 2-year extension ($39.99)
- PSP with Accidental Damage — 1-year extension ($39.99) or 2-year extension ($49.99)
It’s a smart move by Sony and I’m sure it will make a lot of money selling warranties. A lot of people don’t take advantage of the warranties they purchase. Some people forget that they even bought them. It’s a safe bet that the money Sony spends on repairing consoles covered by extended warranties will be a drop in the bucket compared to the revenue generated by warranty sales.
Are any of you going to plop down cash for an extended warranty? Or are you confident in the reliability of your PlayStation products?
When I bought my PSP i opted not to get the warranty through Best Buy. I had previously owned one and have never heard of any problems with them so I assumed I was safe. So far I am correct. The accidental warranty was of no interest to me because I baby the hell out of my stuff, of course that's why it called accidental i guess.
I probably would have bought my PS3 and the warranty though. I have had it since launch day and it on almost everyday and still hasn't had an issue (knock on wood) so it would have been a waste for me.
If I ever get another 360 I WILL buy the warranty and that's where you get screwed. I am paying money to a company I don't rely on and they are in turn probably going to profit from being unreliable. Sucks but that seems how it works.
I use an AMEX to make most of my electronic purchases. They have a warranty built in to them that way.
@SlickyFats That's an interesting perspective. I'm pretty much the opposite. I'm pretty confident in my PS3's lasting powers. The PSP? Not so much, simply because it's a portable device and I travel with it a lot. It's similar with PCs; I never buy a warranty for desktops and always buy them for laptops.
@Ray
Mine decision really just depends on how large the initial investment is. I paid nearly $800 the day I bought my PS3, so yeah I would have wanted to protect it.
I based my PSP's safety on how safe my cell phones have been. I have never messed up a cell phone buy dropping it or anything and I carry them everyday and not in a case. My PSP has 3 cases. (the main case I actually carry with me with PSP 3 games and headphones, a game case with 8 games in it, and a case for cords) I do buy the warranty on them because of manufactures defects or software issues that do become apparent for sometime though.
@SlickyFats That's also interesting. I'm VERY good to my mobile phones. My portable gaming systems don't get the same treatment. I think it has something to do with getting frustrated with some games and taking it out on my handhelds. I've never gotten angry at my phone. I've chucked my DS, broken controllers, etc.