I do think their attitude towards the issue is part of their business strategy.
If they acknowledged the problem like Microsoft did, it would then become
even more significant. That's probably what they think, and they were probably
right, from a cynical standpoint, at least at the beginning. But people who went through their pathetic customer service like I did would beg to differ, Sony, as a
brand can now be associated with cynic strategies and unreliability. Me, I'll buy
the PS4, but I'm hardly rational when it comes to video games. The fact of the matter is, they actually lost some customers along the way. Risky strategy, or acceptable losses , depends how you look at things I guess, still a disgrace, I say.
Repair shops is one reliable way to fully grasp what's going on out there. There aren't that many, but who's better qualified in this instance than the people who actually deal with the stuff? But you know, my primary source, beyond that, my
own friends and what anyone can find on the internet, ultimately lies within my
own experience. Three systems. In five years. That's not normal.
I fully agree with you, the Wii being underpowered, things are less demanding, hence it's more durable, yet, you can use it to play games, watch movies, surf the
internet... And it holds up fine. I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't think the media center capabilities of the PS3/360 or any other consoles are to be blamed here. You'll just have to trust me of course, but, like I said earlier, I didn't use any CD/DVD with my second system, I hardly even surfed the internet. I did watch Blu Rays, played games, and that's pretty much it. I used it like a console, basically. I never did anything as demanding as leaving it on 8 hours straight six days a week. Now,that is demanding. Yet it died. Because it's poorly designed. You can't even repair it!
That's the issue I have with Sony, though I intend to keep buying their products,
they're not taking responsability. Simple as that. The YLOD problem is huge, though a bit overshadowed by Microsoft's RROD, but they're not willing to extend their warranty, they're not willing to compensate their customers in any way. They should have taken Microsoft's stance on things, if only to be spared the bad publicity. They lost a lot of customers this gen due in part to bad marketing decisions, this is one of those. You just don't "expletive" with your customers.