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Print 6 comment(s) - last by CZroe.. on Sep 1 at 4:29 PM

  (Source: iFixit.com)

  (Source: iFixit.com)
Parts, tools and step-by-step instruction for game systems, now available on enhanced site.

The do-it-yourself electronics repair website iFixit.com is making plans to change the game console industry. Broken LCD screens and motherboards, overheating systems, the red ring of death, and expired warranties may no longer pose the threat that they once did.

Originally developed to provide repair guides, replacement parts and tools for Apple products, iFixit has been retooled to include how-to-tips for gamers with problem systems.
 
According to a statement made on the site, iFixit is providing free, community-authored repair manuals for every major console.  More than thirty repair manuals are available on the site, with over 200 different repairs and upgrades.  There is a troubleshooting page for each device listed.  The site has also opened a parts and tools store dedicated to game console repair.

The company uses existing suppliers for more commonly used items and are breaking down game consoles to secure a supply of less commonly used parts. 

The site indicates that some parts readily available include the heat sink for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PSP and Nintendo Dsi XLi replacement LCD, a touchscreen for the Nintendo DSi, directional button replacement for the PSP Go, and an opening tool for the Xbox 360.

The site includes repair manuals for the Xbox, Xbox 360 and 360 Slim; Nintendo’s N64, GameCube, Wii, Game Boy Original, Advance and Micro, the DS, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL; the Sega Dreamcast and Game Gear; and Sony’s PlayStation 1, 2, 3, and 3 Slim, PSP 1000, 2000, 3000, and Go.

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I'm not one to usually say this...
By Samus on 8/31/2010 8:45:07 AM , Rating: 5
This really just feels like an advertisement.

I appriciate the article and all, but anybody who searches the Google for "guide to replace DS LCD" will come up with this site, among many others like it including Youtube videos showing the replacement process.

This article is just publicity and doesn't really help any DT readers.




RE: I'm not one to usually say this...
By CZroe on 8/31/2010 9:06:02 AM , Rating: 2
Indeed. I don't see any of the hard to find info... Like fuses on a Sega CD/Mega CD 2, or even A PS2 DRE fix guide. Arguably, this info is even more valuable than current consoles, the bulk of which are still under warranty or have repair service available. You're on your own with older stuff. The best resource I know of is gamesx and the associated forums. I've been going there for about 10 years (or more?).


By CZroe on 8/31/2010 9:10:43 AM , Rating: 4
Believe it or not, until I edited the gamesx URL (dropped the TLD), DT wouldn't let me post, saying that it appeared to be spam and that spam is not allowed. In that case, you might wanna delete your own news post, DT. ;)


Open Repair
By kylewiens on 8/31/2010 6:22:09 PM , Rating: 2
Hey Samus, I think you're misunderstanding what we're announcing.

This is the culmination of months and months of volunteer effort-- individuals just like you, all over, teaching people how to fix things in their spare time. Yes, we pay for servers by selling parts, but this is really a community milestone.

Google won't pull up our site if awesome news sites like DailyTech don't point it out— google likes to show off content that people have already found. And what could be more useful than a quality repair manual when you need it?

The community owns these manuals. This information is *never* going behind a paywall. Everything is CC-licensed [ifixit.com], and original authors retain ownership of their own stuff. We are a free, open repair manual wiki. The world needs an open repair manual. We're doing our darndest to make that happen, but we can't do it alone!

CRZoe, you're right— this is just the beginning. We don't have complete information on how to do everything yet. We would absolutely love help writing up an authoritative document on how to deal with the Sega fuse issues. You clearly know what you're talking about, so we'd appreciate the help!

The other side of this is that the basic information needs to be easy enough that your mom can follow it. The easier we can make it to fix things, the more people will do it!




RE: Open Repair
By Samus on 9/1/2010 2:28:22 AM , Rating: 2
I did check the site out before posting my comment, and as unique as it is (in that it is almost a wiki for videogame repairs) the problem is the format of the site is Yahoo Answers opposed to a forum 'community'. Because of this, you have virtually no way of eliminating alike-questions, irrelevent questions, sorting topics and categorizing properly. It's an interesting approach...but it doesn't apply to DT users. That's where my problem is. We're totally a forum community, and frankly, laugh at the culmination of crap that is Yahoo Answers and it's likeness'. The post is irrelevent to us. I'm not attacking you're project, even though I don't really see it taking off. As another poster said, you'd have to cover a lot of consoles and components in one place to truely set yourself apart...but me, I just don't like being alienated as a DT reader. I've been with the Anandtech community for 15 years, and DT really doesn't compare to the old news posts on Anand.


RE: Open Repair
By CZroe on 9/1/2010 4:29:19 PM , Rating: 2
It just feels like the effort is wasted if, say, I make a correction but the author who made the error continues spreading it elsewhere on the site.

For example, I just got finished changing "disk" to "disc" about 20 times and changing an instruction that said to do one thing a certain way to specifically say NOT to do it that way and to do it another way (wipe a disc from the center hub outward and NOT in a circular motion).

It was a surprising amount of work and it's discouraging to think that the same user is likely running amok across the other pages spreading the same errors and misinformation. It makes me less likely to want to do this in the future.


"I'm an Internet expert too. It's all right to wire the industrial zone only, but there are many problems if other regions of the North are wired." -- North Korean Supreme Commander Kim Jong-il











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