SCPH-5552 console may need a new laser

PlayStation console may need a new laser

Hi y'all!

With the PlayStation having just celebrated its 20th birthday, I was wondering if anyone would be able to help with my situation?

I have a model SCPH-5552 PlayStation (the £130 Value Pack) that may have some problems with its laser.

The problem only seems to apply to games which use a certain video codec, but in games that use that video codec, I appear to get color blocks that shouldn't be there.

The only instances I know of where this occurs on that console o mine are:

- I seem to get a few tiny green squares appear/disappear at random during the opening cinematic of (please don't hate me) Bubsy 3D. Those green squares aren't present if I run that same copy of the game on my PS3.
- On the end-of-level letter-open animation in Theme Hospital, there's lots of blockyness, the blocky areas all being one color.

Would a new laser fix this? If so, where can I get one for my model console?

 

You probably need a board.

 

What games are having trouble specifically?

 

It almost sounds as if you have a fried mother board or something. I've never known a laser to just give artifacting on graphics etc. Maybe choppy FMV's or stuttered playback but never graphical artifacting. Check your board to look for copper jading, blown capacitors OR if it was ever modded- crossed solder connections. That's my only guess as to what's going on with your system. I've never seen this issue previously besides on PS3's when the GPU is in desperate need of a reflow- generally just before a YLOD. The PS1 never got that hot though so I seriously doubt it's something as extensive as that.