Playstation 3

We have a Playstation 3 in the master bedroom downstairs attached to the Sony TV. It serves as both a front end for the services we use and a Blu-ray player.

Technically the one we have is one of the older backwards-compatible models, not the newer PS3 “slim.”

I have had to replace the laser in my PS3. Discs started skipping and hanging for no apparent reason. I was afraid I might have to get a whole new PS3, but, facing that, figured I didn’t have much to lose by trying to replace the laser or the whole PS3 drive.

My PS3 uses the KES-410A / KES-410CA / KEM-410A / KEM-410ACA model laser which I picked up for under $20. It took some time to open up the PS3 to get to the laser, but after it was replaced it worked like a champ. There are a ton of YouTube videos on how to replace the laser.

You can figure out which laser you need by looking at the guide on this page (an alternate product photo), but it helps to open up the PS3 before you order. I ordered based on the guide and it turned out my particular PS3 had a drive that was slightly different than average so I had to get a different laser.