Ok, I've noticed for a while these types of glitch in Assasin's Creed, Resident Evil 5 and Fifa 08 and Fifa 09.
I haven't noticed these in other games that I've owned.

Here is a screenshot I took from my cell:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00473.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00472.jpg

Is there anything I can do about it?

could be wrong but, looks like "screen-tearing"

I though I'd ask here. Some have told it wasn't screen tearing. I just want to make sure.
If it is screen tearing, well I know there is nothing to do about it.
In Assasins Creed, these are everywhere and makes it unplayable.
I had a friend over and he wanted to check out some of the games that I had and these were everywhere and annoying.

I don't think that's screen tearing. That looks like some texture abnormality in the graphics rendering.

If you are getting that on multiple games but not all, I would say the graphics part of your PS3 might be faulty or failing. The only advice I can think of is to turn off the PS3 via the rear power switch, or unplug the unit overnight. I doubt it would do anything, but sometimes strange things have a way of working themselves out -- albeit usually temporarily.

Good luck!

Its not screen tearing, as others have said. I have seen this on occasion, but not lately. It is odd....

It could also just be overheating maybe blow some dust out of it. However I heard that may void your warranty.

Air canned spray might work then?

If the unit is under warranty, I'd see if they might replace it / take a look. Could be anything from a temporary normal glitch, to the GFX component going. If it's the latter, better to have it replaced while you can.

unfortunatly, it's out of warranty. It's a 20GB launch unit.

I also have a 20gig and have gotten this before; at which point I freaked and started to check my system. I play with head phones on so I can't hear much outside noise; As sson as I took my head phones off I heard my PS3 was in Super Duper 747 take-off mode; I turned the system off and Installed 2 CPU case fans in the back of my entertainment center and hooked them directly to a AC adapter from Radio Shack. Since then I have only ran into this problem one other time 'Thank God' when my AC was broke and my 1 bedroom apartment was like 97, I turned the PS3 on and played for about 45 min; then had to shut it off; So basically my question is; How is your ventilation; Mine experiance seemed to be related to HEAT; My ventilation sucked but is now way better; see link below for pics of my install.

Ahhhh, 20gigs are so Sexy in all Black.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/dabrat4_2_0_/PS3_1.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/dabrat4_2_0_/PS3_3.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/dabrat4_2_0_/PS3_4.jpg
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j17/dabrat4_2_0_/PS3_6.jpg

PM me if you need help finding materials; I link you to exactly what I got.

Thanks for the help, My ps3 has more open air and more ventilated. It's sitting on the top of the Entertaiment set, next to the TV.

I couldn't really tell from your earlier statements, but does this occur on multiple games? That would be a strong indication of whether it's PS3 or AC related.

could be wrong but, looks like "screen-tearing"It's absolutely not screen tearing.

Those pictured above are the kinds of graphical glitches you see when a PC's GPU is fried/frying. AC hasn't been known to have those kinds of errors (though Fallout 3 has). If it's happening in other games, it's probably the PS3. :(

I also have a 20gig and have gotten this before; at which point I freaked and started to check my system. I play with head phones on so I can't hear much outside noise; As sson as I took my head phones off I heard my PS3 was in Super Duper 747 take-off mode; I turned the system off and Installed 2 CPU case fans in the back of my entertainment center and hooked them directly to a AC adapter from Radio Shack. Since then I have only ran into this problem one other time 'Thank God' when my AC was broke and my 1 bedroom apartment was like 97, I turned the PS3 on and played for about 45 min; then had to shut it off; So basically my question is; How is your ventilation; Mine experiance seemed to be related to HEAT; My ventilation sucked but is now way better; see link below for pics of my install.


Ran into the same situation myself. Unfortunately, I could not alleviate the problem fully. Was definitely heat related, and eventually my launch 60GB unit's RSX bit the dust. Strangely, the rest of the system still worked (I could verify this through audio feedback). MaxDam77, there may be a $150 service call in your future, I'm afraid. Was worth it, IMO, as I refuse to give up my fully featured launch unit.

I did the "vacccum dust cleaning" yesterday. I didn't want to do the one that you press the eject button for the fan to go at full speed.
God my PS3 was dusty.
I tested with few other games that I have: COD4, KZ2, MGS4, GT5P and no sign of this glitch or anomaly, and i played for a couple of hours each.
I played Oblivion for a couple of hours too and at some time it did it for a short amount of time and disapeared when I went to another area and never came back.
I played some fifa09 and it went fine also. After all my test.
I've unplugged my PS3 and let it there the whole night. I'll see if it keeps doing it. And I will check again with AC and RE5 where these anomalies were the worst.

Those pictured above are the kinds of graphical glitches you see when a PC's GPU is fried/frying.

Yes. Having been a longtime GPU overclocker on the PC, I can say that particular anomaly is a sign of overheating. It's not necessarily damaging to the equipment to a large degree. When you start seeing random square blocks of different sizes appear on screen, then that's when you should really start to worry. :D

So is calling sony and 150us the only solution to it? :(

If all the heat-reducing methods on your end doesn't completely resolve the problem, then I would call Sony.

Ok thanks, I did the vaccum like I mentioned, I bought Air spray and I will try it later on.
If after that, it is still doing it,...well I will call sony.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Ok thanks, I did the vaccum like I mentioned, I bought Air spray and I will try it later on.
If after that, it is still doing it,...well I will call sony.

Thanks everyone for your help!

I forgot to mention, while you still have full system functionality, back up your game saves. Unfortunately, it makes you copy them one at a time, but it will be worth it should the worst happen. After the initial copy, keeping your game save backups up to date once a week is pretty easy. You may also want to do a complete system backup if you have an external drive with enough free space. Even with a full backup, however, I would still definitely do a manual copy of the save games on a separate drive or flash based media. Simply because the backup may go smoothly, but fail to restore. Since there's no backup verification tool you wouldn't know until its too late.

I had this exact problem before last week's YLOD. I opened up my ps3 to get the disc out & it was full of dust. Vacuuming isn't enough -- you need to break out your screwdriver set & thoroughly clean it. I sure wish I had!!

I had this exact problem before last week's YLOD. I opened up my ps3 to get the disc out & it was full of dust. Vacuuming isn't enough -- you need to break out your screwdriver set & thoroughly clean it. I sure wish I had!!

I had the YLOD but fortunatly for me, it cameback to life the next day. But I will try to open it and clean it see if it is that dusty. Must be, it's being two years since I have my PS3.

I'll keep you informed ;)

Thanks

I had the YLOD but fortunatly for me, it cameback to life the next day. But I will try to open it and clean it see if it is that dusty. Must be, it's being two years since I have my PS3.

I'll keep you informed ;)

Thanks

If you had the YLOD, then this is deff a sign that the RSX is on it's way out.

Seems most RSX failures are due to overheating issues, as I've seen boards that had visible heat marks/scolding where it is. Reflowing it will temporarily fix the YLOD issue, so maybe something of the like happened naturally to you.

Funny enough, it doesn't seem to be an issue so much with design, but an issue caused by dust buildup / poor airflow. And we all know that the PS3 is a dust magnet.

:(

definitely heat related. I had this happen to my first 360, then it RROD a week later

If you had the YLOD, then this is deff a sign that the RSX is on it's way out.

Seems most RSX failures are due to overheating issues, as I've seen boards that had visible heat marks/scolding where it is. Reflowing it will temporarily fix the YLOD issue, so maybe something of the like happened naturally to you.

Funny enough, it doesn't seem to be an issue so much with design, but an issue caused by dust buildup / poor airflow. And we all know that the PS3 is a dust magnet.

:(

Thanks for you reply. I'm still about the send it to repair soon or later so anyways, I have nothing to lose, should I try the infamous "FAN TEST" lol?

Thanks for you reply. I'm still about the send it to repair soon or later so anyways, I have nothing to lose, should I try the infamous "FAN TEST" lol?

Go for it. The test doesn't hurt it like many claim, and it might help clearing it out.

Since it's out of warranty, you might even want to open it up and dust it out. Just be careful to ground yourself / don't produce any static shocks. Sony should still repair it at a cost, as long as you don't do any abusive damage to it from opening it.

Other then that, make weekly backups of any important files you have on it (especially game saves), and wait it out.

Go for it. The test doesn't hurt it like many claim, and it might help clearing it out.

Since it's out of warranty, you might even want to open it up and dust it out. Just be careful to ground yourself / don't produce any static shocks. Sony should still repair it at a cost, as long as you don't do any abusive damage to it from opening it.

Other then that, make weekly backups of any important files you have on it (especially game saves), and wait it out.

Will do! thanks :)

I did the "fan test" & imo it isn't that effective at removing the dust considering how much was still in there when I eventually opened it up. I was wary of opening up my ps3 too, but it really isn't all that difficult & I'll be doing annual maintenance from now on. In hind sight, doing the "fan test" was an unnecessy risk & could have contributed to my ps3's early demise.

Oh, and btw, it looked more like pet dander rather than dust. You don't happen to have a have a dog, do you?

I was wary of opening up my ps3 too, but it really isn't all that difficult & I'll be doing annual maintenance from now on.

Any pics of the process, and things to be aware of?

I don't have any pics but youtube has a bunch of vids. Just remove the "warranty void" sticker & the little rubber cover it hides. Take out the torx screw that's revealed & the lid will slide off. Remove the philips screws on top & the upper half of the body will come off. Before you remove it though, reach underneath & separate the media card unit. You can then clean your ps3. When putting it back together, make sure the metal bracket the torx screw attaches to is in place.

Well I tried the fan test and it didn't work. Odd. I followed the steps of all the videos found in youtube and it never started.
I need to get a torx screw first before opening my PS3.
After so much cleaning with vaccum and air spray, I haven't noticed any stranged graphics glitch today while playing fifa 09. Not saying It fixed or anything of the sort but,...we will see how long my PS3 will last.

The fan test only works on 40GB & later models. I thought you were referring to the forced overheating method, where you flip your ps3 upsidedown until the fan kicks into high gear. Anyways, good to see that your cleaning efforts have had a positive effect.

Update, ok, I opened my PS3, and just wow, that was dusty, little balls of dust stuck everywhere.
Now you can tell that vaccum and Airspraying the PS3 externaly from the vents won't do much.
I clean mostly everything, with a cloth, air spray and a little brush for the electronic parts,...I think I might open my PS3 every two months and clean it up.
I wanted to clean the fan, but I didn't want to undo some parts.

So far, my PS3 have done once the glitch but disapeared quikly and never cameback while playing fifa but after like 10 games.
When it happened (before the cleaning), it stay there and I had to reset the game .
But after the cleaning, It did it once, but it just lasted few seconds and disaperead and didn't cameback.

Again, I'm not saying it fixed anything, but keeping your PS3 clean is the way to go.

Just I quick question. Funny you come to notice things only when it happens to you. How hot does your PS3 gets? mine quite hot.
Well after all the cleaning, it still does the glitch,..lot less but it is still there.

I just started playing Far Cry 2, and this is happening to my launch 60gig. But does not happen at all with KZ2. Like I said in an earlier post I have seen this at times months ago, but no where near as bad as Far Cry 2. I'm hesitant to open it up because mine is still under warranty for the GTA4 freeze issue. I never sent it in for that. I used to see this with Motorstorm 2 at times, but I was able to ignore it. With Far Cry 2 it is really bad....

Mine is also in a open ventilated area. It does not feel any hotter than normal.

How easy is the PS3 to take apart for a cleaning?

I just started playing Far Cry 2, and this is happening to my launch 60gig. But does not happen at all with KZ2. Like I said in an earlier post I have seen this at times months ago, but no where near as bad as Far Cry 2. I'm hesitant to open it up because mine is still under warranty for the GTA4 freeze issue. I never sent it in for that. I used to see this with Motorstorm 2 at times, but I was able to ignore it. With Far Cry 2 it is really bad....

Mine is also in a open ventilated area. It does not feel any hotter than normal.

Your GPU is overheating.
How long does it take for your Fan to go to full speed? mine after 15 min more or less. I would recommend, like TyrantII mentioned, performing a backup. Don't want to scare you but your PS3 might not last too long.
Open it up will void the warranty. You can try to use a low power vaccum and Air spray but it won't do much, depending how long it's being since you cleaned it.
If I were you, I'd call sony!

As for the glitches, for me, It depends on the games also, KZ2, COD4 and few other are fine. But really heavy texture glitches in AC, RE5 and Fifa 09.
My PS3 is still doing it.

Opening a PS3 is easy. there videos on youtube.com.

I don't know what speed the fan is at. It seems to be at the same speed all the time for me, which may be high speed. Which is more quiet than any of my computers. I did perform a full HD backup last night. I don't have AC, RE5 or fifa09 to try out. I guess I'll call Sony after the holiday and have them do the warranty repair for the GTA4 freezing glitch. Maybe they are related issues. I wonder if they'll fix mine or send me a refurb 60gig.

Mine is kinda loud. I can't really tell if my PS3 was that hot before but I feel it get really hot.
Not sure that the GTA4 freezing issue and texture problems are related but go ahead and try using your warranty repair.

Little Update!
Well I fixed it,..so far so good!
Here some pics of my PS3 "naked" lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00475.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00476.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00477.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00480.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00482.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00483.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00484.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00485.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/MaxDam/IMG00486.jpg

Sorry for the bad quality pics, taken from the cel phone. And all pics were taken after cleaning it. The amount of dust was unbelievable!
I put it all back together and it's working good as new. Let's hope it will last longer than 3 months like some said or happened to them.
I never though it was that easy, as long as you know what you are doing.