I agree but skyrim sure as hell shortens its lifespan

I need to agree, this game is definitely the reason for the ]dead systems, not because it is old. The ps3 is a tough system, I left it on for roughly 10 hours on pause in the middle of one game, come back, continue to play.

Its not because of bad ventilation either, example: When a game that is paused and not using any hardware, it won't lock up. Play skyrim, leave it on pause, won't lock up.

Now, actually play skyrim when your a good 80 hours in, it will crash in about a hour or two because of the enormous lag/cpu usage. Its not a fan problem, its a game problem. I can play any other game if I wanted to for maybe half a day and it will not lock up.

This is realy starting to worry me, one guy's ps3 nearly exploded and the other guy's just quit. Every time i start the game i start the game I feel like i'm about to kill my ps3

I know Im about to kill my ps3

I hear it cry, I see the tears, Skyrim is mudering my ps3, first degree murder

Forcing incorrect lens readings, overheating, and general stress increase the odds of a PS3 breaking down.
Also, older models seem to be a little tougher than the newer slims, but that's only from what I've acquired
from asking around and reading reports online.

Also, it's important to note factors like the condition of the PS3 itself and the person treating it. I'm not a
smoker and I keep my room at a constant 69 degrees (slightly humid and cool). I've also had my PS3 for
over five years and haven't run into a single issue until I loaded Skyrim. My PS3 runs everything else fine
and it isn't broken- but it wouldn't be completely incorrect to assume there is a connection.

If what some users are reporting is true: that Skyrim is just too complicated and powerful to run smoothly
on the PS3- then it would make sense by that logic that it has a higher chance of stressing out the system
compared to other games. And like all electronics- the PS3 can only take so much...

Ultimately, I believe that Skyrim can break your PS3, but I do not believe that it is, at all, a standard experience
and that everyone should expect it coming. That's all.

If you have FW 4.0 installed and have not done so, I would do a system restore. I had all kinds of problems, looked into it, and it seems 4.0 was causing all of my system freezes not Skyrim. Since the restore about a month ago, I have yet to have a single system freeze. No more freezing here.

General Suggestions for Skyrim:

• Delete Skyrim Game Data in Game Data folder and perform a clean install.
  
• Keep your system updated (since formatting the drive does not clear firmware updates)
  
• Rebuild your PS3 database: instructions are in the stickies for PS3 tips
  
• Start a new character to test these results- using a bugged save may bring back issues
  
• Do not interact with every object- as not to inflate the save file size
  
• Keep your quest log completely clean; avoid getting conflicting quests
  
• Take care of your system- avoid smoke/heat/sever cold/liquids/and dust
  
• Make sure your PS3 is properly ventilated
  
• Think about investing in a SSD- as it does reduce lag by a noticable amount

Note that these issues are not guaranteed to fix or resolve your issues, but will increase the chances of solid play.
These are general suggestions I see every day, so people are welcome to try any of them. I'm not exactly sure why
some are saying the firmware is a problem, as it is locked into the system once you update it- there is no way to
remove the firmware unless you actually crack/mod the system.

Ultimately, the best way to prevent crashing is just not play Skyrim. Wait until the next update and then see what
people are saying. Maybe it will work- if it does, then go crazy. I am experiencing problems and have tried almost
every method suggested on these forums, including testing different PS3's and copies of this game. Nothing seems
to work for me so I'm going to wait this one out and see what happens.

That's like a murderer returning to the scene of the crime and asking how the police investigation is coming along,

Well, I was hoping for some sort of response as the cost I'm incurring trying to fix this is going to be significant. I'm sending it to a repair shop as although I can try and reformat I don't want to lose the saved data if possible. Also just purchased a 160gb slim as a replacement...talk about an expensive game!

Sorry to hear about your problem, but something you need to realize is Skyrim is a broken game.

As such, all the freezing, lag, and crashing wont be healthy for your gaming system/computer. Enough said there. Additionally, because it's a broken game by design you won't be able to exchange it for a working copy. Nor will it help to play the game a "certain way". The issues are there, it's only a matter of time. Your only course of action is to keep playing the game in it's current state, or wait for Bethesda to bring the game up to standards. We certainly deserve a game that works properly. They've more than earned a bad reputation because of this, so I'm certain the big-wigs at Bethesda are concerned with rectifying the problem as soon as possible, because they of course value us as a consumer...right Bethesda?

I wish you luck with your PS3, and sorry I couldn't be of more help.

A little off topic here, but is anyone else a little annoyed at the lifespan of these current consoles? My first PS3 bricked 5-min out of the box as I was loading my first game. My original Xbox 360 has been sent back 5 times for repair, my pro console twice and is acting up again presently. Wii never gave me problems other then I never played it and sold it to hopefully a happy home. My older gen consoles only needed to be purchased one time for years of enjoyment, in fact they were only sold off to make room for these two behemoths that have conquered my entertainment stand only to frustrate me.

I just hope they work it out with the PS4 and whatever the hell Microsoft is slapping together next, because the idea of "oh that $400 console is just old, buy a new one" isn't going to fly much longer.

I think their lifespan is fine. But I have never run into any problems with mine so I guess I'm biased. I've had an old fatty for almost 5 years now and one slim for a little less than 2 years.

Every major release is closely followed by a load of console deaths, and every time it's more correlation than causation. Globally a load of consoles are sitting around unused, then Big Game X comes out and some of those people buy it on the hype and dust off their consoles, consoles that haven't been used and maintained properly and those are the ones that fall first.

Then there's the ones that are used quite a bit, but fail as they're pushed outside of their "comfort zones" by extended use. It's not the game that is causing it, just the use of the console itself.

There *is* however a strong case to be made for the frequent and consistent requirement to hard boot your console while it's running adding to the natural wear and tear and being a contributing factor to console failure. I'm certain that Skyrim isn't killing PS3s outright, otherwise the numbers we're seeing would be much higher, but as certain as I am that it isn't killing them, I'm just as certain that it is causing them significant damage.