Here's a new one: One Consumerist reader's PlayStation 3 croaked, so he sent it in for warranty service since it was still under its coverage period. A week later, he was told he would not be receiving a replacement. The reason? It had too much dust in it.

This tale gets stranger as you read it. First he's told his console wasn't covered because he didn't have a receipt. (It had been a gift.) Finally, he was told that while it was eligible for coverage, the technicians had peeked inside, taken pictures, and found it simply too dusty to merit coverage under the warranty. He requested the pictures to see for himself. Sony said no, not without a subpoena. (Outraged, he noted that if he were to open the case and taken the same pictures, he would have voided the warranty himself.)

He's now left with two choices: Getting his old (broken) PS3 back or paying $150 for a repair.

Should the writer's dusty PS3 have been covered by warranty? Or did he neglect it by failing to keep the unit in a dust-free area? I expect we'll start to hear numerous additional reports of PlayStations failing due to dust accumulation, a big problem if you leave it running all the time.

The important lesson for you, of course, is to keep your gaming console, and your PC, as dust-free as possible. While you can't open a console case without voiding your warranty, like you can with a PC, you can use a vacuum to suck some of the dust out through the vents even when you can't crack open the box. Of course, also keep the area around your gaming consoles as dust free as possible to keep it from getting inside in the first place.

Click here for more information on dusting and cleaning computer equipment!