With installs fast becoming a mandatory hindrance for PS3 users, I decided to get a new HDD for it. 320GB, I figured, should be enough. If I only knew what I was setting myself up for.

So I go home from the local Tiger Direct outlet and set about upgrading. At first t was easy enough to just take the caddy out. However, things stopped being easy when it came time to unscrew the old 60GB hard drive from the caddy. Two of the screws stripped when I tried to unscrew them, rendering it impossible to unscrew them.

I grabbed a pair of pliers (PLIERS!), and while they were able to take one screw out, the other screw was so tight that even the pliers weren't working. Frustration and anger of the highest order began to set in, to the point where, out of sheer desperation I tore the HDD out of the caddy. This, however, had the side effect of bending the caddy irreparably. Now I'm stuck waiting for two weeks for Sony to send me a new caddy before I can use my PS3 can be used again.

This is Sony's idea of “user exchangeable”? For this sort of thing to work, the unit has to be easy to pull in and out. Ideally, the compartment should be small enough to where you don't need a caddy at all, but if a caddy is needed, the drive shouldn't be welded to the damned thing.

Suddenly, the Xbox 360's proprietary hard drive seems worth paying for.

Makes you wanna scream, doesn't it?