This is the first disc based game I've played on my PS3, after around 2 hours of play the system started making a loud buzzing noise, it died down during cutscenes but then came back louder during gameplay. The noise goes away completely when I ejected the disc from the system.

Is this an issue with the console (and look at returning it while it's in warranty) or is it to do with The Last of Us

Definitely your console. Though if you're just referring to a loud plane-like sound, then that's just the sound of a non solid-state-drive working its ass off, and it's something current-gen console owners are very familiar with. If it's "buzzing," like an intense vibration or something, then yeah that's really bad and you should make use of that warranty while you still can.

If it sounds like a fan, you're good.

If it sounds like a bee, you're fucked.

I've had both a 360 and now a PS3 and both make the most noise when playing disc based games, which is logical. If the buzzing is really loud its probably something with the disc drive. Im 99% sure its not game specific, doesnt make any sense.

I'd say its a bit of both. It started off like a plane sound which I assumed was drive (something as an 360 gamer I'm not used to as I install all my titles and the machines super quiet)

But as the game progresses it did get a lot more like a vibration within the console.

@bleedingstarx: Is it the fan? I know my PS3's fan goes nuts when its hot. I get about 10 minutes of gameplay before it sounds like a jet, but it will usually calm down during cutscenes. Mind you, my PS3 is one of the old ones that has a shitty fan in it. If yours is still under warranty, then you wouldn't have the same model that I do

After a few 5 hour sessions I had, my console was super hot and during playing it it was louder than normal. And the game even froze once. I'd say it's working the PS3 pretty hard. Mine, at least (slim from 2010)

This is the first time where my Slim PS3 has made a level of noise that can annoy me.

I have a "fat" model and my fan still works pretty fine. Grant, haven't played Last of Us yet.

I had a slim PS3 that made a loud whining noise when I played Uncharted 2. I returned it and got one that is much quieter in everything, even The Last of Us. I would look into exchanging your PS3 for another one.

However, I do think this game is taxing the system pretty hard. I had one hard freeze and had a weird graphical glitch with bright white squares appearing on screen when a molotov exploded.

I had the same experience. My system was putting in some serious work at a few points during the game. Never had a game strain the PS3 like that before.

My launch 60GB PS3 was seriously letting out some heat. I see this as a good sign as it shows that NaughtyDog is really pushing the PS3 to its limits!

Its the only game that if I leave the game Idle to PS3 is making audible noise (Normal fan noise) that it otherwise never makes! So confirmed? Its a lightly used Slim model.

Weird, I have a launch model and it runs just as "quiet" as it always does.

Edit: Never mind me I'm an utter spastic. I bought the PSN version. . . . Nothing to see here.

Are you playing on an ultra slim? I have a PS3 ultra slim and it's incredibly noisy compared to the slim and fat. Much thinner plastic casing. Also when it gets warm you can smell the plastic.

My ps3 started getting really loud during the first year of me owning it and it got Extremely hot. Watch out for Slow everything and when I mean Slow everything, Menu's in ps lobby, game load times, anything and everything. I found it was my fans died and my console was melting itself slowly. Warrenty fixed it and now it works fine but yes, watch for the slowness and the heat.

Judging from Cowboy on the E3 Bombcasts, it seems like the squeezed every last fuckin drop outta the PS3 with this game.

Are other games fine, or do you get the loud noise and occasional dying down in other titles? If it's others too it's likely your PS3 on the fritz. If it's just the Last of Us, I dunno, surround it with fans and hope you can make it through?

Naughty Dog games always push my PS3 to the limits. My launch PS3 finally went out on me while I was playing Uncharted 2 multiplayer. And the used replacement sounded like it was going to explode when I was playing the Uncharted 3 beta (a download so it wasn't the disc drive. It was the fan).

The same thing happens when I play Uncharted 3. It pushes the console and the Last of Us looks so beautiful that I imagine the console is getting the crap kicked out of it. If anyone says its not time for the next generation of consoles, just point to the Last of Us for PS3. It looks beautiful, but its kicking the crap out of the hardware now.

Makes me really excited for whatever Naughty Dog is bringing to the PS4, which I'm sure is in production since they have evolved into at least a two team studio (Last of Us was in production during Uncharted 3). I wouldn't be opposed to Uncharted 4, but I would love to see a new franchise out of them (I don't get franchise vibe from Last of Us).

I'm pretty sure it's the fan revving up to compensate for overheating. My video card in my PC does this as well. Doesn't happen with every game, but yeah: Naughty Dog knows the limits of the PS3 as well as anyone, I'd guess.

How old is the PS3? I don't think it should be making those types of noises, regardless of the game, on the slimmer models.

sounds like your fan might be covered in gunk. vibration being the effect of unbalanced rapid rotation. the buzzing noise could be the fan motor struggling with increased weight. the slim and super slim have an amazing 11 fin tiny fan. the gunk sticks on there really easily.

do you have pets?

get a can of air and get blasting in the vents. after youve blasted use a powerful hoover and suck everything youve loosened out.

if you can live without it then send it back to sony. they'll strip and clean all the insides looking for a problem. may as well get it done while youre still in warranty.

I'm not sure if it's just my console but my fps is hitting the shitter quite frequently. Too be fair I'm a pc gamer that runs everything at whatever setting it takes for it to be 60fps so any drop is noticeable to me.

This game is not only overheating my ps3, it constantly freezes after like 20 minutes of playing... I am afraid to continue playing it at this point

I had a problem two days ago, when I crossed the door to enter Harry´s Office the screen turned black and the PS3 locked up to the point not even pushing the PS button on the controller made anything.

It turned out to be a problem with the video that launches specifically at that moment...

I solved it by erasing the update (MainMenu>Game Data Utility> Last of Us 1.03 > Delete). and running the game again.

When prompted, do not download the update. Hope this helps! CHEERS!