12th February 2015, 7:51 PM
For some odd reason, the launch Dreamcasts might be more reliable than the later ones... is your system a model 0, or later? (The model number is in a circle on the label on the bottom of the system. Should be a 0, 1, or 2.)
I'm sure that the laser can be at least temporarily improved (re-align laser pots, to make it work better for at least a while), but I'm not sure if the DC has a replacement laser easily available. CD lasers do eventually go bad. The original PS1 model is particularly infamous for how quickly its disc drive started not working. Others are better.
As for me, I only have one system with a dead laser -- my launch Gamecube. Its laser died in 2006, and I got another one. I still have the bad one, though, if I can ever find someone to fix it and want that done (the replacement system still works fine, though).
I'm sure that the laser can be at least temporarily improved (re-align laser pots, to make it work better for at least a while), but I'm not sure if the DC has a replacement laser easily available. CD lasers do eventually go bad. The original PS1 model is particularly infamous for how quickly its disc drive started not working. Others are better.
As for me, I only have one system with a dead laser -- my launch Gamecube. Its laser died in 2006, and I got another one. I still have the bad one, though, if I can ever find someone to fix it and want that done (the replacement system still works fine, though).