Rockstar and Sony unable to explain hardware overheating problems

A joint statement from Rockstar Games and Sony has claimed that reports of PlayStation 3s overheating while playing L.A. Noire are not due to either the game or the recent 3.61 firmware update.

Previously Rockstar blamed the firmware update for reports of overheats, and claimed that the issue affected other non-Rockstar games. Later that day Rockstar removed these comments, while also admitting of problems with the Xbox 360 version of the game.

The statement issued overnight claims that only a "very small number" of complaints have been received and that, "at this time, Rockstar Games and Sony can confirm that neither L.A. Noire or firmware update 3.61 are causing the PS3 hardware to overheat."

"We are both committed to working hard to find solutions to this and any issues that may arise," continues the statement - before providing a series of contact details for both Rockstar and Sony technical support.

The series of public statements are unusual in that before they were made there had been little public reporting of the problem, particularly in regards to games other than L.A. Noire.

If the issues are not specific to either the game or the firmware it is unclear why it has only come to light now or whether the underlying problem is software or hardware.