“Primary reports seem to be that updating to firmware 3.61 will cause PlayStations to overheat. There have been various reports of this on a few different games now, all reporting their PS3s turning off or ‘Red Lighting’ after having installed 3.61.

“This can range from games randomly freezing to PS3s turning off anywhere between 30 mins use to two hours. We have confirmed locally that multiple games (Rockstar and non-Rockstar) overheat or freeze only when 3.61 is installed.”

Here is what to do if you are crashing or freezing in L.A. Noire:

1. Delete your L.A. Noire Game Data (not save data) from the PS3 Game Data Utility. If on 360, clear the 360 cache.

2. Create a new temporary PS3 user to ensure that new save files are created. If on 360, create an offline Silver Gamertag.

3. Launch the game and try again. If you are on PS3, try playing while signed out of PSN.

4. Check your disc for scratches, dust, dirt, or other damage. Clean if necessary.

5. Check other game discs in your PS3/360 to see if issues are occurring in other games, suggesting a potential console problem.

6. Try your L.A. Noire disc in a different console or try a different L.A. Noire disc in your console to determine with certainty whether the issue could be with the disc or console, rather than the software.

7. If your console is overheating, try moving it to a more ventilated area or contact Sony/Microsoft for further console troubleshooting.

If the issue is still happening, please click "Submit a Request" at the top of this page and provide as much detail as possible about what PS3/360 model you are playing on and what steps you follow in the game when it crashes. Let us know exactly what you see (e.g. freeze, black screen, return to system software, etc). and what you are doing in the game when the issue occurs.

Also, if you are on PS3 please move your L.A. Noire save files onto a USB drive and then transfer them to a PC. Compress the folder on the USB drive called "PS3" and attach that file. We will take a look at your save file to see if we can learn more about the issue and its resolution.

"As with the release of any System Update, we will invariably see a very small number of users whose console has failed following updating their console, which is an unfortunate coincidence"

"Rockstar have now updated their FAQ on the matter, have admitted that it is a fault with their latest title LA Noire and have offered a workaround," says Sony. "It should also be noted that the issue with this title is not PS3 specific and is also affecting other consoles."