Does anyone know?

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So, I've had my Ps3 for five years and my Xbox 360 for three years I think. How long should I play them for because I'm trying to make them last a very long time. So how long should I play them before turning them off for the day?

I think the best thing you can do to prolong the lives of modern consoles is to make sure they're in an elevated(off ground level), unenclosed, and well circulated area. That, and that the console exteriors, and the areas the consoles sit are kept relatively free of dust. However, at best, they just don't seem to be built to test any more time than any of the laptop computers I've ever had(about eight years).

As far as how long to play, I don't think it's as much about an exact duration played, as much as how hot the console is getting which can be effected by the demands of the game, available airflow in the room, and the current room temperature and humidity-level. So if the cooling fans are running louder than normal, and the console seems hot, it's probably a good idea to save your game and power the console down at least until the console casing feels fairly cool to the touch again.

I've had a PS3 for over four years and it's still working perfectly despite daily use. I don't play games on it much anymore, but I play DVDs and Blu-rays on it constantly. I keep waiting for the disc drive to fail, but it keeps going strong. I've also got a lot of MP4 movies, MP3 music, and photos on the hard drive, and that's holding strong as well.

Of course, you'll find people out there complaining that they bought a console and it broke two weeks later, but people are more likely to complain when something goes wrong than praise when everything's going right, and people encountering those issues are probably in an extreme minority.

Just use your consoles however much as you please and chances are things will work fine. There are lots of hardcore gamers out there who waste the whole day playing and their systems never break. Just take common sense care of them: periodically wipe dust free from the disc drive, blow dust off the vents, make sure they're not shoved up against a cabinet wall or other console so the vents are getting air, etc.

It's also a good idea to have a surge protector where you plug in your TV and game system(s) so they won't get fried by an electrical surge. I had that happen once to a TV set and a PS1, and now I use surge protectors and haven't had any more issues of that kind.

My experience has also been that the three main things in prolonging the life of electronics are temperature, dust control, and clean power.

Regarding power, beyond surge protection I also use power conditioning that happens to be built into a UPS. My area is subject to occasional power fluctuations that are mild enough to not trip surge protectors but that, over time, can mess up electronics. (I once lost a TV due to that.)