Microsoft red circles of death!
Microsoft Corp. admits “an unacceptable number of repairs” to its Xbox 360 will force it to take a charge of more than $1 billion for its most recent quarter, and it announced a new, extended warranty for the video game console.
The announcements come amid mounting complaints about Xbox 360 failures on the Internet. Microsoft said it had investigated the sources of hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console and had identified “a number of factors” that can cause such failures.
Microsoft said it would extend warranty coverage to three years to cover the problem and would reimburse customers who had previously paid for repairs related to the three-flashing-lights error message.
That’s a helluva quality control chargeback for the “Heir to the Throne”.
Muhahahaha. Here comes the xbox live + universal movie deal.
OMFG, the XBOX is gonna be bigger than the iPhone!
This is where design won out over function. I firmly believe that this is a overheating issue. These Xbox 360 but out some much heat I have make sure I bought the booster fans for it.
Maybe if they stop stealthily upgrading the system so it could be Corporate friendly rather than user friendly then they would have less of these problems.
#1
You forgot Apple’s Pippin console, but so did everyone.
#2, how could it overheat? It’s got a couple jet turbines for fans.
Consoles made sense when PC’s were very expensive.
Typically 1/5 the cost of a decked PC & monitor you had the PS2, plenty of games, etc.
Now it seems only Nintendo makes a budget console. I built a very decent computer recently for a friend that is actually more powerful than a 360 / PS3 for cheaper.
I agree that the heating is the problem. Even though they put fans that pump decent volumes of air, they’re not cooling the proper places, and people stick them under their TV’s in closed up places.
Did just repair one, bad design & poor soldering.
The heat sinks are mounted with spring loaded “X-clamps”.
Take them off and and mount the heat sinks with 8 screws, 16 steel washers and 16 nylon washers, start up the Xbox with-out fans and let it run in overheated state for 2 min. let it cool down . and it works now!
Only slightly off topic==my ILO dvd recorder stops working whenever the temperature goes over 100 degrees. Put an extra fan on it, but no joy. Put it in the refrigerator, and it works for about 20 minutes after that. Hope it comes back next winter.
Heat kills.—put a fan on that thing!
#7 – Typically 1/5 the cost of a decked PC & monitor you had the PS2, plenty of games, etc.
But the PS2 was a kiddie toy and serious gamers use the PC… and when the shine wears off the latest gen consols, they will again. PC gaming is the only real gaming.
Now it seems only Nintendo makes a budget console.
Budget… and more compelling to boot…
I built a very decent computer recently for a friend that is actually more powerful than a 360 / PS3 for cheaper.
You can build a good quality machine for about the same as or a tad less than a PS3… And it should satisfy a casual gamer… Or you could lay out real money and get a box that will play your game and dry your laundry at the same time 🙂
(I’m so geeky it hurts)
By the way… I know it isn’t fashionable… But it seems MS is “Doing The Right Thing” in terms of solving an issue here… Wouldn’t hurt us to nod and say “good job” and then return to the regularly scheduled MS bashing 🙂
So what was this vs. their profit for the quarter?
I’m not a big fan of M$ but I have to admire how they’re handling this one. Even if they did let poor engineering like the heat sinks mentioned in #8 out the door in the first place.
They’ve been accused of making their customers pay for their beta test products but that sure hasn’t happened in this case.
Wonder if there’s a market for water cooler retrofits? Either way, looks like Nintendo won again. Shoulda placed those bets…..
Also wonder what other MS hardware is going to run into similar problems (like the tabletop PC? Will probably double as a flatop stove if you play Quake on it).
#14 – Wonder if there’s a market for water cooler retrofits?
Yes… I’ll bet there is…
You should get started.
A Friend of mine is on Xbox #3. I also think it’s heat. There was hope the the Elite version would include a .65nm cpu. That didn’t happen.
This July will mark my first year of having an Xbox 360, and I’m on my 3rd unit so far, after my previous ones had DIED on me. It IS a heating issues, but it’s not an overheating issues where the chips are getting fried. They are actually pulling (or sliding) off their solder mounts from the motherboard when solder points soften from the heat. This is apparently due to the way the heat sinks are clamped down, which is some how exerting some kind of force that causes this.
The guys who do “PSP Hacking 101” have released a video on how one can possibly fix their busted 360. Very interesting video to watch.
[edit: pls use tinyurl] http://tinyurl.com/2yct9l
#5
If you thinking those are “jet turbines” from the noise the 360 makes, it’s from the DVD-ROM drive, not the fans. Fans make barely any noise.
Lets see…
Heat from CPU.
Heat from GPU.
HEAT from HD..
Heat from DVD..
SMALL box…
SMALL fan…
BAD IDEA…..Priceless…
OK, by sales, isnt that about a $10 per sale return??
Ok, let me think…
thousands, millions, billions, trillions…
Worldwide Hardware Sales (End of March 2007)
PS2 – 117.89 million
Xbox – 24.5 million (unofficially estimated)
GameCube – 21.59 million
Xbox 360 – 11 million
Wii – 5.84 million
PS3 – 5.5 million
Game Boy Advance – 79.46 million
Nintendo DS – 40.29 million
PSP – 25.39 million
Lets say 25 million/1trillion
Sorry, Im OFF…. $40 per unit…Thats saying that EVERY unit is $40 OFF…
It would BEHOVE MS to find Working, NO problem consoles, and SEE THE DIFFERENCE. And FIX the rest, then SUE tha ASs that made the originals… Or is this MS’s construction?? and an MS FAULT?
Wii is currently outselling XBox 360 by 2:1 and PS3 by 4:1. If it wasn’t for their problems, XBox 360 would have left all comers in the dust.
Try moving beyond NA numbers. Example: in Japan, Wii outselling PS3 6:1.
#19 you need to realize this in 1billion in the last quarter alone not altogether.
MS releases hardware as if it’s software… we’ll just patch it later. Paying the price for poor hardware engineering now.
A) This is terrific!! Seriously, MS steps up to the plate and does the right thing. They are supporting their platform for the long haul. Good for you MS!! Maybe I will buy one in ten years, when the used price is less than $100.
B) The whole “serious gamer console” debate of WII vs. PS3 vs. 360 is very poorly done. You still can get more “serious gamer” play out of a modified PS2 (old fat body version) with hard drive, or a modified XBOX with hard drive for much less grand total cash ($100 to $150 grand total with multiple games for either modified platform).
Spending $500 for a WII or a PS3 or a XBOX360 with multiple games seems like such a waste of financial resources.
“But the PS2 was a kiddie toy and serious gamers use the PC… and when the shine wears off the latest gen consols, they will again. PC gaming is the only real gaming.”
ok, ok, ok, ok, I’m gonna have to stop you right there buddy. I’ve been playing videogames since I was 3 years old. Out of all of the videogames that I have owned (hundreds) only about 9 of them are PC games. I’ve found the master sword more times than I remember, played megaman untill I had the worst nintendo thumb you could imagine, raced around in gran turismo untill my eyes nearly fell out of my head (i got 98% completion), played EVERY tekken, Virtua Fighter, and Dead or Alive, beaten several castlevanias, and i’ve beat resident evil 4 in nearly every way possible (i still dont have the hand cannon). I am a “serious gamer.”
So don’t you DARE tell me what “real” gaming is.
On a lighter note. I’m glad that Microsoft is owning up to this fairly huge problem. 😀
The Xbox is becoming the Powermac 5300 of our time. Limitless warranty, but who really trusts it?
22,
But thats the Cost, reflecting BACK on the WHOLE lot…Every machine Made has Problems.. And MS would rather FIX OUTSIDE, they to pay back Every customer for their purchase.
24B…Pay HOW MUCH for a Wii???
The 360, makes YOU…A beta tester… They rushed it, Just to BEAT the PS3…..Then Sony, RUSH to come out 1 year later…Just to keep up..
I have to wonder if MS is going to release a new XBox at e3, then just replace burnt up 360’s with the new one.
25,
And SOME of us are old enough to remember….
GAMES used to be made for ALL systems..
After the FIRST console wars, and the C64, APPLE 1…And so forth…
The games hit the PC’s and spread FAST.
You no longer needed a console to PLAY games.
But, until recently…
the PC was ALWAYS more powerful then the consoles.
The PC was Fully programmable, and the recent consoles, are so proprietary that insted of having 500 independent developers, you ALL have to go thru MS or Sony to get your game released. Insted of seeing 1-2 Labels on games now, you will see 3-4-5 and the last one will ALWAYS be MS or Sony.
With the Advent of VISTA… I will also bet, it has become the same as I just stated for the Intel PC.