Microsoft’s Xbox 360: Epic Fail
You turn on your expensive console, ready to rock, but nothing happens. You hope it’s nothing, or at least something that can be easily fixed. But you have a sinking feeling that this is the beginning of the end of your XBOX.
According to a new article on gamespot.com, you are not alone. Out of over 5,000 people surveyed for their article, 54.2% have had a serious problem with their XBOX 360 where it becomes just a fancy plant stand.
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The “Red Ring of Death” is not a new problem. In 2008, Microsoft was sued in California for their high number of product failures. The plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuit that Microsoft has known since at least 2005 that XBOX 360 consoles had a high failure rate. What has Microsoft done in the 4 years since?
In 2007, Microsoft, according to their press release, expanded their warranty coverage. Microsoft anticipated spending between $1.05 to $1.15 billion dollars to fix the problem. Fix, not solve.
Now, two years later, the problem still exists for many users. According to gamespot.com, more than half. Many users send in their console to be repaired or replaced by Microsoft. However, once a user sends in their consoles, they wait for upward of a month for a repair. According to gamespot.com article, 41.2% of users then suffer a second hardware failure. Nice!
All these failures and problems haven’t hurt the bottom line for Microsoft. According to informationweek.com, “The XBOX 360 is the only console showing a unit sales increase year-to-date”.
Billions of dollars have been spent to fix a problem that more than half of users still experience. In a flat market where games and games systems are not exactly flying off the shelves, XBOX 360’s sales are increasing.
Could it be because many users have to buy the console more than once?
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I really wouldn’t trust a survey to talk about Microsoft fail rates…did any of the 3 parties involved in this survey (Game Informer, Gamespot and this website) ever think about talking to Microsoft, rather than talk to 5000 random people?
Just a thought.
I don’t know Anon; Microsoft acknowledges that they have a problem with the XBOX 360’s fail rates, the entire state of California SUED over the issue and Google RROD and you will find more than 5000 people to tell you their tale of woe. Are you a Microsoft plant? What more evidence does one need to see there is a major problem with the XBOX 360’s?