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360 Crashes Still Deemed “Minority” By Microsoft

by Erin on July 2nd, 2007

Microsoft is facing more consumer heat for their buggy, glitchy Xbox 360 creation. The “Red Ring of Death”, a universal symbol of a crapped out 360, is now an accepted and common term in gaming lexicon, and the flawed systems are a phenomenon that has been in existence since the launch of the console, though Microsoft has done little to rectify the situation other than to selectively replace broken units.

As an example of the sheer idiocy of the situation, one 360 owner has gone through eleven Xbox 360’s. Normally I would question the intelligence of the user here, but the gamer in question, Justin Lowe, seems to be of the early adopter category, owning both biggie console and blogging for an indie game podcast.

Apparently the systems have lasted, on average, 1-2 months before succumbing to: three red lights of death, two with disc read errors, two dead on arrival, several with random audio and video-related issues and one that actually exploded. [Author note: How do you have a $400 console come in D.O.A twice??]

Justin says that the customer service he received was just fine in the beginning, but with the growing rash of problems now being reported, and which Microsoft refuses to acknowledge, things have been taking a little longer. He also discovered that the “new” systems sent back to him are often refurbished models (perhaps adding to the high rate of multiple failures), but asking Microsoft specifically for a new system meant a shiny new box…after a longer wait and some administrative hoops.

1Up has an extensive post about Justin’s issues (including a recorded customer service call with a Microsoft rep), and on the wider issue of failing 360s. Microsoft’s attitude towards the problems, despite increasing dissatisfaction within the gaming community, is surprisingly poor.

A very interesting piece from a consumerist perspective, whether or not you own a 360. Are those with console breakage truly a “vocal minority”, as Microsoft is trying to pass them off as, or is this a more serious problem, not only with the consoles, but with the power imbalance between Microsoft and its fan base.

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POSTED IN: Things That Suck, Xbox 360