Xbox 360 kiosks aren't cooperating?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 21st 2005 at 3:00PM }
Joystiq tipster, Brad, is reporting that the Xbox 360 kiosk at his
local Wal-Mart has been shutdown. After talking to the manager, Brad was told that the Xbox 360's "built-in Bluetooth"
(360 doesn't use Bluetooth…?) was causing major problems with the store's PA system. What's going on?!
Anyone else have a similar (strange) report?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sean @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Oh my gosh..I hope this isn't a serious problem. If it is the XBOX 360 might have to be backed up until Christmas! OH NO
haddo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Well that really is quite a Fuck Up
Reader @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Thats odd, Xbox 360 doesnt use bluetooth. It uses 2.4 Ghz RF.
sxates @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sounds like a bogus excuse to me. Their PA systems surely do not use bluetooth, but are wired, not to mention that a rogue bluetooth device would unlikely have enough range to have any effect. Otherwise, half the phones walking into the store would be giving them trouble. Makes no sense.
Seep @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
ahhh fuck anywho you know what i mean.
PSP-Files.com @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Just shows you what kind of idiots you go to the store to buy things from. Bluetooth... muppets.
LZ @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I call BS on that Wal-Mart. I was just at a store in Addison, IL, about 1 hour ago playing the 360 with no problems save a little neck pain.
Maybe they don't want people coming into their store just to gawk and not buy anything...
The Wallbanger @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Seems like it'd make more sense that the 2.4 Ghz frequency is interfering with the walkie-talkies they use.
Adam P @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I think "Brad" just wanted to get his name on Joystiq. Well played Brad. Well played.
Dean @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
thats retarded, seeing as the controllers used y the console arnt usiong the 2.4GHz (probably what the manager meant) is messing with thrm.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
i think what they really meant to say is that the deer antlerizer has choked up the combobulator's wireless signal. the giant brick of a powersupply was also killing all of the flash media in the joint. and who said microsoft couldn't innovate?
Hoyl beck @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Lets talk all about The saposeble free xbox 360 with no bull shi* Call me 406 257 8161
Hoyl beck
Guillermo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
From what I am hearing the problem is that some stores have to shutdown the machine a few times a day because the traffic generated by the 360 Kiosk is too much for them to handle and is disrupting the electronics department
Shadow @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
i like the xbox's purty pictures
Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
People, people!
Isn't it obvious?...
The walmart employee is...
That's right, you guessed it...
KEN KUTARAGI!!!!
JD @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
yea the one I went to was frozen on the cod2 load screen. I talked to the guy and he said that a microsoft guy was coming because it needed to be reconfigured.
LMAO @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I thought the controller is the wired version?
Sean @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
No, prolly more like MS is pissed at them for having the displays out too early. =
Hooligan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I talked to the manager at the local Walmart and he told me that it was the Blu-Ray drive in the 360 that keeps shutting down. Oh yeah, he also says that the emotion engine keeps stalling. He did try to sell me one of the hundreds of dusty PSP's he had in stock.
(JD) XeqtioneR @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Yeah, I don't agree with this report either. Tonight, I'll be going back to the Walmart that let me TAKE OUT AND HOLD the XBOX 360, and I'm gonna play 20 questions :)
I got lots of pics up of the 360 and 2 of the demos: www.XeqtioneR.net
Giddieon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Sounds like a load to me... maybe a cover story for a problem with the system... or someone messed up on something large with the setup of the systems....
Guillermo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Hooligan, I thought it was that the dusty PSPs talked their PS2s brothers into guiding bomb missiles into the stores if they did not shutdown the 360 Kiosks. Ja Ja Ja
bb @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
2.4 RF will screw with the Symbol handhelds which are pretty much the backbone of Wal-Mart day to day business. That's probably why they shut the consoles off. Even wireless speaker system demos that run on 2.4 will screw things up.
Ian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
why dont they use a wired contorler if the wireless controlers
also this is more proff that walmart employees are dumbasses, especially when it comes to games
Bixx @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I agree with BB, I worked at walmart for a quick minute and their telxon they use for inventory do run on the frequency. Ummmm.. why wouldnt Microsoft send the core units since the controller is wired and the high end pack they would have for the consumers?!?!
Chimpo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I live in a suburb of KC and the Wal-Mart we found that has a 360 setup doesn't work. It isn't a problem with PA or anything, it just constantly freezes on the load screen. We tried reseting the machine 3 times and it locked up each time. The employee we found said he thought it was something with the hard-drive, but I would have figured they would have just shipped core bundles that ran a disc with no need for the drive. Either way, the 360 is crapped out, but I like the feel of the controller.
hank @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I think the RF noise from the processor was producing a harmonic frequency that was unravelling size 22 spandex leggings and flourescent NASCAR tank tops.
SilverScyth @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I'm guessing that's because Walmart has them stuck in this tiny little crevice. The X360 generates a massive amount of heat, it needs space otherwise it will choke. They had problems with 360's crashing at X05 cause they were all crammed in glass cases all next to eachother.
Matt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"i think what they really meant to say is that the deer antlerizer has choked up the combobulator's wireless signal. the giant brick of a powersupply was also killing all of the flash media in the joint. and who said microsoft couldn't innovate?"
LOL! Just like I predicted. Hey Soco, you moron, the power brick was shown to be small in an earlier post.
Andy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
My local Wal-Mart (OKC) doesn't have one yet, but i'd give it less than a week in that joint before someone breaks the controller anyways.
The WM manager at that store probably doesn't know what he's talking about.
Wink E @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I talked to the janitor at walmart, he didnt know that blu-ray drives were part of the 360 and he did say psp were in stock but there was no dust on them.
Hooligan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Bluetooth? Wait a minute... The PS3 has bluetooth! OMG Walmart has PS3 kiosks! I gotta get to Walmart and play all of the playable demos on the PS3! Quick, everyone call the local Walmart and ask them if they have a PS3 kiosk and we can post the list here. Happy Hunting!
mat @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
WM does use bluetooth in their product scanners and tag printers.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
hey matt, it that smaller brick, was confirmed to be something else and not the 360 powersupply!
grode183 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Heres the scoop (I work at a connection center within Wal-Mart in WA) The 360 kiosks will be installed in all Wal-Marts from now unitl November 11th. No there is nothing wrong with them and the AC adapters are quite small. Our Kiosk was installed 2 days ago and has generated quite a bit of traffic, yet nothing that has caused them to shit down. Also the walkies and PA are not getting iterfeared with. Thats the most retarded thing I have ever heard.
Oh yah Wal-Marts only rarely use P.A. now!
Josh Bancroft @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"Xbox 360’s “built-in Bluetooth” (360 doesn’t use Bluetooth…?)"
Uhh...
How do you think the wireless controllers work?
James Emberton @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Uhh... That would be 2.4Ghz RF, same as most cordless phones and most wifi internet access - not to be confused with bluetooth.
vidGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"Uhh...
How do you think the wireless controllers work?"
Uhh... maybe you should read the thread.
SuicideNinja @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I'm going to go with the heat issue. A 3 core CPU running at 3+GHZ? Try putting a P4 or Athlon 64 machine in an enclosed glass case with little airflow. See what happens.
phez @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Aren't there regulations regarding the use the of the 2.4GHz band?
Either that particular wal-mart store doesn't understand the use of channels...or MS made a big mistake somewhere.
Of course, I'm rather inclined to believe the former ;|
Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"It uses 2.4 Ghz RF"?
Tell me this is not true!
Every time I am going to receive a telephone call, my wireless headset will mess with my controller!!!
I hope this is not true.
Hooligan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
I think anyone that has a cordless phone should not get the 360 because it will interfere with your phone. It is obviously has not been thought out by Microsoft, because they should be aware that you cannot possibly have more than one RF device within the same household. A small "mom and pop" company like Microsoft could not possibly have the resources to research and design a functioning wireless controller. I mean, look how may people on this board think RF is a bad idea. Maybe they should let us design the controllers. :p
Stublag @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Just commenting to confirm that the power supply is freaking gigantic and when I went to WalMart it was turned off because " Something in the xbox360 is making all of our scanners messed up "
kojo87 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
that makes no sense at all. the 360 doesnt have bluetooth and how would it mess with the PA system?
Brad @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
This is Brad and for the doubters, call the Wal-Mart in zip code 21234. I visited there today just to check out the 360. The 360 was there but the TV was off. I picked up some other things I needed and saw someone with a shirt, tie and a WalMart nametag. He was the asst. mgr so I asked what was going on with the 360 set up and he told me, "there's Bluetooth in the Xbox 360 and it's interferring with our PA system so we had to turn it off." No joke.
Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
It took Microsoft 3 generations to get their wireless keyboards and mice to work properly.
Money has nothing to do with it. When you are dumb, you are dumb, money can't buy you a better brain.
Ravuya @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
phez:
There are no regulations on the 2.4GHz band, that's why everyone uses it.
dave @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
"Aren't there regulations regarding the use the of the 2.4GHz band?"
no (well, beyond certain power limits). that's sort of why it's called "unlicensed spectrum".
i'm a bit surprised MS would do anything as boneheaded as using wireless controllers on the kiosks. that's just a whole mess of stupid. what were they thinking? the controllers are tethered to the kiosk, for heaven's sake. what possible reason could there be for making them wireless?
Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
Ya. I agree with #13 : Dmitri. I think Wal-Mart must be thinking of PS3 and Kenny boy must of told them to say that it has Bluetooth just too make ppl change their minds sbout getting a Xbox 360 and move to PS3. Wouldnt doubt it if Kenny boy paid them some dough to not make the 360 playable @ Wal-Mart. U Never Know with Sony. I mean look at their system, it looks like a cigarette. ( they must be partnered with Tobacco, hmmm..............)
Brian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM
IT IS NOT THE FUCKING CONTROLLER this is from Xbox.com go to developer interviews and then Xbox 360 controller "It will be by far the most sophisticated wireless controller the market has ever seen," Ranta said. "It uses 'frequency-hopping spread spectrum.' A thousand times a second or so, it's changing frequencies and randomly hops around." You may not see it happening, but this is important because it cuts down drastically on the amount of interference you might encounter from other devices in your house. Not only that, but it's already a tried-and-true system. "The frequency-hopping method was actually invented by [actress] Hedy Lamarr on the piano."
The concept rang a bell with us, and we asked if it was similar to something we'd seen on a popular television show—and indeed it is. Fear not, Star Trek fans, Ranta confirms that the wireless controller is "highly effective against the Borg."
And, in the real world, "Not only do we try to use all the frequencies, but if it senses one that's always blocked, it'll stop using it," Ranta said. "It's an adaptive system that's very advanced." So, don't toss out your garage door openers or cordless phones, people. They will not be getting in the way.