Xbox 360 kiosks aren't cooperating?

The 2.4GH RF is not really a good idea. If you have a wifi network you will most probably run into problems as wifi networks use most of the channels on that frequency. Try using a video sender and wifi network in the same household and you will get problems. You'll even get problems with a video sender and the current xbox wireless 2.4 RF controllers. I was hoping to use the my video sender and wireless controllers to use my xbox in another room but they clash badly and makes them both useless.

Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) would help, but if a walmart was flooding the 2.4 Ghz range like crazy it could still interfere with the signal. theoretically the console could have been producing enough signal to interfere with local walkie talkies but I doubt it.

It's much more likely that the unit is pooly ventilated and simply overheated. Looking at the shots of those 360's there doesn't look like theres much breathing room for the thing.

Or the manager was bold faced lying to you to avoid telling you that he turned it off to keep his store from filling with gawkers.

Char

The 2.4GH RF is not really a good idea. If you have a wifi network you will most probably run into problems as wifi networks use most of the channels on that frequency. Try using a video sender and wifi network in the same household and you will get problems. You'll even get problems with a video sender and the current xbox wireless 2.4 RF controllers. I was hoping to use the my video sender and wireless controllers to use my xbox in another room but they clash badly and makes them both useless.

i had this same experience. only the guy behind the counter said it was due to the wireless interfering with the photo processing place right nearby. he said they turn it on after 9pm after teh photo people leave.

the walmart i live by and sadly work at, has a problem with the hand scanner not working properly because of the 360. strange indeed.

You see? They should have put them in Best Buy, where guys in the media department know what the hell we're talking about, unlike the dim-witted chimpazees that work at WalMart.

Don't believe me? Go to your local WalMart and ask the electronics people to find you a DVI cable, and watch them react one of the following ways:

1. They instantly say "we don't have that" without even knowing what it is, or that they do have them two aisles over.

2. They look at you like you're speaking a foreign language, and then ask you to spell it while they look it up on their computer/call for help/scratch their head.

3. They try to sell you something that isn't remotely close to what you asked for.

4. They ask you to describe it.

Granted, not every person at Best Buy will know what you're looking for, but chance are you won't be facing a clueless shlub who would be challenged trying to figure out the difference between CD-ROM and CD-RW, or would be completely unable to tell you what the benefits are to 720p as opposed to 1080i.

My point? Microsoft made a mistake going to WalMart first. There are going to be a lot of clueless WalMart employees trying to explain this hardware, and you can bet they don't get any product training.

MS would have been smart to give the WalMart stores ONLY the Core System (the "tard pack") and leave the Premium System to the places where the staff can explain the system properly, offer the proper accessories, and make sure that stupid rumors don't get circulated as truth.

Bluetooth? Blu-Ray? Damn, WalMart is full of idiots!

keep it on topic, not everyone at walmart is clueless, the scanners they use operate around 900Hz, they cant use cordless phones cuz they mess with the outdated system, walmart is cheap for not updating there systems but not everyone is not an idiot. damn if you cant find a dvi cable your self in a store shop online!

You retards! Why would the kiosk use the wireless controller? The wireless controllers use batteries so of course the controllers are wired, even if it was the play and charge kit they are using. Haven't you seen the pictures where the the USB controller is plugged into the back of the 360? WTF is this bluetooth BS about?

Puyallup, WA Walmart has the kiosk.

Just to clarify, Im sure the controllers at wal-mart are WIRED. That said, I'm guessing M$ was too cheap to turn off the wireless functionality on the actual console. (Vlad can you confirm whether or not it can be turned off in the UI?) M$ uses frequency hopping in their 2.4 ghz implementation, so I'm surprised to hear that there is still interference. The frequency hopping was originally military technology. It was used to prevent monitoring of american communications. It was not just 2.4 ghz though. Perhaps M$ F***ed up the console's learning curve for denied frequencys. dunno. And Best Buy guy stfu with that wallmart bashing. Thats the kettle calling the skillet black. I don't work at an electronics retailer, and I try to avoid Best buy like the plague, but let me say from the times I've been in there, ya'll couldnt find your ass(ii)(lol) with both hands. If you really want competent electronics advice, shop at an independent electronics retailer or tweeter in the US(though their competence has recently been brought into question) or SevenOaks in the UK.

Just to clarify, Im sure the controllers at wal-mart are WIRED. That said, I'm guessing M$ was too cheap to turn off the wireless functionality on the actual console. (Vlad can you confirm whether or not it can be turned off in the UI?) M$ uses frequency hopping in their 2.4 ghz implementation, so I'm surprised to hear that there is still interference. The frequency hopping was originally military technology. It was used to prevent monitoring of american communications. It was not just 2.4 ghz though. Perhaps M$ F***ed up the console's learning curve for denied frequencys. dunno. And Best Buy guy stfu with that wallmart bashing. Thats the kettle calling the skillet black. I don't work at an electronics retailer, and I try to avoid Best buy like the plague, but let me say from the times I've been in there, ya'll couldnt find your ass(ii)(lol) with both hands. If you really want competent electronics advice, shop at an independent electronics retailer or tweeter in the US(though their competence has recently been brought into question) or SevenOaks in the UK.

please dont let me be the first one to say it, but may the problem be that xbox360 was released too early??? my greatest fear, and most possible reality is that the new xbox has been released way too early and the ps3 will reign all supreme

They shut down the Xbox 360 kiosk at my local WalMart too. The demos kept freezing, as did the movies. There was a large scratch on the disc though so that could be the culprit. I ask the attending electronics cashier and he said it kept "overheating"? Either way, it doesn't look good to just have a controller sitting there and no console.

DVI cable is in the first ille right above fiber optic cable, F***ING MORON,I work at walmart(and it trully does suck),electronic dept., the truth is that the 2.4ghz interferes with our "Smart"system. nation-wide all walmarts had to stop using the pa system, because costumers complain, so 360's 2.4 is a scapegoat. at my store we use wireless home theater systems as our excuse

Has anyone seen the kiosk in a New York area Walmart?

On the topic of the controllers at the Walmart Kiosks being wireless or not, let me speak from FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE with the 360.

I am sure that the controller on display is IN FACT the WIRELESS controller. The arm it's connect to is the Security Arm so someone doesn't steal it. I know this because I've got to TAKE OUT the XBOX 360 from the kiosk and HOLD IT IN MY HANDS! And I got the PICTURES to prove it. Check 'em out at my site: www.XeqtioneR.net

If you look at the pics I took of the front AND back of the 360, holding it in my own two hands, there is NO PLACE to plug in ANY controller... BECAUSE IT'S THE PREMIUM XBOX 360 ON DISPLAY! It Has the freakin' Harddrive built into the side/top of it (depending on how the unit is sitting). I will also post a pic of this as well.

I also have some *breakin news* at my site, some inside info from a Walmart employee who is also a Gamer. www.XeqtioneR.net

the walmart i went to definitly had a wired controller. the xbox had the chrome trim which the booklet hanging next to it noted was only on the premium model. but the contoler had a wire that ran to the box, a flap in front folded in revealing usb ports
now maybe the chubby kid revelling in the fact he held it can shut up
.....dekalb, IL

Xeq after seeing your pictures i can clearly say that the Controller is NOT WIRELESS , the controller is plugged into the USB port in the back.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/6646/x3605aq.jpg

and another thing , the XBox360 Wireless Controller was tested with a lot of cellphones and a lot of walkie talkies on TGS and other game conferences. and gave no problems , so why now misteriously a guy saying that it haves problem when in other walmarts theres no problems with it!

That guy is clearly a PS3 Fanboy

the controller was wireless on the unit I got to check out, but there was a wire running from the 'security arm' that it was attached to because if you notice from the displays and pics, there is a MEMORY CARD port attached at the base of the security arm. And if you look at CLOSELY at the pics I've taken of the entire unit, front/back/side, there are no cables running from the usb port area.

As for the name calling, c'mon, One, don't hate, two, your name on here is after a snack food. So whatever there, Cheeto, Dorito, Frito...whatever your name is :) lol.

But prove me wrong, I challenge you to go and get the display open and take pics, just like I did.

John, thank you for pointing this out. You very well may be right. I didn't want to take a chance at unplugging it because someone was using the contorller at that moment.

Does anyone else have other pics showing what the USB end of the controller cord looks like? I'll go again tomorrow and pull the unit out again and unplug that cable this time.

My Logitech Cordless controller for the PS2 is 2.4GHz and does not interfere with my 2.4GHz cordless phone.
The only thing that could get me to enter a Wal-Mart is a PS3 kiosk.

Just to clarify, most ^wireless^ things DO use the 2.4GHz band - INCLUDING BLUETOOTH. However, just because it uses the same band doesn't mean it is the same thing. I'm not sure but I think 802.11g uses 2.4GHz too ??? But like I say there is little chance of interference. If there was how would the 360 pass the saftey tests?
Most likely thing was something went wrong and they couldn't be arsed to fix it.

And does anyone know when these kiosks will be coming to UK? I'm getting desperate.

hey (JD) XeqtioneR, the biggest flaw for putting a wireless controller in the kiosk would be power. How would you get power to the controller? They can't possibly change batteries every few days.

adum theres the Play & Charge kit , it plugs into the USB ports the other end into the top of the wireless controller and charges the batt while you play.

But i still believe that is not wireless , is wired , and the cable cannot be for the memory slot since Allard or was Major Nelson said that the USB are Read Only.

This is totally bogus. The 360 kiosks are designed to use wired controllers.

If the unit is off, it's off for another reason.

What the employee stated makes absolutely no sense.

File this under pointless and unnecessary.

Xequtioner, your a retard!!!

you said that infact the controller is wireless and that you have the pics to prove it...

in your pics it is quite obvious that the cord from the controller is plugged into the back of the 360.. look at this pic
http://users.adelphia.net/%7Ejdortega/uploaded_images/xbox360_back-747318.jpg

i think you got owned dawg

Why is this even a discussion? Everything about the article is false.

If the kiosks were using wireless controllers, they would have to be charged every 40 or so hours. Does anyone seriously believe Microsoft designed a kiosk where controllers could potentially die and have to be recharged during presentation? Nobody in retail would want to be responsible for having to charge the controllers. And nobody in their right mind would feature a unit that might not work. It doesn't make any sense. For purposes of having it work all the time, and also for security, the controllers are wired on the kiosks.

Also, a wireless controller is not in anyway going to interfere with a Public Address system. The range of the wireless controller is limited, and it's not like the console is transmitting.

I work at a Wal Mart here. We had a problem like this too. But with us it crashed our SMART system, which made all handheld terminals not function. Those handheld devices use a wireless network to function and somehow it interfered with that.

I have installed a few of these already so listen up. They are WIRED controllers. Its the same way for all the kiosk. In fact there are 3 wires coming from the control arm into the case. 1.controller 2.reset switch. 3.memory card slot.

There is a control box underneath the console. It allows for 2 controllers to be hooked up, memory unit, reset switch and does a couple of other things I will choose not to say. The smaller powersupply that people have spoke of is for the control box. The control box has a usb out also. That is what plugs into the back of the system. So it acts like a usb hub.

The wireless controllers have a cable that plugs into the controller for playing wired and for charging it. They are not ALL wired. A wired one does come with the CORE pack though.

First of all, if any of you have USED a wireless controller...it's not that great. Replacing batteries or charging them (in this case) gets old. When the power gets low, it affects your gameplay, and possibly at a bad time.

I have full intentions of playing wired the majority of the time. Wireless controllers are over-rated unless people are walking in front of you all the time. It's a similar idea to wireless and wired ethernet. If you want consistent results, you need the hardwire connection.

Well, I used to work in a Wal-Mart electronics department, and those people don't have a clue what they're doing. Before I came, not a single demo display was working! After I left, it went back to the way it was. :eyeroll:

i really dont care if it fucks up wallmart im still gona buy one i got to play one the first day at my walmart and it worked it doesnt ne more but i got to play it and im hooked

I was just at Walmart and their kiosk was shut down too. Lady said they had to not just turn it off but unplug it too due to interference with their hand held devices. They said an independent contractor installed the equipment, not walmart employees. She also said it has been reported as a problem at most all walmarts. Hopefully it won't mess up things in the house the same way.

Just got an xbox 360 to find that it interferes with my digisender (videosender) - the console doesn't even need to powered up, just plugged into the mains.

It's a pain because there doesn't appear to be a way to change the channel it's using.

I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas and it played great until the other night. It froze and I just shut it down. The next day I tried to play and I got sound and no picture. Can someone help me figure this out or is this the trouble every one is taking about. I love my Xbox and just want it back working!!!!!