Xbox 360 crashing, overheating
by Blake Snow 
{ Nov 23rd 2005 at 11:00AM }
While many Joystiq readers have been pleased with their new hardware purchase, reports are coming in of Xbox 360 system crashes, overheating, and some titles not playing at all. Crashing is believed to be due to hardware with overheating issues attributed to the hard drive. No word yet on misplays of some games, but Slashdot has some comprehensive links that look further into the problem.
While all hardware launches have teething issues, let's hope the trend doesn't continue, and the number of occurrences doesn't increase.
[Thanks, anon]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Nate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
love mine games a great havnt had any over heating problems but whats with PDZ good story mode but horrendous multiplayer, i thought the mp was supposed to be good!
shhhhhhhhhhh! @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
ok Listen .. if you click my name you will get my image
Xbox Vs Tower...
Tower:
Dual AMD Opteron 250
4x 120MM Fans!
3x 80MM fans!
183CFM of Airflow
Xbox:
3Cores
2 Fans
Minimal Airflow
Needs a Higher Flow Fan
Noise Level: tollerant!
Turn up the audio what im mad about is the Powerbrick the size of the xbox ~.~
bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Fanboys, I hope you have an explanation for this.
DJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
This is interesting to hear. The company I work for did the interactive kiosks, and we have had one running in our office 24/7 for around 3 months now. It plays attract loops, vidoes, etc most of the time, but ocasionally someone will play it for a period of time. No heat issues here - not even to the touch. That's pretty good considering how long it has been running.
Stretchpants @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Yup. I hate that screen. Got it twice last night. I've decided to go with placing a small fan next to the 360 to keep it cool, which appears to alleviate the issue.
Sagan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Outch...
Btw what's that "all hardware launches have teething issues"? This is the first time I heard of problems like this... Or maybe the second time, because I think I remember something with the PS1. But thats 2 times in 10 years... So plz someone tell me about other teething issues of other platforms. What did I miss?
oBLIQUE @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I havent seen anything like this yet but yesterday i was playing NBA2K6 and there was a glitch that looked like some of the players basketball short were hanging off, i was cracking up, but it went back to normal after a while.
funkonaut @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=391764&page=1&pp=15
Scary stuff. Pages and pages of problems from 360 owners. :-(
Matt @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
The PS1 was the overheating issue with some of the 1st/2nd gen ones that was fixed by sitting it on its side.
interlag @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Mine crashed twice last night. I had it sitting on the TV and I think that it got too hot there. My old xbox sat there for years with no problems. Now that I've seen some games in real life and they are not that impressive, I'm returning it and waiting for the next hardware release which will surely have better cooling. It will probably be loud but what else can you do?
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
My system has been running great. I even left it on all night (while downloading a 500MB demo for NBA Live 06). This morning is was warm, but not hot to the touch. Certainly not as hot as some laptops (Dell) I have used.
I have not experieced any crashes.
pr0cs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
no problems here. I played with the thing from 9am until around 10pm yesterday, both DVD titles, media center, live arcade, etc and not one hitch.
the machine does get warm but not hot, probably too many people trying to run the thing in a confined cabinet or too close to other hot items like the TV or HD cable box (both of those at my home get pretty damn hot)
CcntMnky @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
It might not be a heat issue. I've heard that if you swap power supplies the problem follows the supply, not the game system. If you've got access to another owner without probs, or can rig up an alternate, try that.
PiNPOiNT @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I was playing mine for about 12 hours ever since i've got it, and i have never had a single glitch with it yet. ill cross my fingers, and post if something does happen.
I'm running mine laying down flat, on a carpet, in a room that is about 23 degrees Celcius. No issues yet.
scampy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
typical problems with new systems at launch time. My ps2 completely hosed the 1st weeek i bought it. The ps3 will be no different.
dmek @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
A Microsoft Product Crashed?
This is news?
I bet it was Sony's Rootkit that did it. I hope it was anyway.
John W @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Mine is working great, as are all of my friends' 360s. I'm guessing that a lot of people don't realize the need to keep the airspace around the 360 and the power supply clear. This isn't any different from high-end amplifiers, PCs, and other equipment that generate heat. It's just different because this is the first console with this many transistors inside. The PS3 will be the same way. In fact, NVidia's cards usually run hotter than comparable ATI cards, so it might be worse for them.
As to why it crashes more when actually playing games, that's because the GPU doesn't get taxed when just displaying the UI.
I think Microsoft would do well to place a large 8 1/2x11 display inside the box on top that clearly spells out the need for good airflow clearly. That, and reminding people to take the tape off the front of the DVD drive :).
John
The1 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I gamed (Leaving my x360 on all day) yesterday went to the gym and wow. My X360 is running great. I will do again and again. My X360 is the sh-----t. No OVERHEATING.
MS ROX @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I BLAME $ONY! TEH ROXBOX 2HOTTY RUELS!
Omega @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Stuff like this has happened before... highly anticipate product comes out, a few people have issues, cause a big stir online, and then it fades away. And it's all related to one common fact--the people that have problems will post about them online to get answers. The people that don't have problems probably won't waste their time to just go online and say the thing they purchased is, um, working fine like it should, so it changes the perception that everything is going to hell. Even if this happened to only a few hundred people, I'm sure that out of all 400,000+ systems they've made, if only a hundred didn't work properly and half of those people, 50 people, started posting about their problems..... that seems like a huge amount of posts and problems. But relative to all the systems that work, it sure seems like a small number now.
theburn16 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
haha since when is it news that something running off of microsoft hardware and software crashes? i've got one pre-ordered, i just hope its fixed before i get mine...since EB told me i wont be getting mine until january or february.
Sense @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Maybe some of us (me) should be grateful to be in the second shipment.
Maybe it won't have as many bugs.
Of course, if the lady that won my PSP on eBay would hurry up and pay, I'd have enough cash to get a DS and kill some time before I get my 360.
LOLLERSKATES @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
ROFL I laugh at you Micro$oft fanboys!!!!1
dvdguy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"So plz someone tell me about other teething issues of other platforms. What did I miss?"
Didn't the PSP have dead pixel issues and a button problem?
jc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I would like to thank everyone that bought the release version and is carrying out the beta testing for Microsoft. I figure the updated version (and a decent list of good games) should be out in the spring... just in time for me to pick one up.
really, thanks again ;)
Chiablo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
This is why you never buy a new system at launch. Always wait for the second revision or higher before you buy one.
scampy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
sounds like Fud to me.
JC @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I wonder if any video artifacts may be caused by incorrect video settings? Like when you turn on progressive scan on your DVD player, but your TV doesn't support the feature.
apoc06 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
FUD? read the article if you want. the original postings are from xbox-scene. do you think an xbox fan site would spread FUD? or better yet, do you think loyal xbox fans have gone out paid for a $400 piece of machinery, bought several games for it, and then posted make believe pictures and video of the games crashing?
Dan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I played mine pretty much non stop yesterday. Kameo, condemend, NFS:MW, PG3 plus a bunch of live arcade games and didn't have any problems luckly, hopefully it stays that way...
http://live.xbox.com/member/prankfurter%20com
Sub-Earth Pirate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
AHAHAHAHAHAHA.... its like the blue screen of death, but better. cuz it makes me smile :)
scampy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
"FUD? read the article if you want. the original postings are from xbox-scene. do you think an xbox fan site would spread FUD?"
That's the ideal place for FUD tardo! It's PUBLIC forum
TiaMaster @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
People are going to think that these forum posts mean that 90% of 360 owners have screwed up Xboxes.
I hate to tell you, but LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of people post in forums.
But for some reason, and its ALWAYS been this way since the beginning of forums (or 'boards'), folks like to think that whatever they see on forums reflect what must be happening in the world.
Not to mention joystiq LOVES to spread the pain to all large corporations (Sony and M$ and whoever). Its like all their writers have been screwed by The Man or sumthing...
If there is some problem with overheating (and until there is a recall, there ISN'T one...) then it most likely means people arent giving it enough ventilation room. The 360 is in essence a little computer, and you wouldn't shut a computer inside a little cabinet with 3 other components (stereo, DVD, cable box...) because HOPEFULLY you would realize "hey, it might get a little hot in there...".
I have an entertainment center that houses all my home entertainment components - except the 360. Because of ventilation concerns I put it on top of the cabinet. And it actually looks pretty cool (no pun intended) up there.
mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Well, it's closed-arch.. it's not supposed to have driver issues, etc either.. this is just a problem with them running windows. that's all.
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
TiaMaster,
Thanks for adding a little common sense talk to this forum.
I can only report what I've seen, my 360 is running great and so is my brother in laws 360.
B @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Let this be a lesson to ya'll.
And now MS owns ur asses for bringing it too damn early.
BSOD a la Xbox 360,lol!
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Issues on other hardware:
The first version of the PS2 had a problem with the optical lens being too high up. It would actually scratch a grove into CDs/DVDs when playing for long periods of time, and the lens would end up damaged eventually.
The second version of the PS2 had power issues that were problematic for some users.
The first version of the slimline PS2 has recently been tagged with power problems, and a new version has been made to correct these issues.
The Xbox had disc reading problems at launch, as well as some known power problems.
The GameCube had a few rare power problems (mostly failure, rather than the overheating usually associated with console power issues).
PSP had serious problems with dead/lit pixels, scratched screens, and dust under screens. The original Japanese PSP had problems with the firmware, and the latch on the UMD door would open if the system was twisted or bent a little (although you really shouldn't be BENDING your PSP, anyway).
Atari 2600 VCS heavy-sixer was known to have problems with joystick ports, console switches, and the occasional problem with the RF-connector port not being soldered on well, thus losing the connection.
Odyssey 2 consoles initially shipped with hard-wired, built-in controllers that were known to fail within the first six months when used frequently. Because the controllers were hard-wired to the console, you had to ship the whole console to Magnavox just to repair the controller (and it was usually just a contact in the controller that had snapped off or cracked that caused this problem). The keyboard on the Odyssey 2 was also prone to problems.
NES front-loaders ALWAYS had issues with cartridge connections. They developed serious dust problems, and contacts didn't always line-up properly. Nintendo only fixed this when the NES was all-but-dead by releasing a top-loader, which was rare and now goes for hundreds in the collector market.
SEGA Genesis consoles had issues with the headphone jack, and the controllers have been known to die. The sound chip would also fry on occassion, although this was more rare than the other problems.
Commodore 64 computers had problems with the SID chip (sound), controller ports, and floppy drive connections. Floppy drives would frequently just die, and require being replaced out of warranty.
Intellivision had problems with the first version's built-in controllers; the "disc" would stop responding, and since the controller was hard-wired to the system you had to repair the whole console, much like the Odyssey 2 before it.
Vectrex systems were known to just up and die. Screen would go blank, unit wouldn't power on, controllers wouldn't respond.
SEGA Saturn systems had the rare power and controller problems.
SEGA Dreamcast systems had disc read errors in some units at launch.
N64 consoles had memory card issues, cartridge reading issues, and power issues at launch (although rare).
NGage had retardation issues at launch, which continue to plague it to this day.
Phantom had non-existence issues.
Kevin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
i was at my local eb games yesterday and i was playing the xbox 360 (im poor), and then the clerks were talking about how the xbox's disks melted and how it kept overheating in the model they had.
soco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
i looked through them this morning and had a good laugh. people are still resorting to old NES tactics to get them to work like hitting the consoles, and then reporting success. some people were getting the dead console indication (3 red quadrant lights) because they didn't plug the power cable in all the way. the first thing they seemed to have done was run to an internet message board and complain, before trying to reconnect everything thoroughly. oh the internet generation.
however, the most surprising thing i read, was that MS was actually offering to send people to people's houses. others were having boxes shipped to pick up their units and be repaired, and a few just went back to the store and got replacements.
wait, went back to the store and got a replacement? yup, that's what they claimed. there were a surprising number of cancelled preorders and things that people could just swap them for according to some of the posts.
however, that's actually some pretty amazing service if MS is actually sending technicians out to inspect the units. then again, there is so much shit in forums, it's hard to tell who is bullshitting and who actually has problems.
Sub-Earth Pirate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
ZeroCorpse, you forgot about the exploding xbox, ya know the HUGE recall, oh man, that was awesome.
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
You are correct. Xploding Box. I brushed on it with the term "some known power problems"
But yeah, it was a big MS boo-boo.
alex @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I agree with chiablo. ... You really can't trust a first gen system. Unless it has been too long for you all to remember, but sony and microsoft were well known for their console defects. who's to say this won't happen again... especially with sony debuting with fresh hardware. i'm just happy i won't be putting myself at risk this gen... I'm waiting to get my 360 or ps3. Who knows yet.
Top Rope Suplex @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I was just at the Zero Hour Event... where the machines were turned on from before we got in (Sunday @ 7pm) until the time we left (right before midnight, Monday) and I personally never saw a machine crash. That's 17 hours of on time, with no problems, for probably 1000 machines.
I'd have to say that if they're overheating, it's most likely user error; lack of ventiliation, placing them on a TV, setting them on a heater... etc, etc.
sandro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Im glad I diced to wait for the PS3 *-)
PJ @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
sandro,
I am glad you "diced" to also, nice job.
Ptaaty @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I bet there are less than 2% of users with this problem (other more prevelant problems will surely arise, like with EVERY console) and of those most will be user error.
The unit actually runs quite cool, however it does dissapate a fair amount of actual heat and energy. This means that give it proper ventilation and you won't have any heat issues at all (well until dust eventually takes over) but throw it in an enclosed space and watch out!!
The fact that it can ever run for the store with the melting disks is a good sign. If there was a design issue it would have crashed well before that point. A lot of us with OCed PCs know that a few degrees can cause issues, if they can actually get to the point it melted a disk means the hard ware is well designed.
Expect a LIVE patch and new software for temp monitored shutdown with error message soon (assuming it is possible)
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
I find a lot of user error in these situations, too. People place it on a carpeted floor and expect it to be properly ventilated while it's got carpeting and schmutz blocking the ventilation holes and providing insulation on the bottom.
The put on top of a DVD player, VCR, TV, or some other appliance, and it sucks up the heat rising from below it.
They stick it in an ultra-tight entertainment center with little or no ventilation.
They move the system around while it's functioning, causing disc read errors and hard drive crashes.
They paint or sticker the damned thing and expect it not to interfere with the ventilation.
They FREEZE it, thinking it will help cool it down, and then immediately play it.
Yes... Consumers can be flippin' idiots.
Frank Wolf (a.k.a. Bane) @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
Hey ZeroC what about the 3D0, NEC Turbo Grafix16 and NEO GEO? Those systems were perfect ;^)... Oh yea and that gem, the Atari Jaguar. LOL...
Stretchpants @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
To #13... fantastic idea. Swapped power supplies with a friend at lunch (the bastard took the whole week off to play 360).
The box no longer sounds like a jet engine revving for take-off. I'm 99% sure I've got a bunk power brick.
I would suggest that anyone else having heat issues try this out. Kudos to the poster of #13.
Buttonbasher @ Dec 18th 2005 9:02PM
HELP I JUST GOT THROUGH THE ZERO MISSION ON PERFECT DARK ZERO! NOW WHEN I GO TO PLAY LEVEL 1 ON SINGLEPLAYER IT STALLS ON THE LOAD SCREEN EVENTUALLY BRINGING UP A SCREEN READING : disc can not be read. Check region. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT I CAN DO? THIS SUCKS! EMAIL ME @ KLINDBLOGGER@GMAIL.COM/