Microsoft avoids 360 cooling rumors, calls hardware updates 'commonplace'

by Justin McElroy on Jun 15th 2007 9:15AM

If we had actually started fixing a problem people had been complaining about since our system had been released (read: Xbox 360s dying) we'd be shouting it from the rooftops. In a statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz though, Microsoft was playing it cool on rumors of additional cooling in repaired 360. (Do you see what we did there?)

"Regularly updating console components is commonplace within the industry," was the official line from the spokesperson, who then promptly declined to comment on whether or not Microsoft had done it. There's no word on whether or not the spokesperson's comically exaggerated winking was audible during the interview. If there's actually a Lorenzo's Oil for 360 heat death, we assume Microsoft's worried about opening the floodgates to the millions that might want their problem prematurely fixed. After all, as Peter Moore already told us, the company's not so much interested in preventative care as resuscitation.

Source

Tags: failure, hardware, microsoft, petermoore, repairs, Xbox-360, xbox360

Reader Comments (52)

*AlexK: "How many disc read errors, overheats, etc, are people getting with Wii and Gamecube? Basically none."

Actually, asside from disc read errors, the Wii is having overheat problems, too -- to the point where the console is bricked. The performance of the hardware is irrelevant if the cooling solution is just not up to the job. The funny thing is, the system is most likely to die when turned off.

The Wii also had a number of lock-up issues when shown at E3. Everybody laughed at the PS3 because Sony reps pointed a fan at the system to cool it off. Nintendo just shut off their systems -- and their mouths. Who got the bad publicity? Yeah, that's right.

Microsoft gets more blame for the issue because they have the "ring" and error codes to let people know what part of the system is having problems. It's easier to point fingers. If a Wii dies, well, there's no point in guessing, is there? Don't focus on failure, focus on repair! More often than not, unfortunately, keeping people in the dark is a good PR move. As a software developer, I see it happen all the time when it comes to tech support.

*rfom: "PLUS costs will drop faster for PS3 - 65nm will save much more for the complicated cell processor, the BR price will drop like a rock while the 360's crappy DVD drive wont! One would expect the difference to be barely above USD100 by end-2007."

Sony is already making 65nm Cell chips. Microsoft is using multiple DVD drive suppliers, and blue lasers aren't going to drop THAT quickly in price. The PS3 architecture uses much more power than the 360 by design, so even with smaller, cooler parts, the PS3 power supply is a major cost anchor. The PS3 also has more "stuff" in it -- more shielding, more connections, a more complex motherboard, etc. Aside from the overheating issues, the 360 is actually a very good, cost-effective design.

I just really wish the power supply for the 360 were internal. Hopefully, the 65nm model will have something that doesn't look like a Ghostbusters trap.

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