A valiant attempt to get Xbox 360 failure rate answers

Does no one else realize that if Microsoft is within the 3% of failure rate that they claim, that is still over 330k consoles. So yes, you probably hear a lot of stories of XBox 360's failing but if it's not over 330,000 they are still well within their failure rate.

Yes, that number does suck but everyone acts like the 360 has some huge fundamental flaw when the vast majority of 360 owners, including me, are more than satisfied with it. Im going on a early 2006 model and aside from the occasional disc read error and not plugging the AV cable in all the way when I move it or something everythings been working great.

@na2ru1

The person selling you the PS3 told you it has a high failure rate? Seems counter productive.

I can't believe this rumor is still going around.

I believe it is indeed a dark day for humanity when so many people believe DWells55, among others, are making this stuff up.

I mean seriously, it's just sad how cynical our society is. Yes, there are many people out there who are scumbags not worthy of the slightest thread of trust. I'd say most politicians, PR guys, and corporate fuckheads don't deserve any leeway from our cynicism, but as for the average human being, most of us are pretty decent.

But, since we're all such a big fan of "logic," let's really look at this logically.

For starters, I'd like to just say I've known many fanboys in my experiences posting on various video game sites, and if it's one thing they all have in common, it's that when it comes time to put up or shut up, they shut the hell up.

But let's humor ourselves and say that maybe, just maybe there are people out there who will go to extreme lengths just to make slightly exaggerated claims and slightly skew the numbers to throw Microsoft for a loop, because quite frankly, they have nothing better to do with their time.

So with that in mind, let's examine the evidence.

Dwells provided a picture of 5 original 360 faceplates. Now, let's examine some possibilities of how he attained these faceplates.

Possibility one: He bought them. Well, sheppy threw this one out the window when he pointed out that MS doesn't sell the original faceplate in stores. But, even IF they were sold in stores, that would cost Dwells $100-$20 per faceplate. Who in the hell would spend one hundred friggin dollars just to make a negative claim against MS? It doesn't make any sense, especially since much worse and harmful claims have already been made.

Possibility two: He bought 5 360s and took off all the faceplates for a photo-op. This option is even more ridiculous, as it would cost thousands of dollars just for a single pic. Even if he returned all of them, he would still would have needed the thousands to begin with, not to mention the amount of effort it would take to buy all those 360s and return them just for a single picture.

Possibility three: He borrowed them from friends. This is *slightly* more likely, but still ridiculous. Think about it. If a friend came up to you and asked to borrow your faceplate, what would you say? You'd say "What the fuck for?" Maybe I have a lack of imagination, but I could not possibily imagine an answer that could make you say "Oh, okay, let me just take that offff--there, have fun with it!"

Possibility four: He's telling the truth. That would mean a corporation with a long record of fucking over consumers is... guess what? Fucking over consumers! Imagine that!

Seriously people, let's put the distrust where it belongs, in the fuckheads who lie to us regularly with a smile on their face, because they know that every time we buy into their crap (and buy their crap) they make bags and bags of money.

Can someone answer me this?
Why is it that when someone doesnt answer a journalists' question, the journalist doesnt ask "...you didnt answer my question, you just completely avoided it altogether."? It annoys me to no end to not just have people not answering important questions, but to have the people who asked the question to just move on.

LTNK

You are allright, how can I work for MS too? thanks.

My first 360 broke within 3 weeks of me having it. The refurb unit they sent me worked fine for over a year, but just this week it started overheating and freezing and now MS is going to send me Xbox 360 #3. I really love the system when it's working (great games, great online experience, etc.) but I don't believe for a second that the only reason there's a perception of poor quality is "a vocal minority".

I can say this: My 360 works fine and I have had it since Jan 2006.

My PS3 works fine and I have had it since the European launch.

My Wii had the weird graphics glitch. It was replaced without a fuss by Nintendo and the new one works perfectly.

Therefore: 100% of all my next gen Nintendo consoles failed and were subsequently replaced without a single bit of hassle and my other consoles work perfectly.

Stick those numbers in your calculators and give me something good.

Maybe all you guys that keep breaking your 360s are just idiots.

TWO XBox 360s, BOTH WORKING FINE.

One has worked perfectly since launch. The other has been working fine since purchase at the beginning of this year. Never a red ring. Never a freeze.

You know why?

I treat it well. I have it well-ventilated, on a nice surge protector, and it's not sitting on the floor, or on top of some other component. I don't move it while it's on. I don't abuse it.

Yes, there may be failures, but there are probably also a lot of fricking idiots out there who blame their stupidity on MS.

@107. ComradeTrotskii
"Maybe all you guys that keep breaking your 360s are just idiots."
-----------------------------------------------------

Maybe you should shut the hell up and troll elsewhere.

"Yes, there may be failures, but there are probably also a lot of fricking idiots out there who blame their stupidity on MS."

You're right; I guess we can conclude that Xbox 365 owners are dumber than other console owners. I certainly see evidence for that on these threads.

my wii broke the 3rd day i owned it. Its been 3 weeks and im still waiting for my repair to be sent to me which is still at Nintendo's factory

"TWO XBox 360s, BOTH WORKING FINE"

I can't wait for yours to fail, bud. Your tune will change quickly. My November 2006 360 purchase was fine until it failed on May 3rd. When I received my refurb on May 22nd, then it subsequently failed on June 6th.

Tracking for 1st 360 sent back:
http://tinyurl.com/2qmyn8

Tracking for 2nd 360 sent back:
http://tinyurl.com/2muyfc

It took me 11 days alone just to get the empty box for the first one. Now I have a "special" rep who has done near nothing to accelerate the process the second time through. I'm hoping my newly heatsinked refurb at least gets shipped tomorrow. I love the system, but this is ridiculous. I have a newly purchased wireless wheel and HD-DVD add-on that I haven't been able to use for 5 out of the 6.5 weeks I've owned them.

How many non-believers here are really Microsoft employees? There are some ridiculour non-failure numbers in some posts. So far for me, out of 8 people I know, only 1 hasn't had his replaced. And out of the others, 3 of us are on our 3rd console. I'd never get a PS3 but only for lack of games. I missed the first week of the Halo 3 beta as well as the last 4 days. End Rant.

If you listen to as many gaming podcasts as I do (general gaming as well as 360 exclusive) you know that it is a problem. These are industry professionals and/or 360 fanboys, and they mention it every time one of their 360's breaks or begins acting funny. In recent memory:

John Davidson from 1up (see: My PS3 killed my 360)
Nelson from Achievement Junkie
Wombat from CAGcast (has to open/close the try 10x for it to see a game)

But there's more than that. A lot more. Most of them have had to do multiple returns. I think someone should start keeping track of just these provable cases (Provable = established journalists/podcasters whose 360's have died).

All I have to say is that Microsoft never fixed my 360. I guess cause I bought my 360 when they had a 3 month warranty and not right at launch. :(

I don't hate Microsoft as I would still build a PC gaming machine. But count me out of their console experience from now on.

I mean they don't need my money or loyalty anyway. I have a PS3 now for gaming and so far I am very pleased.

@ oldest gamer

First of all, no OS is virus proof. The only reason you don't get many viruses on Mac or Linux is there are significantly less users than Windows, which makes a virus or trojan kind of pointless, since you'd want to infect as many computers as possible.

Second, most computer gamers are in fact Windows gamers, because many games aren't Mac compatible, and Linux is hard for some people (I'm told).

I don't think intelligence of the gamer has anything to do with what console they purchase, and saying so is just silly. Personally, I don't own any consoles, because any worthwhile game eventually makes it's way to PC, because at least with a PC I can go in an make my own repairs/adjustments without worrying about jerk corporations trying to rob me.

Sorry, but the failure rate is UNACCEPTABLE. I don't care that Microsoft isn't a typical console manufacturer or whatever the current excuse is.

THE PRODUCT IS FLAWED. THEY ARE SELLING A PRODUCT THAT IS OBVIOUSLY FLAWED. As good as system as the 360 may be, the failure rate is INTOLERABLE. Microsoft seriously needs to be served a lawsuit over this issue.

"Where do the xbox360s go for repairs? Has anyone considered staking it out for a day? If someone could get a rough idea of how many boxes arrived each day..."

When I sent my 360 in last week, the UPS rep said he they are shipping about 20 consoles a day back to Texas. That is just from one UPS center in Farmingdale NY.

Umm yeah I don't work for Microsoft. And I agree with the earlier statements above. You idiots keep abusing your 360's and making stupid decisions and then wondering why the fuck it breaks down in a few months. Stop blaming Microsoft for you're retardiness.

It just seems like a bunch of people making a big deal out of a small issue. And of course the secret sony trolls who are out to inflate the numbers.

Just a few questions of those whose Xbox 360s have died:

1. Do you leave your console standing upright, or horizontal?
2. What kind of surface do you leave your system on - wood, plastic, metal or carpet?
3. How well ventilated is your system?
4. How many hours per day, on average, do you use the system?

I find it bizarre that some people can go through so many systems while others don't experience a single failure. There's got to be more to it than just luck of the draw.

I can't believe there are posters here saying that the XBox 360 failure rate is exaggerated. Why is the testimony anecdotal? Would that be because Microsoft refuses to release the numbers? I was a late adopter. I bought my XBox 360 two months ago. It failed ten days after I bought it. I didn't even play it that much.

I bought it at Gamestop, and they wouldn't take it back. If I had their extended warranty, I could have gotten a one-time replacement for the defective product they sold me, for $50. That's a rip-off.

From the time I called service to having the machine back was two weeks. That's pretty good. Plus, they gave me an Xbox Live Gold membership card for a month, which is ok since my free membership was used while I didn't have a machine to play on.

But, overall, I was pretty angry. Considering the cost of the machine, plus the games, I spent over $500. For that kind of money, you'd expect more quality. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably stick to my PC or splurged on a PS3.

Yes, it is our own fault for all the failures. The guys at Joystiq, Kotaku, IGN, and everyone else who had a system fail must all have their consoles buried in 1970's shag carpet. (Ironically, smothering it is the only way to get it to work again temporarily)

I can't believe that I am going to justify this but both of my previous systems sit on a stand similar to this one, except mine has a smaller wire management board in the back:
http://tinyurl.com/2hef7r

Open. On. All. Sides.

It sits on its own glass shelf about 10" above a non-heat-generating cable box. The stand sits right next to my 92" HD projected screen which currently only displays a standard-definition picture from the aforementioned cable box. My only HD device is in for "repair".

Any more Microsoft employees want to comment?

"121. Yes, it is our own fault for all the failures. The guys at Joystiq, Kotaku, IGN, and everyone else who had a system fail must all have their consoles buried in 1970's shag carpet."

What are you sayin about my vintage shag! It's been here since teh 70s, and I think it's grown longer over time...

Seriously, of a pool of ~10 adult (mostly married and with 'nice things') friends, most of whom are in IT (and should fracking understand the finer points of ventilation). One fiend had two die, and 2 others had one die. I suspect the first year failure rate it in the teens (despite 'the people I know'.)-- Which is still quite ghastly, and would allow for the people that had 5 failures. A 15% first year failure rate would mean that it's not that rare for some poor SOB to have a 5 of them die, from a statistical POV.

Mine is a Feb '06 unit mfg in Jan '06 ... it freezes up on me randomly in the dashboard, during live arcade, and specifically during GRAW2. I called ms support, they had me perform the clear cache trick and told me to go play the box while they held and come back and report when it froze again. I played for 20 minutes and it didn't freeze, and of course no one was on the line when i came back to report it. next time i played it froze 3 times. This is totally crappy customer support. I don't want a game console where if i forget to X, X, LB, RB, X, X to get it to work its going to freeze. Now I have to call back again, going to have to fight to have them have me send it back.

My nephew (recovering from brain cancer) really wants an Elite, despite me telling him about the failure rate, so I got one for him for his graduation along with the $80 2 year replacement plan from BB. At least for 2 years he'll just be able to bring it back to the store if it breaks.

The problem is that unless a lot of investors choose to press MS on the failure rate, we will never know the numbers.

I absolutlely love the 360 experience, but by the same token, I am on my 5th 360. My first 360 died on 12/25/06. It was replaced and began to die in May 2007. The disk drive noise was unbearable. I decided to replace it with a core (since the replacement unit was only warranted for 90 days). The first core I bought (360 #3) was DOA. #4 began getting disk errors after about 30 minutes. #5 has been running fine for 2 weeks now.

On a site that I frequent, one of the guys sent a note to all his friends list friends (>60) asking how many 360s they have bought. Over half have had their original 360 die. Many had multiple problems like mine. We will probably never know the real ratio, but even 5% is impossibly low.

A friend of mine says that when he sent his 360 'coffin' back to MS for repair, the UPS counter guy said the get around 20 per day. He instantly identified the coffin as such.

I see the irony that after all the advances in video gaming over the last 25 years, Microsoft is back to playing Lemonade Stand with failure rates. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy my 360, but only when it works. I just think of how much better it would be if there were 'ring of death' was not such a part of 360 gaming.

@119. Dale
"Just a few questions of those whose Xbox 360s have died:

1. Do you leave your console standing upright, or horizontal?
2. What kind of surface do you leave your system on - wood, plastic, metal or carpet?
3. How well ventilated is your system?
4. How many hours per day, on average, do you use the system?

I find it bizarre that some people can go through so many systems while others don't experience a single failure. There's got to be more to it than just luck of the draw."
---------------------------------------------------
1. Horizontal.
2. Wood.
3. Perfectly.
4. 2-4 hours.

I recently joined a gaming clan and have come to learn through the clan's discussion forums that a great many people in the clan (far, far more than 3-5%) have had at least one XBox fail. Many have had more than one box fail. I'm personally on my 3rd 360 in just 14 months.

While I appreciate Microsoft's 1-year warranty program, they will not extend the warranty when you return a system for repair (i.e., return a box after 10 months and you'll get it back repaired with only 2 months of warranty left, minus repair + transit time). At least this is what Microsoft told me when I spoke with them after my first 360 died.

My experience has led me to expect that my box *will* die within a year. Fortunately, I have been able to return my systems to the retailer I bought them from and simply buy new ones (new box = new 12-month warranty). If I ever lose this option, though, then I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before my box, refurbed or not, dies and leaves me out $500.

Speleo.

@119:

1. Both failed consoled have been vertical.

2. My consoles sit on the center of an 18" tile that I've placed on a carpeted floor.

3. The tile my 360 sits on is at least 2 feet from the nearest surface, so there is plenty of cool air around to draw. This is by far more space than I've allowed any other piece of consumer electronics gear I own.

4. My first system probably averaged 4-6 hours on days I played, but I didn't play very often. Averaged out per day, I'm sure it would be less than an hour / day. That console lasted 10 months. My second system took a LOT of play. I've been online nearly every day for 4 hours or so, and have done some all-day marathons on weekends. Average play was probably 4 hours per day, even counting days off. That 360 died after barely 4 months.

I've joked with some other hardcore gamers that the life expectancy of a 360 is approximately 10,000 Gamerscore, but so far that's actually been pretty true for many of us.

Speleo.