Audio proof of one man's 11 dead Xbox 360s
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jun 27th 2007 at 11:35AM }
Now, we're sure that Lowe keeps his Xbox 360 wrapped in an old shag carpet, standing vertically, in a room that has the humidity of the Amazon rainforest ... oh, and the electrical system in his house consistently causes spikes. Did we cover everything there? 1UP went through the motions, like every media outlet pretty much has done at this point, and received the standard wall of there being nothing wrong and that the newly installed heatsinks are merely part of the regular updating of components in consoles. As Microsoft previously asserted, they "do not provide details on these updates." Lowe, who is on console number 12 now, says, "I still like Microsoft, as much as that may astound people. There's no real hate towards the company for what I have experienced." And we just keep telling ourselves: Don't focus on failure, focus on repair.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
vidGuy @ Jun 27th 2007 11:42AM
I had mine on a UPS to prevent power spiking and it still red ringed after 7 months. It's a problem for sure (but not one a little conductive paste and a new heatsink can't fix).
Matt B @ Jun 27th 2007 11:42AM
No anger toward MS? After 3, I would have given up. How much lost time accounted for the 11 bad consoles?
Fatima @ Jun 27th 2007 11:43AM
This is what happens when a software company makes hardware and don't know what the hell they are doing.
Tadioku @ Jun 27th 2007 11:44AM
this is why I love my PS3
Geo @ Jun 27th 2007 11:46AM
Its amazing how may Xbox 360 have failed, but what about PS3 i have`nt heard anything wrong with the hardware....
JodyAnthony @ Jun 27th 2007 11:47AM
STUPID JOYSTIQ! SO BIAS! YOU NEVER WRITE ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT MICROSOFT! TOBIAS!!!
konajinx @ Jun 27th 2007 11:47AM
Sony Strike Force assemble! Stick it to the 360 gamers while still waiting for something to do with your console!
cc123 @ Jun 27th 2007 11:47AM
Microsoft is going to catch a serious hurting from this. Us gamers are a lot more tolerant of this nonsense since we love the hobby but the average mom and pop won't be. Once it gets cemented into peoples heads that the 360 is shoddy it's going to be really hard to get it out.
Ze shit is about to hit ze fan.
Twinkie @ Jun 29th 2007 12:40PM
I say resolve failure, so you won't have to deal with repair. Eat THAT Microsoft!
Huey2k2 @ Jun 27th 2007 11:50AM
That's ok, if my 360 dies and I have to send it in to get replaced, I have my Wii to keep me entertained... And I got them both for the price of a PS3 :O
sheppy @ Jun 27th 2007 11:52AM
@cc123
Hasn't slowed it so far. Only thing this defect rate has managed is making stores regret the previous consumer raping that was known as an extended warranty.
Tukulitozakayama @ Jun 27th 2007 11:53AM
Shame on you Microsoft shame on you.....
* Xbox 360 = Ring of Death King
"THE FUTURE ITS HERE ONLY WHEN SONY SAY ITS HERE"
Zertoss @ Jun 27th 2007 11:53AM
I consider myself fortunate that neither of my 360s have failed on me. I had one for about 6 months, then I bought the Elite when it came out and gave the old one to my cousins as a gift.
Maybe it's because I don't play very often, although my cousins leave theirs on all the time in a tiny space in their TV stand. Power surges and rolling brownouts are common here on the gulf coast in Texas, too. I would think their console would've died by now.
jg @ Jun 27th 2007 11:59AM
Although this is just such an astounding find. *rolls eyes*.
I was wondering just how long the media is going to pound a dead horse? As if, microsoft is gonna suddenly implode or something.
Not gonna happen.
Try to find some more interesting stuff to blog about people. This crap is getting old.
cc123 @ Jun 27th 2007 11:56AM
@sheppy
It hasn't hit mainstream press either yet. Right now it's mostly in our blogs/mags.
If it continues on this track or if the lawsuit gets filed it will be catching a lot more press time.
socrates @ Jun 27th 2007 11:59AM
Man.
If it weren't for GTA4 and Rock Band, I would gleefully skip this entire round of consoles altogether. But it looks like I'm going to actually have to pick one...the Wii was the easiest non-purchase I've ever made, and I highly doubt that either the 360 or the PS3 will provide me with nearly as much gaming hours as my wonderful long-living PS2 has. Or maybe I'll be able to wait a year and play GTA4 on the PC...but then Rock Band!! Gah.
Huey2k2 @ Jun 27th 2007 12:01PM
@ cc123
Maybe the reason it hasn't hit the mainstream media is because the problem isn't as widespread as people on these blogs/mags seem to believe?
If the defect rate really was as high as some people seem to believe wouldn't the average mom/dad who bought their kid a 360 for Christmas be crying out to the media when their 360 died?
Konny @ Jun 27th 2007 12:31PM
Why do you think it's called XBOX 360.. 'cause thats how many times you'll have to replace it.
sheppy @ Jun 27th 2007 12:02PM
A lawsuit was filed in Illinois by 360s first January. I'm just not sure where it went to.
Just looked it up, apparently he dropped it.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061208-8381.html
Rask @ Jun 27th 2007 12:05PM
Mine hasn't failed yet and it's going on 16 months since it was build and 14 months since I've been using it.
I did buy the extended warrenty from MS however (50$ cdn for 2 extra years) so I'm covered till May 2009.
thehunter1320 @ Jun 27th 2007 12:05PM
see, i just can't relate to these stories you post all the time about 360 failure rates... i have a launch day premium 360 and it works fine. i just can't believe these stories sometimes... 11? that's ludicrous! it's either incredibly bad luck or something he's doing with the consoles
Dustin @ Jun 27th 2007 12:06PM
This man must never go anywhere near a casino. God must hate him, consider that if the high estimates thrown around of 30%, wait scratch that and let's just for arguments sake say the failure rate is 50%, to have 11 fail is horrible awful luck, just awful. I have a midnight launch console running strong, so I will be leaving for Vegas shortly.
jason w @ Jun 27th 2007 12:06PM
I call BS. This guy must buy broken ones and try to get them fixed... Like a indipendent video game store like game cavern or somehting.
chris the marketer @ Jun 27th 2007 12:06PM
I do not doubt that a single person can get a long line of bad xbox 360. What I do doubt that this, alone, is signficant to either argument. This is from a pure probability standpoint (and the impact of getting a refurbished machine vs a new one).
If we poll 1000 random xbox users, thats the only way I know to determine for sure.
Mystic @ Jun 27th 2007 12:07PM
Obviously they are failing because of overheating. So my question is... Who is stupid enough to keep putting their 360 in a place that is causing overheating for 11 repairs?
They shouldn't overheat, but they do. If you keep putting your 360 in an enclosed media center then after the 3rd time I think you should be a little smarter.
miguel @ Jun 27th 2007 12:08PM
well they sure don't do anything for you for 2 lights.. mine was overheating and they offered no help whatsoever. I'd turn it on and try to play a game.. blam! it would shut down. They told me 130 bucks to look at it so I tore it apart myself. The thing is a dust magnet.. I cleaned out the dust and fired up like it was brand new. It was in a ventilated area blah blah.. but I did have my dogs bed near it and as funny as that may sound.. I think it contributed to the dust bigtime. The heatsink was covered in dust like a lint catcher.. its a launch console by the way.
Arno @ Jun 27th 2007 12:08PM
I'm on number 5, no hate as of yet but I'd be HIGHLY annoyed if this one broke too.
Never got the RRoD but it was always something...
copa @ Jun 27th 2007 12:10PM
Keep up the pressure, Joystiq. Microsoft needs to release failure rates, like they did when the console was two weeks old and still within the 3-5% range.
All Microsoft has to do to clear the air is release some hard numbers. For example (MADE UP NUMBERS):
For consoles in first 3 months of production, failure is 60%.
For nine months following, failure is 20%.
Since then, failure is 4%.
That would give everyone confidence that they have identified the problem and corrected it.
As it is now, most consumers hesitate to purchase spend $400, much less $600, on a console, and the specter of persistent failures is going to keep these people out of the market.
copa @ Jun 27th 2007 12:12PM
"Who is stupid enough to keep putting their 360 in a place that is causing overheating for 11 repairs?"
I think a better question is, "Who keeps sending other people's broken consoles out from McAllen, Texas as replacement 'refurb' units?"
The answer is Microsoft, or at least this was true last year.
cc123 @ Jun 27th 2007 12:14PM
@Huey2k2
"If the defect rate really was as high as some people seem to believe wouldn't the average mom/dad who bought their kid a 360 for Christmas be crying out to the media when their 360 died?"
To the media? No probably not since they most likely don't know about all the other people it's happening to. But if they start seeing that the problem is widespread after reading about it in the NY Times or something like that then things will change.
When I got mine in December I didn't know this thing had a high failure rate so I didn't get an extended warranty. I just took it for granted that since most of my other electronics don't fail this one wouldn't either.
JonnyBoy2U @ Jun 27th 2007 12:16PM
The sony trolls are out in full effect today huh?
Talk about beating a dead horse...this is ONE guy. And to be honest I don't know what he did but I do think he did something that screwed up some if not most of his 360's. And even if thats NOT the case who cares? The 360 is still selling in decent amounts and more and more people are signing up for Live each day.
Really Joystiq if you think MS is gonna have a meltdown because of this one post you're wrong. All the sony bias on this website is beyond comprehension. Nothing Nintendo or Microsoft does can be considered good.
OTAM @ Jun 27th 2007 12:18PM
I'm at 9,but don't have audio proof of it. I do however have all the letters and documents that come back with the machine's coffin to show.
hegemonyhog @ Jun 27th 2007 12:22PM
"If the defect rate really was as high as some people seem to believe wouldn't the average mom/dad who bought their kid a 360 for Christmas be crying out to the media when their 360 died?"
As far as I can tell, the average 360 user isn't a kid who had the console bought for them by a mom/dad, but a savvier long-term gamer, usually a male in his 20s or 30s. They're much less likely to call up the local news than the parent who got their kid a Sony 360 and wants Mario or Halo or whatever, just grab it for them.
SynGamer @ Jun 27th 2007 12:27PM
My only problem with this is that i've gone through 2 360's myself. I've spent $427.xx on the console alone while my PS2 is still going strong for years now. I shouldn't have to worry about my console breaking within the first 2-3 years, and if it does, have to pay $100+ to get it repaired.
I bought my console earlier this year. The DVD drive stopped reading discs so i exchanged it and all they had was a 2005 model (yes, it is the year 2007 and i received a 2005 model) so if this breaks, i already plan on blocking out about 2-3 hours of which will be spent on the phone as i work my way up the support ladder.
Tukulitozakayama @ Jun 27th 2007 12:27PM
@30 OTAM
I'm at 9,but don't have audio proof of it. I do however have all the letters and documents that come back with the machine's coffin to show
you really have to be an Xbox 360 fanboy to keep that 360 piece of s**it, get a PS3; new games are comming out this year that way you can enjoy them....
Jeff @ Jun 27th 2007 12:26PM
I just got my 3rd one back today. I also have another that is about to be shipped of, althought it is only the first time it is being replaced (this one seems to be the HANA chip based on the code given).
Ska Oreo @ Jun 27th 2007 12:27PM
I really want to know what's the failure rate for the 360? Sure while many gamers are complaining on the internet, they don't necessarily represent the majority of gamers. Also it seems to me that this guy must have done something wrong if 11 of his 360s broke down.
Luckily I'm still on my first one and I hope it stays that way.
Caboose7895 @ Jun 27th 2007 12:30PM
No it's true i just sent back my 360 for the fourth time so i am getting my fifth xbox if u include the original i bought at midnight of launch day
Patrick @ Jun 27th 2007 12:30PM
This is the internet, now this audio proof i believe. I mean it could be faked but who would want to do something like that? But i believe this is possible, but for the most part I believe people are either being really stupid and not letting it vent, or just or straight up lying. Plus, i believe that we as a demographic are much more vocal now then in the past generations with the advent of internet. So maybe MS is just doing the norm its just that we are only finding out about it.
steve @ Jun 27th 2007 12:38PM
I had two 360s "go bad," but it turned out it was the hard drive that wend bad, not the units. (I kept the drive with me as I didn't want to lose my saved games, and kept plugging it back into the units.)
It's not a matter of if a hard drive will fail; it's when.
It makes you wonder if a guy with 11 failed units is sending everything, or just the main unit itself. After two, I might look to some of the other parts I didn't send back.
Ratchet the Lombax @ Jun 27th 2007 12:40PM
So I guess now Joystiq is going to report on every XBOX 360 failure until the end of time. I mean come on we know they mess up can you just give it a rest already? I'm no fanboy since I like all 3 consoles equally but after a while of seeing the same thing over and over it just gets old. And then comes the same comments about how other people have had theirs die or that someone has had theirs for however long with no problems, same old same old. I guess their was no obscure reference to Manhunt2 that you haven't posted so you fell back on this kinda thing.
Tukulitozakayama @ Jun 27th 2007 12:45PM
i think that most Xbox360 gamer around 6 millions of them expend more time returning the console than actually playing....
Trunks @ Jun 27th 2007 1:18PM
Last night, my 360 gave me the red ring for the first time. Towel trick didn't work, none of the tips worked, etc.
My 360 is in perfect breathing conditions, and I never abuse it in any way shape or form. There should be NO reason for it to have ANY problems, but last night it up and died. How the hell does that happen?
And now I don't know my best course of action on this thing. I love it, and I want to get a chance to play Oblivion, since I JUST PICKED IT UP.
On the support line now~.
Simple Panda @ Jun 27th 2007 12:48PM
I'm personally on my 4th Xbox.
My consoles have always been:
- 2 were horizontal, last one was vertical, this one is vertical - so it's not my orientation.
- Air condition, de-humidified room.
- Monster Power processor, clean, regulated power.
Yet, still they die, randomly.
For the record, I've never had a console fail on me (even an original PS2 - never had a disc read problem)... just the 360's.
And, to those mention the PS3 - I'd agree. PS3 is quieter and, best of all, hasn't died once... and ever better, finally has some decent games.
I actually bought The Darkness for PS3 just because I figure the more I can play the PS3 the less likely I'll have to send the 360 in for repair again.
Spartacus @ Jun 27th 2007 12:47PM
Mine is a launch unit, just RROD'd last month. Sent it to an ebay guy for repair for $50- came back working. I then installed the Talismoon Whisper fans (with green LEDs) for better cooling to prevent the problem from happening again.
That's the main problem here, MS fixes the box, but until now with the new heatsinks, weren't fixing the problem- heat. If your 360 dies once, expect it to die again and again until you change something. Either put it in a cooler place, install aftermarket fans (even the Nyko unit if you don't want to crack open the box) or make sure MS installs the heatsink. Benjamin Franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results...
serotoninzero @ Jun 27th 2007 1:00PM
My launch date console just failed this weekend. Luckily I went ahead and got the 2-year warranty from Best Buy which allows me to trade back in for store credit so I'm upgrading to an elite.. as soon as they come back in stock. $50 may seem like a lot for two years but when it saves you from buying a new one if it breaks. Hell, you could just return it in two years and get a brand new one anyway. If you decided to get rid of the console, you could return it too for full price. That's a deal.
BigZ @ Jun 27th 2007 1:05PM
Obviously this guy probably puts his console in a place where it can overheat or whatever. I have had mine since day 1 and had 0 issues.
mccomber @ Jun 27th 2007 1:15PM
Although not quite the "mainstream", this issue is starting to show up on general electronics sites, and it's pretty likely that sooner or later one of the main outlets will pick it up. MS needs to fix this problem soon, simple as that.
I'd consider any product that makes an extended warranty a wise purchase a poorly designed product.
8bit @ Jun 27th 2007 1:19PM
Just curious. isn't is illegal to record a phone conversation without first informing the other person they are being recorded?
Michael @ Jun 27th 2007 1:19PM
This is so stupid. This isn't even possible. I'm sure he's using the 360 in a tight space with poor ventilation and then it overheats. You know, just becuase the rings turn red doesn't mean the system is dead. 1. Move the console to an area with more ventilation. 2. Move the power brick to an area where it isn't crammed behind your TV with no ventilation. 3. If you get the ring of red lights reset you frickin' moron. I've had the ring of red lights and it doesn't mean your system is broken. By the way, I'm still using the same 360 since launch in 2005. You're all idiots.