Users report Xbox 360 "crashing like mad"

So, the Xbox 360's been available for, what, 15 minutes, and already the crash reports are streaming in. According to postings on Xbox-Scene and other fan sites, some early adopters are discovering that waiting on line in the cold for two years to snag a box was the least of their problems: the game consoles are allegedly crashing during a variety of games and reporting a range of error messages. There's even a pic up on flickr that purports to show the 360 crashing as the Microsoft logo loads. Sure, it's too early to declare this a pandemic and start hurling Xboxes out of windows, but it still has us wondering: How's your 360 holding up?

P.S. And yes, our Xbox has crashed a bit too — though nothing too terrible.

[Thanks, Persian]

[Blue @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

AHAHAHAHAHA!

[joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

wow. I was going to wait a couple of months after the rush has subsided and now have just one more reason (other than the fact that there are none available).

Hope this isn't wide spread...

[F. Villa @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Crashing is a standard feature. Microsoft product, eh.

[[e-mail] @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

YEah me too. I was playing Need for Speed and the game froze as I was selecting my car! wow i was surprised. I reset the XBOX and hopefully it wont happen anymore!

[Joseph Zollo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Mine crashes a lot while playing Project Gotham Racing 3...nice job M$

[NNTPgrip @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I mean what did you expect? New hardware architecture + microsoft. This was the reason Xbox Live Silver is free.

Thats issue KB4398752934875

I'll wait for SP1 and some hotfixes before I get one myself.

I could care less. The only issue I see with this is that this is not a computer, but a console gaming machine. What happens to the people that don't have a high-speed connection, or a connection at all for that matter? Will they send discs to these people with Xbox updates? I say partner up with AOL to distribute patches on those AOL discs that are everywhere(that way they will actually have a use)

[unmai @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Well done MS.

[Bones @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

LOLlolLollolLoLlolLoLlol....... thats why im waiting for the future versions to come out. you know..... when they finally get a hold of things and send us a product that actually works. Forget waitin in line. I can wait a few months-to-a-year.

[Char! @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

WoW thanks God I din't buy that :P I bouht The nintendo DS w Mario Kart. but that sad for the little kids w xbox 360's very sad holidays :(
Gates I want you to save every kids holidays!

[Stevo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Service Packs on an XBOX!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... i love my regular xbox but holy crap am I gonna wait before i go get a new one. I don't hate microsoft but i do hate their bugs...I HOPE APPLE WILL MAKE A SYSTEM! IT WOULD ACTUALLY WORK... J/k or am I?

[Gary @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

This is a great example of why I switched to Mac OS-X.
An Apple a day makes the crashes go away.

[anthony @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

My friend's NHL 2k6 (360 version) crashed a lot, we thought it was just the game. Popped in another game - that Kamenowhatkamacallit game and we had the same problems. The system also runs very very hot. That's what you get with those G5 processors. Apple knows what they're doing by switching to intel. M$ should of added liquid coolers to this puppy.

[James M. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

What do you think that seal of certification stands for anyway? Certified Microsoft Blue Screen of Death Product. My system hasn't crashed yet though. I've only been playing Perfect Dark Zero, and other than that I've been downloading a lot of trailers and stuff.

[James M. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

What do you think that seal of certification stands for anyway? Certified Microsoft Blue Screen of Death Product. My system hasn't crashed yet though. I've only been playing Perfect Dark Zero, and other than that I've been downloading a lot of trailers and stuff.

[McCarron @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I've had two lockups (multiplayer in COD2 or PDZ) both on the first day I got it, Saturday. Since then it's never crashed again and we played quite a few hours of those games in multiplayer the rest of the evening and over the next few days. But I also posistioned the system to upright instead of lying down, heard it works best upright.

[DC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

DUH! It's a microsoft piece of crap product. Typical microsoft product, release it way premature and watch it crash to high heaven. (hmmm... kind of like Windoze!) Playstation for me please!

[Alan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I got mine at 6:00AM. I've also waited in the line for 6 hours, and it was FREEZING!! The temp was around 35F, and most people had blankets, butnot me. LOL

Anyways, I've been playing Project Gotham Racing, Perfect Dark Zero, and Kameo the whole day yesterday, and simply, NOT A SINGLE CRASH. It is so far flawless, and is working beautifully. :D

[Santiago @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

my Kameo disk keeps being detected as a DVD instead of a game. when it tries to play the disc as a DVD it gives an error that it is a 360 game. make up your mind! power down and back up with disc in system already is only way to play the game.

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#8

The Playstation 2 had similar problems on launch.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

typical microsoft, they're so convinced that this headstart will help them beat sony this time round, but the horrific press they'll get off this will set em back a couple of months at least until people decide it's been updated suitably (i.e. the xmas shopping season) and some people will just be put off forever

hilarious! absolutely love it

do they NEVER learn?

[Steven @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

That makes me laugh. Good job M$.
I'm just sad they didn't make a BSOD for the Xbox.
Yet another reason to never buy a 360.

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Wow arent we a bunch of antimicrosoft fanboys over here. At least wait until more reports come out too see how widespread it is before talking shit on microsoft. Anyone remember the problems with the first PSPs. "Wow look an another shitty (insert Sony or Microsoft depepending on the fanboy) product released too early. (insert opposite company here) for me please!"

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

#10 But it's only funny when it happens to M$. (See what I did there? The dollar sign looks like an S! Isn't that clever?)

[dubstyle @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I heard that on NPR yesterday and immediately thought that once they made the comment "Microsoft is trying to get into the living room" that all this is gonna do is be a "Fight Starting" game system, cuz dad's gonna wanna watch a movie on it, older sister's gonna wanna listen to music on it, and there's that little brat kid that wants to be playing some stupid video game... what a lame idea for a gaming system

[The Diesel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Has been working fine for me...many hours played...many different games...no problems.

[Bailey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Mine is home (a core unfortunately) and working perfectly. At least the box doesnt sound like a refrigerator when dvds are playing. Mine hasn't crashed or any of the 4 that I have played at friends houses.

And talk about running hot? what about all those MELTED PS3 devkits?

[LC_ @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

mine works fine, i played with it for a few hours last night.
i only have Kameo and 1 wired controller in addition to the accessories that came with the $400 system.

[jon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

least powerful next gen console

shunned by japanese market and developers

smacks of microsoft power marketing

and now, it crashes too!

do NOT buy this piece of JUNK. i would have said the same thing months ago, but now it's not only a poor console with little support, it's also a technical piece of junk that crashes.

[morose @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I wonder how much of the crashing is because people have their 360 shoved up against the back of whatever shelving unit they use to hold their consoles. This puppy really needs to be able to breathe. If your entertainment center doesn't have sufficient air movement, I'd guess crashing would be imminent... design flaw or no.

[GadgetMike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Well, I haven't had any issues yet but I've only been playing Call of Duty 2 for about 8 hours. I've got PGR3, but haven't even taken it out of the wrapping yet. Not good news regardless...well at least I've got my receipt.

[Dan Paterson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Hmmmmm... Well all I can say is thank GOD it got released on your side of the Pond first. Gives us over in Great Britain time to assess whether we can really be bothered dipping into our pockets to the tune of �200.00 for such a product. I think I will stick with my PC system for the moment.

[jman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

But they did make a BSOD for the xbox. Black Screen of Death! See BSOD still works! :P

[Dan Paterson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Hmmmmm... Well all I can say is thank GOD it got released on your side of the Pond first. Gives us over in Great Britain time to assess whether we can really be bothered dipping into our pockets to the tune of �200.00 for such a product. I think I will stick with my PC system for the moment.

[Sean F. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Check out this thread on the Team XBox site about the problem - its getting huge:

http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=391764

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Before people start saying "OMGz!!!1! M$ has made teh Xbox faulty because they sux!", let's look at 2 FACTS here.

1 - In mass production, particularly of stuff like brand new, 1st run electronics, there are always lemons in the bunch. Same with the PS2, same with the original Xbox.

2 - Quite a few of these problems have been caused by user error. Some people weren't connecting the power cords properly, resulting in the "red flash of death" that comes from the ring of light. Also, those who took it back from being out in the cold as they came home from queuing all night didn't give it time to adjust to room temperature. Hence condensation inside the unit, hence crashing. There are more examples of things like this, with people having problems getting the controllers to connect because they've been using them near interfering devices.

No doubt there will be a decent number of faulty units, but a lot of this BS has been caused by user error too. Now Sony/Nintendo fanboys/MS haters, begin the bashing.

[Steven @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

"But they did make a BSOD for the xbox. Black Screen of Death! See BSOD still works! :P"

LOL, I didn't even think of that! Good one!

All you people saying "the xbox needs some air circulation and needs to breathe." PLEASE.
If the xbox is supposed to be this "all in one media center" then it's supposed to be put in a cabinet, put on a shelf, etc.

I call design flaw.

[Casey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

PWNT

[Steven @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

"Also, those who took it back from being out in the cold as they came home from queuing all night didn't give it time to adjust to room temperature."

Yeah right. The people were outside all night waiting, not the xboxes. The xbox was out in the cold from the time they went from the store to their vehicle, then the vehicle to the house.

[Sean Meyers @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

M$ is such a joke. all about profits and not the gaming experience. When are they going to learn that loading a console with processors and fancy specs doesn't necessarily make it a great gaming machine. I'm definitely wating for the PS3. Did you guys know that Sony is going to sell the PS3 at a loss of profit in order to push their Blu-Ray drives. Not only will the PS3 be able to play high definition video, support up to 7 controllers and support DUAL 1080P (that's right Progressive scan), but they will make sure their product is perfect before releasing it.

Can't wait for their new Gran Turismo!

[John Doe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The hazards of being a Microsoft beta tester. Watch as the fanbois come rolling in with the most pathetic excuses to justify this. This is going to be fun.

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

OK, let's clear the air.

It's a hardware problem. The hardware is manufactured by IBM, NOT Microsoft.

[Ryan Waddell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Am I the only one who is sick and tired of people using the "M$" shortcut instead of MS? Jesus. Hi there folks, Slashdot just called from 1999, and they want their lame pun back. Just thought I'd let you know.

As for whether or not it needs to breathe, does anybody have a manual from a 360 to determine what Microsoft's official position is on this? I'd love to find out what they recommend. I'd also love to be able to say "RTFM!" to all those lucky bastards that got one when I couldn't. :)

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

To #27, I was referring to those who walked back with them. It's just a possibility. You seem to want any excuse to hate MS anyway.

After all, you cite overheating as a non-issue because you think it's designed to be put in a cabinet or cupboard as it's a media center. Here's an idea - take a Media Center Edition PC, with a 3.2Ghz processor with 3 cores, a GPU more powerful than anything in the consumer PC market, and jam it in a cupboard whilst playing FEAR. See how long that lasts.

[Chu Chu @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Holy crap I hate fanboys so much. You people disgust me with your blind MS hate.

#18 please cease to exist. You are wasting valuable oxygen with gargbage comments like this:

"least powerful next gen console"

Yup it's the least powerful next gen console. It's also the most powerful next gen console because it's THE ONLY NEXT GEN CONSOLE for the forseeable future.

"shunned by japanese market and developers"

Shunned by japanese market, have you seen sales figures already? Wow man you've got some serious inside hookups becuase it just came out.

"smacks of microsoft power marketing"

Unlike sony marketing or nintendo marketing right? Have you been eating paint chips.

"and now, it crashes too!"

Too early to tell how widespread this issue is or what the cause is. My money is on overheating. The reason it's impossible to tell how serious this issue is is because for every 1 person with a legit issue there are 10000 MS hating turds like yourself working themselves up into a frenzy over something that they have absolutely no first hand knowledge of.


Now before anyone labels me as an MS fanboy, let me say that I do not own a 360 and I have never owned an xbox. The only game system I have right now is a PSP and I haven't made up my mind which (if any) of the new systems I will buy.

[Miss May @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

ENGADGET. Please do a comparison between the x360 and ps3. Being a girl....and wanting to get the best possible present for my boyfriend, I need your advice! He already has a ps2. Any advice out there??? I know the ps3 is not out yet, but there are still specs right? Please help. =)

Miss May

[CCMCornell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Maybe MS should have just done what they did the first time: hack a working PC design and rebrand it as a console.

[shinyhat @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Consoles are not supposed to crash. That is for computers to do.

[Steve @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

My guess is this is heat related. I have an HP ZD7000 laptop that runs hot. If it doesn�t get adequate airflow (I prop up the back end) the sucker will shutdown in a heartbeat. Should be easy enough to test if it is.

[PeterG @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I really don't get the people who stand in line to pay inflated prices, just to get bleeding edge, potentiall buggy product with few supporting games. More money than brains.

Even if the product was guaranteed 100% working, why bother. Why not wait for more support, lower prices, and easier availability. Same goes for the geeks who camp out in line to see Phantom Menace on the first day. You can see it a couple of days later without wasting any of your time...

[Benjamin Prosnitz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I'm glad I didn't buy one. I wonder how microsoft will respond to this. They can't exactly afford to recall them.