disc-scratching
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Lawsuit: Microsoft knew about 360 disc scratching issue
The Seattle Tech Report ... reports that a motion (PDF link) filed last week in a Seattle, Washington lawsuit claims that Microsoft was aware of the widespread Xbox 360 disc scratching issues -- the console will severely scratch discs if tilted or moved during play -- before the console was launched in 2005. The motion, which seeks class action status for the lawsuit, cites quotes from a (currently sealed) document in which Microsoft employees claim that they were aware of the problem before the console was launched. The document quotes Microsoft program manager Hiroo Umeno who stated that the problem was discoverd in "September or October" 2005.Microsoft supposedly considered several solutions to the problem prior to launch and rejected them all. Three solutions were considered, including increasing the disc holder's magnetic field, slowing disc rotation speed and installing "bumpers." The first was rejected because it would "interfere" with the disc loading mechanism, the second because it would extend game load times, and the third because it was too expensive (to the tune of $35 to $75 million). The only action taken by Microsoft, apparently, was to add a warning to the Xbox 360 manual. The company later applied a warning label onto the disc drive itself and established a program to replace scratched discs (for a fee).Perhaps most damning, an outside consultant for the plaintiffs stated that both Sony and Nintendo's designs typically account for the possibility that a console will be moved while a disc is spinning.
European Commisioner: MS has a week to explain Xbox 360 scratching disc issue
European Commissioner for Consumers Meglena Kuneva wants to get to the bottom of the Xbox 360 scratching disc issue and she wants answers from Microsoft within one week. In a visit to The Netherlands yesterday, Kuneva confirmed that she had written to Microsoft requesting information on how they plan on resolving the issues there and "whether the same problem has occurred on other markets," according to a newsbrief on the ECC website.The inquiry was prompted by a report from Dutch TV show Kassa that concluded that certain models of Xbox 360 were indeed the cause of the disc scratching.In a (mostly English) radio interview, Kuneva said that "Within one week i expect to receive an answer ... and then we will draw the plan on how we could proceed further." She also said that although she does not have the power to order a recall, she'll be "more than happy to act if I have legal ground." (Listen to streaming .wma; interview starts around 2:53.)Given the anecdotal evidence we have, the disc scratching problem has certainly come up in other markets. It'll be interesting to see what Microsoft reveals on the matter over the next week.[Via Engadget & The Inquirer]
Microsoft looking into disc scratching
Xbox 360 scratching your discs? Well, you aren't alone. Dutch television show Kassa recorded an experiment testing 360s to see if they were scratching discs. What they found out was that most of the December 2006 manufactured 360s were indeed scratchers, probably due to a missing stabilizer piece in the drive itself. They send the video to Microsoft, complained a little, and finally got a response. In their statement, Microsoft acknowledges that their could be a problem with said 360s and that they will happily take a look at your console if you think it's scratching discs. If they find a problem they'll fix her up to a "normal" state, but only on a case by case basis. It's not really an admission of anything fundamentally wrong or a recall, but it's a statement none the less. So, if your 360 is scratching your games, just give Microsoft a call and they should treat you right.[Via Engadget, Thanks Teddings]
Xbox 360 scratching discs? Maybe, says Microsoft
So far the Xbox 360 has had its fair share of hardware problems, both large and small, and while Microsoft has dealt with most of these challenges by extending warranties and offering up free fixes, it usually takes its own sweet time to come around, which seems to be the case here. After completely ignoring a minor public outcry over what appeared to be a problem with a decent number of the 360s produced in December 2006 -- where a missing part in the drive caused the Xbox to scratch the disc it was reading -- Microsoft is finally confessing that there might actually be a problem and promising to look into it. This statement comes after Dutch TV show "Kassa" gave the movement some PR and ran its own tests on the 360, proving it to be the scratching culprit. Microsoft's still pretty wishy-washy about the whole thing: "We are not able to respond in detail on the results. It is possible that scratches on discs originate from frequent use. However, we have no indication that the results of the tests from Kassa are a large scale problem." But at least now Microsoft is willing to hear out customer complaints on the matter, and recommends that affected users contact support to deal with the issue. We're not quite sure what kind of pyrotechnics it'll take for Microsoft to actually run its own tests on these things, but at least things are moving in the right direction.[Via gadgetzone.nl]Update: Microsoft hit us with its actual statement on the matter, since a bit of the meaning got lost in translation. The truth is a bit more encouraging: "Due to the fact that we did not participate in the experiment done by Kassa and have little insight into the methodology that was used, we cannot comment specifically on the outcome. While we are aware that discs can potentially be scratched through normal wear and tear, we have not received any widespread reports of the issue highlighted here. There are millions of Xbox consoles in use today and we know that the majority of our customers are having a great gaming experience. That said, it is important to us that all of our customers have the best gaming experiences possible, and these claims are obviously very concerning to us. We encourage any Xbox customer who believes that their discs have been scratched in the same manner as identified by KASSA, to contact us at www.xbox.com/supportor 1-800-4-MY-XBOX for additional information. We will examine the console and make appropriate repairs if necessary in order to restore the console to full working order, as well as provide customers with information on how to obtain replacement discs should they need them."
