FailureRate
Latest
Microsoft responds to Xbox 360 54.2 percent failure rate report, doesn't dispute the data
Admittedly, when we saw Game Informer's survey that pegged Xbox 360's failure rate at 54.2 percent, we were thinking that was a bit steep of a number, possibly bumped up a few digits from some possible sampling errors. So when we were gearing up to read Microsoft's statement responding to the data, we fully expected some harsh rebuttal of the number. Turns out we got disappointed. A spokesperson for Redmond pointed to its superior entertainment value, its "best warranty in the industry" and its "constantly improving design, manufacture, and performance." At no point is there a dispute or even direct reference to the findings, which is really something that could've helped public perception on a nagging issue. How about taking a page from Fujifilm, eh Microsoft?
Survey finds Xbox 360 is played five times as often as Wii, five times more likely to fail than PS3
Ready for some numbers this morning? Some scary, scary numbers for Xbox 360 gamers? Game Informer, current king of the smoldering ruins of the print gaming magazine empire, polled about 5,000 of its readers to get a feel for their gaming experiences, including just how many of them had unlocked the fabled "Red Ring of Death" achievement. We'd heard estimates ranging from 16 to 30 percent, but even the most pessimistic guesses don't line up with the survey's findings of a staggeringly high 54.2 percent failure rate. That's five times higher than the PS3's 10.6 percent, with the Wii coming in at 6.8 percent. Mind you, the Xbox 360 was the most played console, with over 40 percent of Xbox gamers button mashing for three to five hours a day, compared to 37 percent of PS3 gamers, and less than an hour's worth of gaming per day for 41.4 percent of Wii owners. However, game consoles should be designed to shrug off marathon sessions and just keep on spewing polygons, something that the first revisions of Microsoft's baby obviously couldn't manage. That said, there are some problems with this survey; as far as we can tell there was no verification made that respondents actually own the consoles that they indicated they did, and we all know how people like having fun at Microsoft's expense. Also, the survey was naturally only of readers of the magazine itself, who don't necessarily line up with the gaming world at large. But, it's impossible to deny there's truth in these numbers. Indeed, it's hard not to think they're too low, as you'll be hard-pressed to find an original Xbox 360 that hasn't thrown up the three-light salute. Even so, there's nothing to be proud of in Sony's 10.6 percent failure rate, or even Nintendo's 6.8, particularly given that system's relative lack of attention. All are much higher than the three percent most consumer electronics companies strive for -- and that Microsoft initially (incorrectly) claimed its console was managing. [Via TG Daily, The Consumerist]
Dell denies 20 - 30% return rates for SSD-laptops
Alright Avian Securities, looks like you might have some explaining to do. Dell claims that the 20 to 30% failure and return rates for SSD laptops cited by Avian's report "don't even vaguely resemble what's happening in our business." Dell says it wasn't contacted in the study, and that "global reliability data shows that SSD drives are equal to or better than traditional hard disk drives we've shipped." The company says that return rates are "are in line with our expectations for new technology," and an "order of magnitude" better than what is being reported. To be fair to Avian, the original report cited an unnamed "large computer manufacturer," which some in the press assumed meant Dell, thought it was never said explicitly. It looks like we're going to need some more hard facts from both sides to get the true picture of SSD reliability and customer satisfaction, but for now let's nobody panic.
Xbox 360 failure rate at 16 percent?
Warranty seller SquareTrade, sampling from a pool of over 1,000 claims, says that it's seeing an Xbox 360 failure rate at around 16 percent. Most Xbox 360 owners -- at least the early adopters -- don't just fear the RRoD, they've come to expect it, and compared to projected failure rates of 3% for the Wii and PS3 (a stat Microsoft claimed initially), it's obvious that this continues to be a spendy problem for Microsoft and a headache for its customers. As 1UP points out, the 16% stat might be a little high, since the type of user that would seek out a separate warranty is probably more of a power user, and the majority of problems are heat-related, but whatever the true number is, it'll probably continue to rise in the immediate future as we all CoD4 our gen one 360s to death, and then eventually fall as the 65nm and eventually 45nm Xboxes fill the market. [Via Joystiq]
Only 0.2% of PS3s are faulty according to Sony
Much has been made about the X360's hardware failure rate (which Microsoft won't release hard numbers on) and the accompanying lawsuits/warranty extensions, so it's been interesting how few stories we've heard about PlayStation 3s dying. Turns out the reason we haven't heard about widespread PS3 hardware issues is because, well, there aren't any.Speaking with Spong at this week's Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Chris Deering, the founder of SCEE mentioned that the failure rate for the PlayStation 3 is a teeny-tiny 0.2%. Industry standard for hardware failure rates on consoles has historically been 3-5%, so the PS3's fantastically low failure rate really showcases how well Sony designed the system. Old Ken may have been crazy, but he was one hell of an engineer.[Via N4G]
Store managers detail PS3 failure rate at less than 1%
The inquisitive folks over at Ripten decided to do a little research on the failure rate of current next-gen consoles. Their conclusions should come as no surprise, with the PS3 resulting in a low failure rate. What is surprising however, is the failure rate for one console in particular appears to be higher than previously anticipated. An EB Games associate singled out the Xbox 360 console by advising "failure rates for all other consoles were not high enough for EB to consider revising their policies" further claiming the failure rate of the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii to be "less than one percent." An EB Games manager reiterated the low failure rates of the Nintendo Wii by exclaiming that "zero [consoles] have come back defective." A Best Buy manager then went on record saying "a quarter to a third" Xbox 360 consoles sold, come back defective, confirming the 33% failure rate percentage. The methods used to determine failure rates for these consoles appear to be too elementary to really prove anything concrete. Nevertheless, this story allows us to breathe a little bit easier, as it continues to prove our console of choice can still fold like a champ and have a longer lifespan than that of its direct competition.[Via digg]
Micromart won't repair three red light 360s
UK electronics repair specialist Micromart is throwing in the towel in the war against the red ring of death. Micromart, who acts as a repair service for major retailers, announced that their company will no longer fix Xbox 360s that display the three ring of light error stating that its a problem that is both too common and too expensive to fix. "We were seeing about 30 a week before we pulled the plug on the service" said a Micromart rep and that the motherboard is the main cause of failure in the consoles. Micromart will still repair 360s that display other errors, but from now on will be directing customers to Microsoft if they experience three red light problems.The negative press the Xbox 360 has been receiving due to hardware failures keeps on surfacing. How long will it take until Microsoft cracks and either discusses the problem or acknowledges that they are looking into resolving the hardware failures? Only time will tell, but we have to agree that this is getting a little old by now.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Xbox 360's failure rate at 30%?
The Xbox 360's biggest source of negative press revolves around one glaring issue ... its perceived failure rate. And the media keeps churning out the bitterness.After writing an article on the Xbox 360's potential problems, tech site Smarthouse started receiving emails from customers who've had bricked 360 experiences. And after receiving more than 100 horror story emails and getting info from an Aussie EB Games manager, they're estimating that the Xbox 360's failure rate is somewhere around 30%. Though, this magical 30% failure rate number is coming from one EB Games manager, which Smarthouse feels can be justified since they've received numerous broken 360 emails. So, take such mathematical analysis for what it's worth.We can't emphasize enough that the hardware failure issue is one of the only problems that has tainted the 360's image. Yet our friends over in Redmond refuse to address the problem specifically. Our experiences at X3F have been mixed as I'm on my third 360 and both David and Richard are still cooking along on their original consoles. What about you, how many 360s have you gone through?
