red-ring-of-death
Latest
Gates: Xbox will be "most reliable" game system
Those who've been visited by the Xbox 360's infamous Red Ring of Death will be heartened to hear Bill Gates feels your pain. In a video interview with the BBC, the Microsoft chairman responded to a viewer question about console reliability. After apologizing for the problems and patting himself on the back for Microsoft's free replacement and warranty program, Gates points to what he calls "incredible reliability on the new work that we've done. Our commitment is it will be the most reliable video game box out there."It's a nice sentiment, but if we're measuring lifetime failure rates, the 360 has a long way to go to get that "most reliable" mantle. Regardless, we can all probably agree with Gates' sentiment that "we've got to make sure the hardware never stands in the way of [enjoying games]." Amen to that.[Via GameDaily]Watch - BBC Interview with Bill Gates
MS committed to 360 as "most reliable" console
Speaking to the BBC, Microsoft's now retired golden boy Bill Gates had some interesting things to say about the Xbox 360. Addressing concerns about the Xbox 360's much publicized reliability problems, Gates admitted that the console has had its share of problems. "We certainly had to apologize to our users about a number of boxes that had to be replaced," said Gates, referring to the costly warranty extension that was enacted in July of 2007. He further notes that Microsoft has received positive feedback about Xbox service in the wake of its problems. He concludes by saying, "we've got incredible reliability on the new work that we've done, and so our commitment is that it will be the most reliable video game box out there." Considering a fellow blogger in the Joystiq network recently got the Red Ring of Death on a replacement 360 only one week after he had received it, we'd say Microsoft has a ways to go before making good on that commitment.
A year in Xbox 360 failures: 2007 Edition
We enter 2008 with the current lifetime Xbox 360 failure rate at Joystiq standing at almost 100% -- we currently have one last man's console standing. Yup, that's right, and for those of you paying attention we hit 90% last month. A few of us experienced issues back in 2006, but almost every person on staff (including those who've left for other opportunities) -- with the exception of The One -- have experienced a Red Ring of Death, disc drive failure, or other non-user-error console bricking incident. There's no denying at this point that as much as we love the games, the Xbox 360 is the most defective console ever manufactured.Check after the break for the staff's experiences with their bricked consoles. Like former Microsoft executive Peter Moore explained earlier this year, when failure is practically guaranteed at some point, all we can do is focus on the repair service.
WRUP: Rabbit rabbit edition
Tomorrow's the first of December, and with that comes the final lock on Winter's door-- we're stuck with this cold and snow now until next spring (at least here in the northern US), and yet there's still about a week to go until the holidays really get underway and the family has you making cookies and putting up trees with lights on them. Sounds like the perfect time for staying warm inside and getting some good gaming done!So we're asking our weekly query again: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Me, I've finally gotten some momentum back with my lowbie hunter in World of Warcraft, so I'm going to be rolling as fast as I can towards that new Dustwallow Marsh content. Usually, I'd have a little non-MMO Xbox 360 game playing in there, but unfortunately I got hit by the RRoD last week-- I've got both Mass Effect and Rock Band (with drum kit assembled-- yeah, I'm dying here) sitting still wrapped in plastic in my apartment.But hopefully your gaming days are better. What are you playing this weekend?
Got the Red Ring of Death? Have a condolence card
The Red Ring of Death may not be making as many headlines as it used to, but that doesn't mean it's not still out there, lurking in the shadows, and waiting to strike down your beloved 360. In the not terribly unlikely even that this should happen to someone that you know, you might think about sending them one of these condolence cards. Handcrafted by Etsy user bsangel, the cards feature a red ring formed by glued on crystals on the front. The inside contains a simple message with a sneaky play on the word "console."You'd better hurry though, there's only one left at bsangel's store as of this writing. Then again, you could probably make your own without much effort at all. Just make sure whoever you give it to has a sense of humor.[Thanks, Paul Strauss. Via Joystiq]
Red Ring of Death T-shirt
Anyone who has witnessed the dreaded Red Ring of Death can tell you, seeing it first hand is a chilling sight. At first you smirk and chuckle with disbelief. "Just a hiccup," you say to yourself, "I'll power it off and on and it'll be fine." Once you see the wretched thing for a second time, it all sinks in. Well, guess what? Now you can commemorate that memory with the Red Ring of Death T-shirt from SplitReason. Taking a cue from 2001, the shirt features a particularly malicious (and smooth-voiced) Ring of Death. It's made of 100% cotton and it's pre-shrunk, so it should keep you from overheating (ba dum bum).A word to the wise, if you're considering getting this for a friend who received the Ring, you might want to wait until after they get their 360 back.[Via Joystiq]
Commercial X-clamp fix for red-ringed 360s: mostly new screws
Warranty extension or not, the widespread nature of Xbox 360 failures pretty much guaranteed that it was only a matter of time before a third party stepped forward with a commercial fix. The X-Clamp Fix from Next Generation seems to the be first of these solutions available, although it's certainly not as simple as we would have expected. Consisting of some replacement screws and washers, the $15 kit helps you tighten down your GPU heatsink, possibly resetting your GPU in the process, a strategy modders have been using to escape the red ring of death for some time now. Probably worth a look if you're unable to get warranty service and the other wing-and-a-prayer fixes don't work for you, but the kit looks like it involves pretty significant disassembly -- we'd recommend picking up the phone and begging for an RMA first. Check the world's most boring installation video after the break.[Via MaxConsole]
Extreme PS3 "stress test" garners praise from Sony
Clearly due to the current heat on Microsoft concerning the Xbox 360 RROD, disk scratching, and overheating scandals, Sony's Dave Karraker is mooning on the company's official blog over a recent PS3 Vault "stress test" called "How to kill a PS3 console" which showed the company's game system to be surprisingly resilient in the face of extreme conditions. "A lot of noise has been made recently about the reliability issues of one of our competitor's systems," Karraker said, then went on to kick some sand in Redmond's eye by adding "Did it fail? Nope. Like the Energizer Bunny, it kept going and going and going." Admittedly, the tests -- which included running games and Blu-ray movies for 108 hours in a typical "living room" environment, placing the console in a freezer van then lowering the temperature from 50 degrees to zero, and powering the PS3 in a sauna where heat increased from 100 degrees to 120 degrees over a nearly three-day session -- were quite extreme. In the end, however, the testers say besides being "extremely hot" after coming out of the sauna, the system is running fine and back in regular use. Microsoft, the ball's in your court.[Via DailyTech]
Microsoft launches US Xbox 360 service website
Amidst all of this not-exactly-forthright price cutting going on with the Xbox 360, it looks like Microsoft has finally launched a more organized method of detailing and tracking the process of sending your faulty US-based Xbox 360 back in for repair. Reportedly, the new web portal allows American console owners to register their machine, attach a Windows Live ID, schedule a repair, and track the status of said mending. Additionally, users who register will supposedly receive a five dollar credit towards out-of-warranty repair service should they need it, but considering that the warranty was just extended to three full years, you should be covered for a good while yet.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Peter Moore chats about failures, new warranty
Speaking to Joystiq in a conference call, Peter Moore addressed some of the implications brought on by the recent Xbox 360 warranty extension. Among the topics discussed was Microsoft's speed at reacting to the situation. While it seems like complaints have been mounting for ages, Moore notes that time was needed to "gather data and weigh the financial implications" as well as identifying the hardware problems themselves. Before you ask, no, Moore did not reveal what those problems were, nor did he reveal Xbox 360 failure percentages. According to Moore, Microsoft has "no intention" of doing such a thing, as they see "no value" in doing so. Moore also discusses the apparent disappearance of Xbox 360 Elites and why the warranty extension applies only to the Red Ring of Death and not Xbox 360s with disc scratching problems. Head over to Joystiq for the full report.
New 360 warranty: is it enough?
We asked just last week if the seemingly escalating Red Ring of Death issue was coming to a head. Now that Microsoft has changed the Xbox 360 warranty policy and even offered a public apology, it appears that the answer is a resounding yes. The timing for the announcement couldn't be better, as Microsoft would have undoubtedly been barraged with questions about the issue during next week's E3 media event. Such questions are likely still to be asked, but this act gives Microsoft some ammunition. Whether the act will be seen as an act of generosity or an outright admission of faulty hardware (or both) remains to be seen. Rather than put up a standard poll about the new policy, we're just going to open up the comment threads for discussion. What do you think of all this? For those of you that have shelled out for repairs, will refunds affect your opinion of Microsoft or the Xbox 360? If you've been sitting on the fence about an Xbox 360, will a three-year warranty convince you to buy with confidence? What else can MS do to improve the image of the Xbox?
Xbox 360: refused repairs, and really high failure rate?
It looks like Xbox 360 users in the UK suffering from the dreaded Red Ring of Death now have once less option to get their console fixed, as repair specialist Micromart recently announced that it'll no longer fix the consoles, calling the problem "endemic." While it will apparently still perform other repairs on the console, it says that the most common of all problems just isn't feasible for them to undertake, stating that it would end up costing them around $200 for each repair and still leave them unsatisfied with the result. In related news, DailyTech recently conducted a poll of retailers in an attempt to find out just how high the Xbox 360's failure rate was, one of which reportedly pegged it to be as high as 33 percent. That number comes from a former EB Games employee, who also said that the company was forced to nearly double the price of its over-the-counter warranty prices as a result. According to DailyTech, a Best Buy manager also claimed that the failure rate was "between a quarter to a third" of all units sold, although it seems that those numbers are based only on personal experience.Read - DailyTech, "Console Service Center Refuses to Repair Xbox 360 RROD"Read - DailyTech, "Retailers Estimate Xbox 360 Failure Rate High as 33 Percent"[Photo courtesy of AnandTech]
Anecdotal: Red Ring of Death rate is 33% says DailyTech
Ever hear the song that doesn't end? We have our own rendition for the continuing Red Ring of Death debacle: This Red Ring mess just doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend. Xbox owners started getting it not knowing what it was. And we'll keep on reporting it 'til someone fesses up. (And now just keep repeating.) The latest news comes from DailyTech who says that the failure rate is somewhere around 33%. Now let's just slow it down and take a step back. DailyTech came to the conclusion with the use of unnamed sources and no documentation. The Microsoft version of the Pentagon Papers this is not.But, they did put some effort into the work, which although being anecdotal, does give a better picture to the situation. DailyTech contacted retail outlets that offer in-store extended warranties and found the Xbox 360 to be the least reliable. They also mention conference calls for EB Games stores which led to warranty policy changes due to the failure rate. A former EB Games employee by the name of Matthieu G. says, "The real numbers were between 30 to 33 percent ... We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival." Of course, this is referring to launch Xbox 360s, an issue Microsoft has already addressed.The rest of the article beyond that is just a chronology of everything that's been covered before, culminating in the cringe inducing Holmdahl interview with the Mercury Times. As more and more media outlets join the bandwagon, it's amazing that Microsoft hasn't just released the numbers regarding the failure rate, which they say is less than 5%. If you were a corporation with the evidence to make this all go away and you were telling the truth, why wouldn't you just do it at this point? And the next media outlet to report on the Red Ring of Death is?
UK repair service Micromart refuses Xbox 360
UK repair service Micromart is refusing to service any more Xbox 360s due to a "base manufacturing problem that potentially affects all 360s" they tell Joystiq. Before they stopped repairing Xbox 360s, which they are not an authorized repair center for, they were getting in "around 30 a week." Customers who are looking for the quick service of Micromart are suggested to "contact Microsoft for a motherboard replacement" as it's the only guaranteed fix according to Micromart. Jeff Croft of Micromart says, "We saw it over a period of several months and it was just getting worse. It began towards the end of last year. Once the twelve month warranty finished then we started to see more and more machines being sent in to be looked at ... The problem with three red lights was there fairly regularly, but over two or three months it became a real issue." Croft goes on to say that even after the repairs that Micromart had done they were not happy with the result. They believe it is a problem with the motherboard and weren't comfortable charging customers for labor on a product for a problem they believed wasn't going to go away. Croft sent a letter to Microsoft with their concerns, but says they've received no response.[Thanks, ktchong, CR, Jem]Read - Micromart homepageRead - Repair Firm Won't Service Ring of Death 360s (Next-Gen)Read - Repair Specialist Refuses to Take Further Xbox 360s (GI.biz)
Gamer replaces 11 360s, records audio proof
It's no secret that Microsoft at least appears to have serious hardware problems with the Xbox 360. Of course, Microsoft claims that failure rates are within acceptable limits. When pressed about the issue, Peter Moore tells 360 owners not to focus on the problem, but to focus on the level of service received in the wake of that problem. Oh, and they won't comment on things like new heatsinks in refurbished systems, which seems like the kind of thing you'd install to stop a recurring overheating problem. On top of all this is yet another web of flamewars (many of which occur right here on the comment threads of X3F). Every time a story is run about customers receiving multiple Rings of Death, two things happen. One, loads of commenters relate that they have had similar problems, and two, loads of different commenters don't believe them. Some even go so far as to suspect that those with problems are nothing more than Sony shills, paid to spread lies throughout the intertubes.Enter Justin Lowe of Aggravated Gamers with his total of 11 replaced Xbox 360s. Yes, he's had 11 of the buggers replaced (he's on his twelfth) for disc read errors, the Red Ring of Death, and a few experience-ruining audio/visual problems. Knowing full well that no one would believe his outrageous claim, he decided to call Xbox customer service and record some evidence. Below you can hear Justin recount all 11 of his Xbox 360s with a customer service representative. 1UP carried Justin's story and received all the standard replies from MS regarding failure rates and new heatsinks (it's a vocal minority, we don't comment on hardware revisions, etc.). Amazingly, Lowe admits, "I still like Microsoft, as much as that may astound people."With the failure stories seemingly escalating, we have to ask: is this issue coming to a head?Lowe Recording:
Audio proof of one man's 11 dead Xbox 360s
As Microsoft dances around the Xbox 360 hardware failure class action lawsuit just begging to happen, 1UP has one more piece of "anecdotal" evidence to throw on the pyre. They offer up the tale of Justin Lowe and his 11 failed Xbox 360s. "No, that's impossible!" scream the fanboys in their best Luke Skywalker impression. Ah, but Lowe went ahead and got audio evidence to prove it's true. The recording (found below) covers his conversation with Xbox India support as they walk through every single one of his failed consoles. Although the recording is long and just goes through the motions, evidence isn't always sexy, sometimes it just proves a point.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.Lowe Recording:
Drown your 360 sorrows with Ring of Fire parody song
The red ring of death is something no 360 gamer ever wants to see. However, every time you turn around you seem to hear about another one being sighted somewhere. In fact, Microsoft ran out of boxes to return them in. It's there a secret cardboard shortage we don't know about that's even more dire than the oil crisis?Xbox 360 lover Jeromy "Doc" Adams lovingly paid tribute to both Johnny Cash and the console in his Ring of Fire song. We know you'll appreciate it. Think this thing is getting any airplay up in Redmond?[Via GamerTagRadio]
A valiant attempt to get Xbox 360 failure rate answers
Dean Takahashi from the San Jose Mercury News recently sat down with Todd Holmdahl, Microsoft's man in charge of the quality for the Xbox 360. Takahashi is another reporter trying to get Microsoft fessing up to the actual failure rate of the Xbox 360, a machine that many enjoy and continues to show its worth, but has an anecdotally tragic failure rate. It would probably make a great chapter if Takahashi ever follows up his book Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Takahashi does his best get answers in the interview to what's really going on with the system's failure rate, but if you've ever wondered what corporate stonewalling looks like, make sure to read the full interview.Highlights from the interview after the break
MS responds to new heatsink in 360s
Microsoft has responded (in a manner of speaking) to yesterday's reports that the company has been installing new additional heatsinks when repairing Xbox 360s. Supposedly, these new heatsinks are appearing in refurbished Xbox 360s in the United Kingdom as a means to combat the Red Ring of Death. In response to a query from gamesindustry.biz, a Microsoft spokesperson noted that "regularly updating console components is commonplace within the industry and is a standard aspect of the business for a variety of reasons including cost reduction, improved manufacturability and improved performance." So yeah, they dodged the question. Furthermore, the representative refused to directly confirm or deny the new heatsinks, saying that Microsoft does not provide information regarding hardware updates. Uh huh, and we're sure that Microsoft won't be trumpeting the new 65nm GPUs either. Sure ....Our translation: there are new heatsinks in refurbished Xbox 360s, but admitting that would be tantamount to admitting that the 360 has a systemic flaw, something Microsoft is not keen to do.
Rumor: Microsoft adding extra cooling to repaired 360s
Several technology websites have become hosts to images of newly repaired Xbox 360s featuring a cooling solution which was not present in the original hardware. It is claimed that after placing a malfunctioning system in a cozy coffin and sending it off to Microsoft, users receive a repaired system equipped with a second GPU (graphics processing unit) heatsink. No instances of the heatsink appearing in brand new systems have yet been documented, but its initial appearance seems to highlight what anecdotal evidence has been suggesting for months -- if it's broke, you should fix it.Is Microsoft finally taking a shot at Peter Moore's "moving target" failure rate? If indeed legitimate, this hardware modification suggests that the system's reported problems could be due to an engineering issue as opposed to generalized problems. Then again, it's no simple matter drawing conclusions based on nothing but anecdotal evidence and a tight-lipped manufacturer... and perhaps therein lies the real problem. Microsoft did not respond to our request for comment at the time of writing. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
