Will Microsoft fix the xbox problems permently? (1 Viewer)

[Randy*S]

I know there is a thread about the "red ring of death" on here, but what I want to know is...
Will MS ever have all the problems fixed permently?

If not why get one at all? And plus game developers loose out too in the end because no one can play their games.

We might as well buy a ps3 or wii.

 

[Tim Hoover]

Well, allegedly, the 360's "general hardware failure" is due to the mobo warping, which is caused by the internals overheating. From what I've read, MS is now using both a thicker mobo AND cooler-running processors to alleviate this problem.

 

[Randy*S]

I'm putting off getting one until they have the new mobo and have a solid product. Or at least a more soild one then they do now.

Is there a percentage of "RRoD" issues? I read somewhere it's like 29%. And, heck 400 bucks is a big ass investment for most people.

 

[Tim Hoover]

They have both the new mobo AND the cooler-running CPUs now. I think they were in production this past summer. To ensure you get one of those units, avoid the left-over system bundles.

MS has also initiated a 3-year warranty on RRoD issues. If you get those lights, and your console is less than 3 years old, MS will either repair or replace it. I think it's safe to say that it would be repaired or replaced with the improved hardware as well.

A bit off-topic, but I also think the whole issue has been blown out of proportion. Just be sure to keep your 360 properly ventilated - no closed cabinets! - and you should be fine.

 

[Ken Chui]

Technically, every Xbox 360 manufactured prior to the CPU and mobo revision is susceptible to the RROD because of its architectural design. Some unfortunate customers who purchased Halo LE 360 consoles have even experienced the RROD within days of their purchase. If you really want to be safe, my recommendation is to hold off a bit longer, just to see how well the newer Falcon-based consoles fare, that the issues have been correctly and appropriately addressed. Right now, there is a backlog of returns awaiting processing (estimates place turnaround time at 4-6 weeks).

It pains me (as someone who owns a Legendary Edition of Halo 3, and a slew of other 360 titles) to be unable to play because of hardware reliability concerns and my unwillingness in wanting to deal with the hardware return process (I have never had a console fail under my ownership, and I want to keep that track record intact).

 

[Randy*S]

Thanks Ken and Tim for the info. I'm hoping to get one after january now to give all the old units time to filter out of store stock. Also, it'll give me time to save up a bit more for a game or two to go with it as well.
If there are still issues with the 360 the PS3 looks great too.

I take care of my equipment too, and always being a year or two behind in buying consoles probably helped my track record too.

 

[bradhart]

I quite agree that putting off buying one is quite a good idea. I am still happy playing my original xbox. Like most MS products I wait until Sp2 is out on them and until I know I am getting a new steady gaming system I am not buying one. Unlike some of the asinine in the HTF equipment forums I quite agree $400 is a large investment. I just love when they suggest you buy a $500 subwoofer for your $200 theater in a box.

 

[Tim Hoover]

I'm generally not an early-adopter myself...at least not anymore, now that I have family to support and much less disposable income. I couldn't really resist the 360 because my boss took me to Best Buy, put one in my hands, and said "I really appreciate the work you've been doing lately".

OTOH, the thing that really got me with the 360 was MS's abandonment of the regular Xbox. I think, over the past year, there have been maybe 5 games released for it, best-case.

 

[Scott98]

I have had my 360 since launch my xbox is at the texas repair center right now for the 7 th time.. Yes that right 7 times!!

For repair units all they do is add another heat sink to the procesor and its not enough to stop them from over heating one more time and Im going to do a water cooled setup..

and as far as the halo 3 360's only a few of them have the new falcon mobo still a hard one to find.. Im assuming that the halo 3 versions that got the rrod was from the old hardware..

I would wait it out another few months then "maybe" they will have there shit together but I would not get my hopes up..

and 29% falure rate lol... I think its safe to say that its alot more then that unless its pepole that dont play there systems that are not having any problums... shit 95% of the peopole on my friends list have had some sort of problums with there xbox or have had to send it in for repairs..

good luck Im asking for a wii for Xmas so I have somthing to play when my 360 is in for its 6 month tune up

 

[Jay H]

As an original Xbox owner and a person who may buy an Xbox 360, how do I know which ones are safe, is the lot# printed on the box or (what I suspect) on the Xbox 360 itself? Anyway for me to know before I actually buy one at the store what lot number or should I just look for one with the latest mfgr date if possible?

jay

 

[Steven Gebs]

I've had my xbox 360 since Nov 2006 and have had no problems whatsoever. It is an open area and gets plenty of ventilation. I had the pleasure of playing halo 3 for hours without any problems!

Can't wait for Rock Band!

 

[Hanson]

Until they shrink the die for the GPU, thus will not go away. The problem is that MS was so intent on shoving the system into such a small space (consider the size difference compared to the first XBox) that there is simply no way to ventilate properly.

And RROD is not the only problem. Damaged discs & failing DVD drives also hamper the system, and MS generally refuses to replace discs while DVD drive issues are only covered by the original warranty (the 3 year exclusively applies to RROD problems).

I know stuff breaks, but I refuse to drop any money much less $350 on a system such a high failure rate (29-35%) plus $60 for games that may get mangled after use. The warranty is of no value if they aren't going to supply a replacment unit for uninterrupted use.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

I've had my machine since August 2006...manufactured in July of 06. I usually only play it for about 30-45min at a time, a few times per week. There have only been a couple games that I've played for more than an hour at a time, never more than two hours. My machine got the RRoD two weeks ago, along with two of my friends' machines and a couple customers at my store. I called in last Sunday to get my repair box sent out, it arrived on Wednesday. I shipped it out via UPS on Thursday and it arrived at the repair center last Friday. I hope I get it back this coming week.