xbox... WHY!

[kamikaziechameleon]

I'm here to pose two largely infuriating questions. WHY doesn't the 360 have a formal recall at this point. Even the slim is a reck mine crashed twice at the last lan party. The regular 360 had a near 100 percent failure rate inside 3 years. Still confused as to why making a good piece of kit is so impossible for them... 2 consoles and several revisions in. Why does the press declare time and time again that xbox live is the best thing since sliced bread. I might be alone in thinking this but I found it to be the worst online experience I've ever had and payed for the pleasure of it too . Ok rage rant over.

[Ari Atari]

Hey, at least they pay to ship it back to them for repairs. Could be worse.

[Vrock]

Because stuff is made as cheaply as possible these days. Nothing is designed to last for a long time. Even my launch PS3 gave up the ghost last summer.

[Corrado]

My 2 launch xboxes are still humming along great, and the third "launch" slim that I have is also been great. Make sure you have proper ventilation and also make sure its not your power brick fluctuating power.

[Bomber]

Agreed on the ventilation suggestion. I have the first HDMI 360 and after over 3 years it's running just fine. No issues at all.

[SPOOFE]

More anecdotes! I know eight people with 360s at least three years old, and the only one to break had a Jack and coke spilled on it.

[JohnC]

I'm here to pose two largely infuriating questions. WHY doesn't the 360 have a formal recall at this point. Even the slim is a reck mine crashed twice at the last lan party. The regular 360 had a near 100 percent failure rate inside 3 years. Still confused as to why making a good piece of kit is so impossible for them... 2 consoles and several revisions in. Why does the press declare time and time again that xbox live is the best thing since sliced bread. I might be alone in thinking this but I found it to be the worst online experience I've ever had and payed for the pleasure of it too . Ok rage rant over.

All of the XBoxes I've purchased (for me and for other people) still work perfectly, including the first year model, even after a "certain" software mods (some were banned from XBox Live, but that's my own fault). Stuff breaks, pure and simple, that's why there's warranty for it. There is NO "near 100 percent failure rate" - provide official statistics if you think there is, or take that trolling garbage to PS3 forums or somewhere else where people like you might care

[Bensam123]

Because the technology they're using is so old and outdated no one makes it anymore, like DDR and SDRAM. This results in them having to find ultra cheap contractors that still make the stuff.

[Vrock]

and the only one to break had a Jack and coke spilled on it.

That's how I want to go. Preferably with that Jack and coke spilling off a stripper's tits.

[AbRASiON]

I just sold mine - I had an Elite from when Forza 3 came out, they were 3 or 4 die shrinks in at that point.
I swear I do not lie when I say I only used that DVD tray 6 or 7 times and when I sold it the tray was stuck and I had to paperclip it.
Damn glad I tested it before giving it to the guy on ebay and glad it kept working after paperclipping

None the less, tray wouldn't open after being used 6 or 7 times,......................................... and the drive itself was barely used (I copied things to the HDD when MS allowed that)

[clone]

My 2 launch xboxes are still humming along great, and the third "launch" slim that I have is also been great. Make sure you have proper ventilation and also make sure its not your power brick fluctuating power.

guess the 100% failure rate has been debunked.

agree on ventilation and unstable power, seen it all too often.

[lex-ington]

Those are parts of the reasons I don't let my son play the 4GB model he got as a gift

1. If I have to provide special ventilation when the PS3 and Wii are working just fine in the entertainment unit I have, then the Xbox goes no where. I m not messing up my unit so the stupid power brick won't overheat and die. That is retarded design flaw.

2. I am guessing that the whole Xbox Live thing is really just for playing against people online,and that's out. And I am most definitely NOT paying a monthly fee for something no one is using.

I could go on, but I think those are the relevant points the OP is making.

I expect electronics to die in a certain time frame, but I don't expect to have to alter things I already have set up in order to make space for someone else's poor execution.

[Corrado]

Those are parts of the reasons I don't let my son play the 4GB model he got as a gift

1. If I have to provide special ventilation when the PS3 and Wii are working just fine in the entertainment unit I have, then the Xbox goes no where. I m not messing up my unit so the stupid power brick won't overheat and die. That is retarded design flaw.

2. I am guessing that the whole Xbox Live thing is really just for playing against people online,and that's out. And I am most definitely NOT paying a monthly fee for something no one is using.

Actually, I had a fan go bad in my PS3 AND the laser go bad in my PS3. YLOD. Sony wanted $150 to replace a 70mm fan in the back of the PS3. The box will not turn on without a fan plugged in either. Both my PS3 and my XBox 360 were in the same cabinet.

So you're not letting your son play with a gift he was given because theres a chance it MIGHT break at some point down the line? Exceptional parenting there. Do you not let him ride a bike either, because sooner or later, every bike gets a flat tire or has a chain break? Are you going to ever let him drive? 100% of cars will break down unless they're properly maintained...

[clone]

1. If I have to provide special ventilation when the PS3 and Wii are working just fine in the entertainment unit I have, then the Xbox goes no where. I m not messing up my unit so the stupid power brick won't overheat and die. That is retarded design flaw.

it's funny that you put down "special ventilation".

I've got a few friends who's PS3's have died, (Optical drive bay failures and hard drive failures) if I go through the list I have almost an equal number who's Xbox 360's have died (this generations consoles came across as unreliable crap tbh.) so while Xbox 360's failures seem to be easily avoided by not shoving them into enclosed spaces which has always been a bad idea their seems to be no way of avoiding PS3's demise aside from not using it.

one is on his 3rd and he only used them for blu ray playback, less than 10 hrs gaming.

So you're not letting your son play with a gift he was given because theres a chance it MIGHT break at some point down the line? Exceptional parenting there. Do you not let him ride a bike either, because sooner or later, every bike gets a flat tire or has a chain break? Are you going to ever let him drive? 100% of cars will break down unless they're properly maintained.

your logic is sound but attacking his parenting skills is overkill.

"Xbox 360 tends to run hot and will last longer if not placed in tight enclosed spaces with no ventilation"... his response ... "well if I can't use it in my entertainment unit that offers no ventilation then put it away so no one can use it.".... it's like not using a car because it'll just run out of gas.

[yogibbear]

I have owned a million different consoles and never killed one. I suspect everyone that has one that has died lives in a saw mill and sits on them because they think they are a chair.

[clone]

I have owned a million different consoles and never killed one.

I don't believe you've owned a million.

prove it.

on a side note I've never managed to kill one either from Atari 2600 all the way up to Xbox but the current generation of Consoles are a special case.... as in they were crap done crappily from a quality standpoint.

[JustAnEngineer]

My father's PS3 slim died. Sony replaced it under warranty in less than two weeks.

No consumer electronic devices are invincible. X-Box has certainly been more failure-prone than most, but anything can break.

[lex-ington]

Those are parts of the reasons I don't let my son play the 4GB model he got as a gift

1. If I have to provide special ventilation when the PS3 and Wii are working just fine in the entertainment unit I have, then the Xbox goes no where. I m not messing up my unit so the stupid power brick won't overheat and die. That is retarded design flaw.

2. I am guessing that the whole Xbox Live thing is really just for playing against people online,and that's out. And I am most definitely NOT paying a monthly fee for something no one is using.

Actually, I had a fan go bad in my PS3 AND the laser go bad in my PS3. YLOD. Sony wanted $150 to replace a 70mm fan in the back of the PS3. The box will not turn on without a fan plugged in either. Both my PS3 and my XBox 360 were in the same cabinet.

So you're not letting your son play with a gift he was given because theres a chance it MIGHT break at some point down the line? Exceptional parenting there. Do you not let him ride a bike either, because sooner or later, every bike gets a flat tire or has a chain break? Are you going to ever let him drive? 100% of cars will break down unless they're properly maintained...

And I don't let him take a bath cause he might drown . . . . . . and I don't let him eat food cause he might choke . . . . . .any more unrelated analogies anybody want to bring up?

I said I already have everything setup in my entertainment unit just the way I want it. There is absolutely no reason for me to change it around because a system designer couldn't cool their system properly. My son plays the PS3 and Wii quite fine, without me having to make any special adjustments for cooling (and that means not having to open the doors for air to go in). If you want to call that overkill on parenting that's your business.

I have never said the PS3 or Wii were perfect or that they don't have their own rates of failure, but the first thing my non-techy wife said was "I don't want to see that big plug anywhere" so, no xbox. What's so hard about understanding that.

[SPOOFE]

There is absolutely no reason for me to change it around because a system designer couldn't cool their system properly.

Meanwhile, your kid's being mocked at school after he tells all his friends "I have a 360 but daddy won't let me use it". Anticipate a second mortgage to pay for therapy bills when your offspring's 22.

But at least your entertainment center looks spiffy! Yay!

[thecoldanddarkone]

I'm not sure why you would even keep it at this point, sell it and buy some games your kid wants with the money, instead of just depreciating. Unless the person who gave the gift would rather it not be used.
Anyways, I had a ps3 that failed.

[credible]

My wife gets alot of leeway for the way she wants some things, so far as computers and electronics goes, she has almost no say, grow a pair buddy and enjoy the benefits of the xbox.

[I.S.T.]

My 2 launch xboxes are still humming along great, and the third "launch" slim that I have is also been great. Make sure you have proper ventilation and also make sure its not your power brick fluctuating power.

guess the 100% failure rate has been debunked.

agree on ventilation and unstable power, seen it all too often.

The 100% failure of original Xbox 360s is an admitted fact by Microsoft. There's a reason why they took a several hundred million dollar charge on their earnings that quarter...

[JohnC]

The 100% failure of original Xbox 360s is an admitted fact by Microsoft. There's a reason why they took a several hundred million dollar charge on their earnings that quarter...

I guess my first-year unit is also a "failed" one by YOUR OWN **** "logic" (there are no "facts" unless you can provide official statistics numbers), even though it continues playing all the games

Srsly, you PS3 trolls are beyond pathetic

[clone]

I said I already have everything setup in my entertainment unit just the way I want it.

I pulled the fan off my cpu because I could almost hear it but then my system crashed so I'm not going to use my computer ever again..... nor will I allow my son to either.

The 100% failure of original Xbox 360s is an admitted fact by Microsoft. There's a reason why they took a several hundred million dollar charge on their earnings that quarter.

they did a recall and extended the warranties on 1st generation Xbox 360's.... that isn't the same as a 100% failure rate, no offense but why ppl take a fact that should be difficult to corrupt and then turn it into worthless vapor never ceases to impress me.

the 2 have nothing in common.

if 1 in 10 fail it's a PR disaster, Xbox 360 & PS3 had failure rates as high as 24% & 10% within the first two years of ownership but much like ppl if you wait long enough 98% will eventually die. (Will Ferrell prop)

http://www.gamespot.com/news/xbox-360-f ... -6216691... circa 2009 article back when it was all at it's worst and nowhere near the "100% failure fact"

p.s. the article also mentioned Xbox 360 was getting used the most of the 3.

[David]

My launch 360 died after 5 years. Frankly I don't think I ever played a system as often for as long. It led a rough life. I forgive it for dying.

As a comparison, I've had two motherboard failures and a hard drive become unreliable in the same amount of time. I guess ASUS, Gigabyte and WD all have insane rates of failure. In fact, they're probably near 100%.

Oh, I also had a steering system failure on my car after 6 years. I guess it needed "special" handling and I've been driving it incorrectly all this time.

[Chrispy_]

My Xboxes blow up, so do most of my "made in China by the lowest bidder" electronics, mainly graphics cards and toasters.

China sucks, but without them, everything would cost 5x more.

[clone]

China sucks, but without them, everything would cost 5x more.

not nearly so but "they" want us to believe that.

the latest Ipad for example would cost between $10 to $65 more if made in the U.S.A. depending on who you believe and frankly I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it would only be $65 more.

p.s. they used to say the same thing about Japan back in the day when Japanese product first hit NA shores.....while technology is portable as are skills and information the transition period is usually 10 years from low / mediocre quality to competitive quality.

[WalkCMD]

Mine is 5 years old and never a problem.

[Ryhadar]

If you want to call that overkill on parenting that's your business.

I have never said the PS3 or Wii were perfect or that they don't have their own rates of failure, but the first thing my non-techy wife said was "I don't want to see that big plug anywhere" so, no xbox. What's so hard about understanding that.

I hear ya loud and clear. I don't understand why a significant number of people in this thread decided to harp on you for that. It's not like your kid is "depraved" either. Like you said, you've got a Wii and PS3 in there and I haven't seen you write that your son was whining to play the 360 either.

The 360 is trash anyway. My girlfriend had the arcade version that she used seldomly but would play when she had time. The thing only lasted 3-4 years of extremely light gaming until it red-ringed. The most resource intensive game played on there was probably 5 hours worth of Army of Two, or maybe the 10-15 hours worth of Skylanders. Most of the games on her play list involve the lego games. Who knows how long it would've lasted in the hands of someone that played everyday. Probably just enough to actually be within the warranty period.

I have several friends that are on their second 360. A few are on their third, and I believe one is on his fourth.

And yet, my Sega Genesis, N64, Gameboy pocket, original Xbox and even my dad's Atari all still work. The same was true of my NES up until a few years ago.

[tanker27]

I'm here to pose two largely infuriating questions. WHY doesn't the 360 have a formal recall at this point. Even the slim is a reck mine crashed twice at the last lan party. The regular 360 had a near 100 percent failure rate inside 3 years. Still confused as to why making a good piece of kit is so impossible for them... 2 consoles and several revisions in. Why does the press declare time and time again that xbox live is the best thing since sliced bread. I might be alone in thinking this but I found it to be the worst online experience I've ever had and payed for the pleasure of it too . Ok rage rant over.

I have had 3 xbox's and none of them succumbed to the RRoD. /shrug

I would look toward where are you placing the Xbox. It seems that heat build up plays a huge factor in RRoDs.