Kotaku: red rings of death

"No Single Issue" with Xbox 360

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:00:12 MDT

Remember that Nikkei article? The one we posted yesterday in which an thermo design expert took a look at the Xbox 360? The findings pointed out that the cooling fan was half that of a desktop PC's (to reduce noise apparently), the heat sink of the graphics LSI is very small (so the DVD can be placed above it) and the console got hot. Damn hot. Microsoft responded to these claims with a spokesperson saying:

As Microsoft didn't participate in the test, we cannot comment on any findings... There is no single root cause or systemic issue with any of the Xbox 360 consoles.

Wait. So there's a bunch of things that are causing them to crap out? OH SWELL. Hey, that sounds kinda like what former Microsoft exec Peter Moore said to us back in July. Here's the exact quote:

It's not just one systemic problem we are seeing that was causing these three red rings of light... We are always making changes (to the Xbox 360), as we see things we identify the issue, then we make changes to improve the console. And we will continue to make changes with the goal of making (the Xbox 360) a more reliable product.

Is this a Microsoft mantra or something? Sure as shit sounds like it!
No Single Issue [Games Radar]

Red Rings of Death Condolence Card

Mark Wilson — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:40:06 MDT

We all know someone who has befallen the horrible tragedy...maybe it's a sibling, parent or cousin. Maybe it's just a friend, or a friend of a friend. But it's happening to loved ones around us...every day. The Red Rings of Death are less a matter of "how" than "when." There are homeopathic cures like the towel trick and acupuncture, but in the end, there is not a whole lot that can be done for your loss...of gaming time. That's why console condolence cards should not be a laughing matter at all, but as important to any gamer as a spare controller or 2-liter bottle of Vault. Hit the jump for a mega pic.

Red Ring of Death Condolence Card [hawtmcbloggy]

Xbox 360 100 Percent Failure Rate

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:00:21 MST

And the crapped-out Xbox 360 frustrated consumer train continues! This time it's an employee at Texas-based Tek Republik, a full-service computer shop that also doubles as a gaming center. According to employee Chris_Tom:

Yes, every Xbox 360 I bought at launch is bricked with the 3 red flashing lights. Microsoft despite the widely reported policy of repairing hosed 360s for free that were manufactured in 2005 refuses to do so. That is pathetic. I have 4 hosed Xbox 360s sitting right here. I would gladly fix them if I could get an Xbox 360 motherboard from Foxconn. Believe me I would. Sorry, Microsoft wants to make even more money by forcing you to only be able to repair with them... Apparently only 4% of Xbox 360s have been faulty. My 100% rate must just be a statistical abberation beyond the mean. I doubt it. I've had statistics, and no other computer component I have ever owned has had that failure rate... This is a manufacturing failure of epic proportions. Perhaps one of the worst in history. This is right up their with the Atari ET game... I would prefer to just be able to buy a replacement board from Foxconn. Anyway, $140 a Xbox, half the cost of a core system to replace it. What a joke.

Just did a search around the Tek Republik's site, and they advertising having two Xbox 360s. If this is true, who's to blame: Microsoft or this dude's rotten luck? Brian Ashcraft

100 Percent Failure Rate [AMDZone, Thanks Gregg!]