The Xbox 360 video game console can be subject to a technical problem which renders it unusable. This technical problem is the "general hardware faliure" mentioned above. Since its release in 2005, the console's build quality has acquired a bad reputation both in the press, with articles portraying its poor reliability and high failure rates, and with the general public.^[1][2][3][4] According to a Wired blog, an Xbox 360 production "insider" has come out suggesting that units that fail early in their life are related to poor construction and inadequate testing prior to the console's release.^[5]

In the early months after the console's launch, Microsoft stated that the Xbox 360's failure rate was within the consumer electronics industry average of 3% to 5%.^[6][7][8][9] However, Microsoft has not released any official statistics on the failure rate of the console, and the company's policy is not to do so, instead focusing on the prompt resolution of any technical problems arising.^[10] Even so, rumors abounded that the initial failure rate may have been as high as 33% and is still substantially more than industry average. ^[11] In February 2008 an examination of 1000 Xbox 360s by SquareTrade found 164 were returned under warranty as "disabled", 60% with the red ring of death.^[12]

On July 5, 2007, the Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division published an open letter recognizing the console's problems, as well as announcing a 3 year warranty expansion for every Xbox 360 console that experiences the "general hardware failure" indicated by three flashing red LED lights on the console. ^[13] There is also another sign of the hardware failure, one flashing red light.

General hardware failure

When a Microsoft Xbox 360 console experiences a "general hardware failure", three flashing red lights appear on the front of the console, known by gamers as the infamous "Red Ring of Death" (RROD for short). Exactly how many users have experienced this problem is unknown to the public.

The name "Red Ring of Death" has caused some confusion, as the real RROD flashes three red lights. Some have confused the name with a similar looking error warning where all four lights flash, but the flashing of all four lights simply means that the AV cable is not properly inserted into the console.^[14]

In the USA (check your documentation for local support), if the 360 owner does indeed have three flashing red lights, they are recommended to call the Xbox support line (1-800-4MYXBOX) as quickly as possible. Upon doing so, a technician will gather the information required to send the consumer a shipping box with included instructions, packaging supplies, and sealing tape. The owner simply wraps their Xbox and ships it through UPS to the provided address. Within a period of 2-3 weeks, the repaired or refurbished 360 will be shipped back to the owner.^[15]

The Nyko Intercooler has also been reported to have caused a general hardware failure in a number of consoles, as well as scorching of the power AC input.^[16] Microsoft stated that the peripheral drains too much power from the console and can cause faults to occur, ^[17] and stated that consoles fitted with the peripheral will have their warranty null and void.^[16]

Microsoft claims that the manufacturing problems have been fixed, although they did not elaborate as to what the problems were.^[18] Microsoft executives discussed some of the manufacturing problems with their shareholders in their July 5 2007 conference call.^[19]

New consoles also feature smaller chips which reduce heat helping reliability.

Overheating

The game console heats up during use, and given enough time, the temperature inside can reach very high levels due to insufficient cooling. Because of the way the Xbox 360 is constructed, this may result in stresses building up between the delicate ball grid array solder joints of the CPU and GPU and the motherboard, causing them to break. The problem is exacerbated by the specific type of lead-free solder used, a type which is more brittle than the older tin/lead solder that was used in the past.^[20]

German computer magazine c't, in an article titled "Jede dritte stirbt den Hitzetod" (every third one dies of heat), published in July 2006, blames the problems primarily on the use of the wrong type of lead free solder, a type that when exposed to elevated temperatures for a long time becomes brittle and can develop hair-line cracks that are almost irreparable.^[11] Also, according to the same article, Microsoft has created an internal account, funded with more than one billion dollars, dedicated to addressing this problem. The fund would only be fully depleted by $100 in repairs to every existing Xbox 360, or complete replacement of every third Xbox 360 ever made. ^[21] The article also revealed that representatives of the three largest Xbox 360 resellers in the world (EB Games, Gamestop and Best Buy) claimed that the failure rate of the Xbox 360 was between 30% and 33%, and that Micromart, the largest repair shop in Britain, stopped repairing Xbox 360s because they were unable to fully repair the defective systems. Because of the nature of the problem, Micromart could only make temporary repairs, which led to many of the "repaired" systems failing again after a few weeks. At that time Micromart was receiving 2500 defective consoles per day from Britain alone. ^[11]

The console's design utilizes heatsinks, vented openings, and fans to aid in dissipation of heat, but the potential still exists for excessive heat buildup inside the console if these measures become insufficient. Users are advised not to obstruct air flow to the enclosure vents or power supply. Problems associated with overheating include reduced system performance and instability that may result in crashing or hardware failure. Xbox 360s with "Falcon" motherboards, which use smaller 65nm CPUs, are reportedly less susceptible. Microsoft is rumored to be releasing a version of the Xbox 360 that uses a 65nm GPU as well, codenamed "Jasper". The new "Jasper" motherboards are planned to be released in late 2008.

According to the October 2007 issue of The Official Xbox Magazine, there are reports that new Xbox 360 Elites and newer 360 Premiums, as well as officially refurbished units, have larger heatsinks. It has yet to be determined how far this fix has gone in alleviating the issues.

Some third party manufacturers have also introduced external cooling devices that attach to the console and claim to help prevent the console from overheating.^[22] However, reports indicate that such devices are doing exactly the opposite, including the attachment melting on the console itself, possibly damaging the internal microprocessors, and voiding the product warranty.^[23]

Scratched discs

Almost at the same time the Xbox 360 was released in November-December 2005, consumers began complaining about rounded scratches in discs played in their Xbox 360. Almost two years later, in February 2007, the website The Llamma's Adventures^[24] investigated the matter and concluded that some Xbox 360 drives lack a mechanism to secure the disc solidly in place. Tilting or moving consoles with these drives, when operating with a disc spinning inside, can potentially cause damage to the disc, in some cases rendering the disc unusable.^[25] Although this problem is not covered by the warranty,^[26] Microsoft's Xbox Disc Replacement Program^[27] will replace any scratched discs that are published in countries where the Xbox was originally sold, and released a list of games that qualify for replacement.^[28] Halo 3 Limited Edition was replaced at no cost until February 1, 2008 according to the Xbox Disc Replacement Program's main site. The order form for disc replacements is available here.^[29] Other publishers can be contacted directly for a disc exchange, but it is unclear whether they will replace discs at no cost.

December 2005

The Xbox 360 was released in the United States and Canada on November 22 2005 and in early December 2005 in Europe and Japan. In December 2005, reports of unintelligible noises from the Xbox 360 were appearing on Internet message boards.^[30] The scratched disc problem was traced to the console laser housing design and could be avoided by horizontally orienting the Xbox 360 and keeping the Xbox 360 free from being bumped while playing games or DVDs.^[31] In response to the problem, Microsoft offered in December 2005 to replace only the Perfect Dark Zero video game "even if it was not the game that was scratched."^[31] The scratched disc problem reportedly affected only a small percentage of Xbox 360s,^[31] but at least one company, Digital Innovations, immediately recognized that same month that the December 2005 message board reports were appearing in a sufficient quantity to present a business opportunity to fix digital media damaged by the Xbox 360.^[32]

Kassa’s February 2007 investigation

The Xbox 360 scratched disc problem received little media coverage in 2006.^[33] However, in February 2007, the Dutch television program Kassa investigated several complaints from Dutch customers about circular scratches made in their Xbox 360 discs.^[34] Some of these customers claimed that their discs became unreadable.^[34] Kassa investigation traced the problem to a design defect in which the Xbox 360 optical lens was not restrained sufficiently.^[34][35] In asserting that Microsoft or at least its chain of suppliers were aware of this problem, Kassa noted that Microsoft's "TSST"^[36] versions of the Samsung DVD-drive lack rubber cushions around the optical lens while identical Samsung drives sold for PCs did have these rubber cushions.^[34][35] Kassa also noted that the affected Xbox 360s all seem to have been produced towards the end of 2006. ^[34][35]

Kassa’s April 2007 investigation

During the February 2007 investigation report, Kassa stated that either not all Xbox 360s without protective pads would spontaneously scratch discs, or that the complaints were from Xbox 360 users who had moved their Xbox during use, or who used an unstable setup.^[34] Here, Kassa's February 2007 investigation left open the question of whether consumers contributed to the rounded scratch problem by moving their Xbox 360 (TSST version) during the playing of a disc.^[37] This resulted in Kassa receiving an additional 1,000 complaints over the subsequent two months, with many customers denying the Xbox had moved when the scratching occurred, or that it had been placed in an unstable position.^[38]

Prompted by consumer reaction to their February 2007 report, Kassa performed several tests with Xbox 360s from customers who claimed their Xbox had the problem. Kassa stabilized these Xboxs and positioned them at a location remote from contact by anyone. The results of the laboratory conditions test revealed that one of the nine tested Xbox 360s had spontaneously scratched a disc after five hours of gaming. The Xbox also were tested standing upright, and the test revealed that three of the nine tested Xbox 360s significantly scratched discs. The complete investigation, with all the relevant details of the tests, was made ready to be aired in April 14 2007. The videos (also with English subtitles) can be found here: ^[39] Weeks before it aired, however, Kassa solicited input from Microsoft Netherlands.

One day before the airing of the April 14 2007 show, Kassa received a response from Microsoft Netherlands stating that "as a result of regular use it is possible that scratches on discs can arise",^[40][41][42] and that Microsoft Netherlands "would seek a solution for the Dutch customers with this problem".^[43][44] Additionally, Microsoft released the following statement ten days after the show, on April 24 2007:

"Due to the fact that we did not participate in the experiment done by Kassa and have little insight into the methodology that was used, we cannot comment specifically on the outcome. While we are aware that discs can potentially be scratched through normal wear and tear, we have not received any widespread reports of the issue highlighted here. That said, it is important to us that all of our customers have the best gaming experiences possible, and these claims are obviously very concerning to us. We encourage any Xbox customer who believes that their discs have been scratched in the same manner as identified by Kassa, to contact us. We will examine the console and make appropriate repairs if necessary in order to restore the console to full working order, as well as provide customers with information on how to obtain replacement discs should they need them." ^[45]

Microsoft Netherlands now accepts these complaints from users (when within the guarantee period), and offers to replace the Xbox 360 free of charge. Whether Microsoft Netherlands will also replace scratched discs is still unclear. After the official broadcast, (in a continuation of the show which can be viewed on-line, circa 28 minutes into the show) a customer is shown calling the Microsoft help-desk, who is told Microsoft will replace his Xbox 360 but is denied a promise to replace his scratched games. [5] Template:Nl icon There are reports from some other regions where Microsoft will replace scratched discs when published by Microsoft.^[46]

The European Commission’s June 2007 investigation of disc scratches

On June 1, 2007, European Commissioner for Consumer Protection Meglena Kuneva, after talking with the makers of "Kassa" and other Dutch consumer organizations,^[47] announced that the European Commission would investigate the Xbox scratching problems, and would ask Microsoft for an Xbox replacement program for the whole of Europe. She expected Microsoft’s answer within a week.^[48] Informal sources now say that Microsoft’s response was to deny the problem exists, stating that "the users are to blame".^[49] But Meglena Kuneva did not react to that response, and half a year later (January 2008) the EC’s (Meglena Kuneva’s) news site [6] was still silent about Microsoft’s response, or about the result of the investigation.

Lawsuit

A man who claims Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 scratches game discs has sued the company, saying the consoles are "negligently designed and manufactured." In the lawsuit filed on July 9 2007 in a Florida federal court, Jorge Brouwer says Microsoft has received thousands of complaints but has not replaced all scratched discs. The lawsuit seeks class-action status.^[50]

The Law Firms of THKO in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Wasserman, Comden, and Casselman, LLP of Los Angeles, California; and Stritmatter, Kessler, Whelan, Coluccio of Seattle, Washington are investigating consumer complaints regarding the Xbox 360.

WCC, THKO and SKWC have filed lawsuits in the United States District Court Western District of Washington at Seattle on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of consumers who have suffered scratched game discs while using their Xbox 360. The lawsuit seeks class certification and reimbursement for consumers for the cost of games damaged by the console; reimbursement for consumers who have paid a $20 fee to Microsoft Corporation under a limited disc replacement program offered on ten Microsoft games; repair of consoles free of charge to prevent further disc scratching; and/or reimbursement of consumers who have paid for an aftermarket repair solution. ^[51]

November 2006 update: Technical issues

An update patch released on November 1 2006 is known to "brick" consoles, rendering them useless.^[52][53] The most obvious issue occurs after the installation of the patch, after which the console immediately reboots and shows an error message. Usually, error code E71 is shown during or directly after the booting animation.

In response to the November 2006 update error that "bricked" (rendered useless) his console, Mr. Kevin Ray of California has filed a class action lawsuit against Microsoft in Washington federal court in early December of 2006.^[54] The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages and the free repair of any console rendered unusable by the update. This will be the second such lawsuit filed against Microsoft, the first having been filed in December of 2005, shortly after the 360's launch.

Many believe it was the HD Resolution update that may have caused the console to become 'bricked', as the firmware needed to access the graphics card to allow the Xbox 360 to produce images at 1080p, when it was previously only capable of producing 1080i images.

Warranty limits

It should be noted that the warranty that Microsoft currently extended to three years only covers the "Red Ring of Death" problem. No other problems are covered under the three-year warranty extension. For $99, the company will fix any problem outside of this, with work warrantied for three months. After that, customers will continue to have to pay $99 each time they have a problem, or purchase an entirely new system. ^{[55] [56] [57]}

Coverage is offered for those who bought and live in countries where the Xbox 360 was officially released; depending on the country, the customers will either have their consoles repaired or replaced. This policy will be transferred to a new console if one is exchanged through the Microsoft Service Center. All repairs come with a 90-day warranty starting at the date the repair is finished, or the original warranty, whichever is longer. Once past this date, the customers can pay around $140 (£80) to receive a repair or replacement. This charge covers shipping and handling, as well as a one year warranty on the repaired or refurbished console. There is also a service contract available through Microsoft (in select countries) to extend this warranty by up to 2 years at a time. The cost is $29.95 US per year and can be extended up to two additional years.

The estimated time to fix the Xbox 360 is 21 days. According to a Gamestop memo, Gamestop will no longer be selling product replacement plans for new, used, and refurbished 360s.^[58]

References

External links

• Microsoft Xbox Support
• Xbox.com thread talking about the issue with DRM restrictions on replacement consoles
• Xbox360 Ring of Light error codes explained (unofficial)
• Inside Source Reveal the Truth About Xbox 360 "Red Ring of Death" Failures