CAG Community Xbox 360 Failure Survey Results

[quote name='moojuice']I think it would be interesting if those people who answered No/>6 months took this survey again in 6 or 6 months. Of the 7 I know who have had the RRoD, 5 of them died around the 1 year mark.[/QUOTE]

My 360 died one month after the one year mark.
 
I must ask, for every person with a failed console, aren't there a significant amount who got another 360 that hasn't failed? It looks like multiple failures have been accounted for, but not owners who have good consoles after owning some which previously failed.
I would think that would mean while at least, say 35% have failed, adding the new replacement xbox's purchased would balance the 24% or so with multiple failures.
 
[quote name='DesertFox']I must ask, for every person with a failed console, aren't there a significant amount who got another 360 that hasn't failed? It looks like multiple failures have been accounted for, but not owners who have good consoles after owning some which previously failed.
I would think that would mean while at least, say 35% have failed, adding the new replacement xbox's purchased would balance the 24% or so with multiple failures.[/QUOTE]

The percentage of failures is still unacceptably high, no matter how you dice it. No way will I own another one of these. I sold my launch 360 within a year, before the scope of the problems became known; never had a problem with it, but there's a good chance the person that bought it from me did.
 
I was one of those that voted "less than 6 months no RROD"

I was curious if it makes a difference in if you stand your 360 vertical or horizontal. Which way would be less likely to get the RROD. I currently have mine Vertical, thought I read that keeps it cooler. Wasnt sure if it helped prevent RROD.
 
It makes me wonder about the per unit cost of each console. Somewhere at MS.. someone did a feasibility analysis. It likely boiled down to which one of the two is more cost effective and will generate greater revenue: simply replacing units as they break, or redesigning the console from scratch?

Now keep in mind.. there is no such thing as a dollar amount on negative publicity. However, it will hurt your cash flows. I think MS did their job in creating counterspin for that one.

Also, you have to consider that MS receives revenue from software sales (both retail and online delivery), as well as other media (movies, etc.).

The PS2 had a faulty laser. The 360.. well, I'm sorry.. packing that hardware and not designing a better cooling solution will cause this. Doing so would require a major redesign of the console.

The reason you didn't see failure rates on the level of the PS2 and 360 (the original Xbox, PS1.. hell, even Saturn) back in the cartridge days is as simple as this: fewer moving parts.

Finally, I'd say that the polling results have a fair amount of accuracy.. but it's too bad the sample size (3700 I think?) was so small. I would have voted if I saw it. I say let's make another poll, and slap it on the front page of CAG with bold font!
 
this is why I'm not buying games for my 360.. I'd be so pissed if I ran out to buy a new game, and I'm getting into it, and my 360 RRoD. I'll start playing more 360 games once I see that MS has a handle on the problem.


What's really sad is... Right now, you can't even buy a new system and be totally problem free.
 
[quote name='moojuice']I think it would be interesting if those people who answered No/>6 months took this survey again in 6 or 6 months. Of the 7 I know who have had the RRoD, 5 of them died around the 1 year mark.[/quote]

Hopefully there would be fewer near future failures than in past near futures (you know what I mean), if the new 65 nm boxes are more reliable as hoped. Now that would make an interesting followup survey, although it's probably too early.
 
[quote name='youbastards']Class action lawsuit! Sign me up! :applause:[/quote]


Uggh...I doubt the purpose of the survey was to initiate lawsuits. Microsoft already knows and has acknowledged that they screwed up, and is going to great expense to repair defective boxes. What would federal or civil court intervention accomplish? :roll:
 
I'm on my third 360. My launch PS2 stopped reading discs approximately four months after I bought it, but Sony told me they weren't repairing them out of warranty unless I paid $129. I promptly traded it in to EB and bought an XBox.
 
It will be also nice to have a break-down based on different 360 models/SKUs. For eg. How many were 360 core, Elite, Halo special edition and so on..? But again this and other things suggested requires a more comprehensive survey.

I bought my halo edition on ThanksGiving day but havent been playing very often as I am busy with my other consoles. I hope it does not die this terrible death.
 
I just missed the cutoff for the poll. 14 months and mine RRODed last night. Hopefully it does it when I send it back. It was freezing constantly for about an hour, then it finally Red Ringed twice, but it hasn't done it again (although it still freezes).
 
[quote name='Lieutenant Dan']Well it's obvious that 67% of CAGs don't know how to take care of their electronics. I have a launch day 360 and have had no problems.

^If someone comes into this thread and says something like that I will hunt them down.

I won't ever support another Microsoft console, which is funny since one of the reasons they entered into the gaming industry was to build brand loyalty among younger demographics.[/QUOTE]

To me this depends on if they will offer to extend warranties for those who have a console beyond 3 years.
 
[quote name='klew']Why I refuse to buy anything but exclusive titles for this console anymore (now that I have a ps3, too).

I love my 360, but it died about a month ago after 16 months. Though its resurrection has been problem free, the console's as noisy and hot as ever.

Still, the numbers are shocking. This polls seems representative, however, if true than why no recall (unless such actions are only taken to ensure public safety)?

CheapyD, have you tried to get a response from MS or the govt.? I think we all know what to expect, but given the breadth of this survey it might provoke a different response.[/QUOTE]

The 3 year free exchange policy is basically a recall. What good would a recall do at this point? I could get an Elite maybe?
 
This is a gaming website, so the average 360 on this site probably gets more of a workout then on the national average.

EDIT: Also, say what you will, but there had to be hundreds of non-360 owners participating aswell, which couldn't ahve been avoided unless we have a serial number system.
 
I'm on my 2nd 360 myself. I had my 1st one since launch and it died around February of last year. A little over ayear of life for that one. And I'm already experincing problems with my 2nd one. Disc read erors and such.

As for the ps2. I ended up with 3. So I wouldnt be surprised if my 360 status is the same.

Those are the 2 systems I play the most though. Well I dont play my ps2 anymore really but before the 360 that was teh system I always played.
 
XBOX 360 less than six months no problems other than loud
Wii drive got loud after about 8 months of heavy use still works fine
PS3 gets hot but has worked perfectly for me since last Aug

PS3 just feels like hardware that is going to go the distance as long as it doesn't MELT
 
[quote name='help1']This is a gaming website, so the average 360 on this site probably gets more of a workout then on the national average.[/quote]

I'm disappointed it took four pages for someone to call this out. While the high failure rate the survey reports probably feels awfully vindicating for anyone who's had their Xbox break, the survey still sampled from a community that's heavily skewed towards enthusiast/hardcore users. That's not to say it doesn't have its merits; you could look at these numbers and say "oh, I'm a pretty heavy gamer so I can expect a 360 failure rate of closer to 67%, opposed to what Microsoft reports." But this isn't enough to condemn the reports of 15-30% failure rates, whoever those may come from.

[quote name='sfriedlander']16% percent failure is such bull shit. this shows the true nature of the falure rate![/quote]

See above.
 
[quote name='metaly']I'm disappointed it took four pages for someone to call this out. While the high failure rate the survey reports probably feels awfully vindicating for anyone who's had their Xbox break, the survey still sampled from a community that's heavily skewed towards enthusiast/hardcore users. That's not to say it doesn't have its merits; you could look at these numbers and say "oh, I'm a pretty heavy gamer so I can expect a 360 failure rate of closer to 67%, opposed to what Microsoft reports." But this isn't enough to condemn the reports of 15-30% failure rates, whoever those may come from.



See above.[/quote]

Hardcore or not Microsoft has been in the gaming business long enough to realize they'll have light users, medium users, and heavy users. I would rather have a console as big as the original Xbox that wouldn't break if you threw it off a cliff as opposed to the 360 were you better be careful not to sneeze on it wrong. No matter how you spin it Microsoft is still to blame.
 
[quote name='metaly']I'm disappointed it took four pages for someone to call this out. While the high failure rate the survey reports probably feels awfully vindicating for anyone who's had their Xbox break, the survey still sampled from a community that's heavily skewed towards enthusiast/hardcore users. That's not to say it doesn't have its merits; you could look at these numbers and say "oh, I'm a pretty heavy gamer so I can expect a 360 failure rate of closer to 67%, opposed to what Microsoft reports." But this isn't enough to condemn the reports of 15-30% failure rates, whoever those may come from.



See above.[/quote]
But, isn't the Xbox 360 aimed towards gamers?
 
[quote name='metaly']I'm disappointed it took four pages for someone to call this out. While the high failure rate the survey reports probably feels awfully vindicating for anyone who's had their Xbox break, the survey still sampled from a community that's heavily skewed towards enthusiast/hardcore users. That's not to say it doesn't have its merits; you could look at these numbers and say "oh, I'm a pretty heavy gamer so I can expect a 360 failure rate of closer to 67%, opposed to what Microsoft reports." But this isn't enough to condemn the reports of 15-30% failure rates, whoever those may come from.[/quote]

Actually, this issue was addressed by CheapyD in the op, jollydwarf on page 2, and jeffbax on page 3 :lol:
 
[quote name='spiderdog']Why not do a Poll for PS3 and Wii?
I would like the comparison.[/QUOTE]


Haha! I'd jump on that...my 60 GB ps3 died in less than two weeks! My 360 died after almost a year after purchase...not that it made things any better.

Granted, it's only one person's experience, and both consoles have worked fine since they've been replaced/repaired (though my 360's noticeably louder than before). But it kinda leaves a bad impression on you in general.
 
Three days after I voted in that poll that I had my xbox 360 more then 6 months with no problems; it got the red rings of doom.
 
The extended warranty was a good call on Microsoft's part, but I think people are giving them a little more credit than they deserve. It seems every 360 is failing at one point, some sooner than later. I don't play mine a whole lot except for 2 or 3 hours here and there (I've had the same system since Dec. 29th 2006) and it scares me to think that my 360 might give me a RROD after the 3 year mark...then what? I'm screwed? Or what if I get any problems other than a RROD, which from my understanding isn't covered under the extended warranty? I know the CD drive in it sounds like a jet engine when it loads up, which doesn't really sound very reassuring.

Microsoft needs a full blown recall, and they need to start building these systems the right way. It amazes me that a product with this high of a failure rate is still on the market. I trust my refurbished PS3 that I bought from a brand new online business more than the 360 that I purchased new at a Best Buy retailer. Does that tell you anything, Microsoft?
 
My 360's hardly got "workouts" nor did I abuse them. But the truth is my launch died 2-3 weeks, since then I burned through hmm I think it was 3 refurbished bought another new one at BB and lost that due to DVD drive problems.

Currently on an Elite that I've had no problems with. I own all 3 systems and 360 is my preffered system and I would buy another one if I had to.



edit: To all you people patting yourselves on the back about how you had it for 8 months and it works great because you take such good care of it, give it time. Pop back in this thread and cry about it when it finally breaks. Unless you're one lucky SOB its gonna die and probably soon.
 
its a lose/lose situation for me. i buy multiplatform games for the ps3 even if the ps3 version isn't as good as the 360 version. MS should have never rushed to market with a failed design. great games don't mean crap if the damn system doesn't work.
 
[quote name='Blackshear']Myself and a friend both camped out for our 360s on launch and both of our systems are still running strong.[/quote]


Same here.....although I had no friend to camp out with me since they all "outgrew" games up until recently with the Wii. I probably have not played mine as much as some others since I consider myself a softcore gamer due to time constraints (but a hardcore gamer at heart). I play maybe 12-14hours on a good gaming week and maybe 4 hours on a bad week and then anywhere in between.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Yea, there are quite a few who have had good and bad experiences.

One thing that i have already seen mentioned at least once is that it is important to keep in mind, WHO would go online to look for places that talk about their systems crashing? People who have had their systems crash. For instance, when i have a problem with my computer, i look on websites where people talk about such things to look for help. Now, if one were to look at a forum called Computer Repair, they would quickly think, 'WOW, there are a LOT of computers breaking down! Why is that?' Well it's simple. Your looking at a forum where people go to talk about it! If you went to a regular forum, you'll hear about breaking computers a lot less. So when all you do is look in one spot, your view can become distorted. You must keep in mind the bigger picture. Which, in this case, you must realize and remember that there are no doubt TONS of 360 owners that don't even realize sites like this exist, nor do they know that so many x-box 360's have broken because theirs has worked fine since they got it. On the same hand, there are some people that have had nothing but breaking consoles since day one, and wish they knew of a place like this to come vent...but most of those people manage to find their way to places like this to talk about it.

Do you see and understand my point? With this in mind, i would say that the results of the poll are at least somewhat skewed to the negative side. I myself haven't had a single problem with my X-Box360 since i got it, and it's been put through...probably well over 1000 hours of use, with around 200-300 in Oblivion alone. Is there any way to find out how many hours your 360 has been turned on for? My house is like a community house in that people come over and play on my 360 all the time, and it's still kicking strong!
 
To all the people who say your launch unit is fine...

That insider dude said it is just a matter of time. The CPU will melt your mb.
 
I bought my 360 a week or two ago. It was manufactured in January '08, so it's pretty new. Hopefully nothing happens, but Microsoft's got that 3-year warranty just in case...
 
knock on wood i've had mine for 1 1/2 years and no big problems. although lately it's been having trouble reading discs on occasion. is this a precursor to a bigger problem?
 
it's possible. mine did that for about a week though, and then it went away and was back to normal.

i have since turned my console on the side so it's laying down flat. i don't know if this is necessary, but i did it anyway for the peace of mind.
 
Hehe my original 360 i got for christmas in Dec 2006 was a Red Ring when i got it but i somehow got out of it and died in Feb 2007. Then i got my replacement as i took it back to store and that 360 was going good for many months. But just recently it failed. A few weeks before its 1 year span. Now my 360 is the quietest one and hopefully it lasts longer. Its actually my 2nd 360 with different insides.
 
I've had mine since launch and everyday I live with the fear that it is going to RRoD on me. The biggest problem i've had is the stupid disc read error that seems to be coming alot more often lately.

Its sad that we even have to worry about our expensive investments failing on us.
 
[quote name='Anthem']I don't know how popular or effective this is, but there is something called the "X-Clamp-Fix" that is supposed to permanently fix the RRoD problems on the 360.

http://www.x-clamp-fix.com/catalog/product_info.php?info=p5_X-Clamp-Fix-DIY-Kit.html

I hope this is a real solution to the problem, and that this is used to help Microsoft.[/QUOTE]

It helps with the RRODs caused by the mainboard warping, but you have to do it before the RROD or it won't always work. A friend of mine had to use a heat gun on My Board before i could get it working again.
 
If the 360 wasn't so damn expensive, it wouldn't be much of a loss...but to have one die and having to go spend another hundred bucks if MS doesn't want to fix it, that can become very costly for some people.

Once this data really gets out, someone is going to take it seriously (perhaps a state's Attorney general) and start a real investigation...however MS is doing it's best to fix all the systems being sent to them, but they really need to fix all fatal flaws of it's current design. The system is nearly 3 years old now, plenty of time to investigate, find and fix the damn problem.

I am pretty sure that if MS really doesn't get their shit together by the end of this year with the 360 (NO I DON'T MEAN GIVE US ANOTHER SKU!!!), I see a lot less people buying whatever box puts out in the next generation of gaming systems.
 
Awesome post Cheapy.

The survey results however, ugh. And think about the time that people have wasted arguing with MS.

I hope to upgrade to elite some day, those seem to have better failure rates. Eh, by the time it becomes feasible to have a second 360, hopefully MS will have this sorted out.
 
[quote name='Lieutenant Dan']Well it's obvious that 67% of CAGs don't know how to take care of their electronics. I have a launch day 360 and have had no problems.

^If someone comes into this thread and says something like that I will hunt them down.

I won't ever support another Microsoft console, which is funny since one of the reasons they entered into the gaming industry was to build brand loyalty among younger demographics.[/quote]

I take care of my systems, it's part of being a cheap ass. I still have my Atari 2600 & etc, but after 8 months 1500 hours of use between 2 people my 360 did need to be sent in for repairs. 7 months later it's still going strong. Failures sometimes happen regardless.
 
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