Microsoft now receiving 2,500 broken 360s per day in UK alone?

It's a real shame that the system with something to play on it breaks, while the system nobody wants to play, doesn't.
 
[quote name='jer7583']It's a real shame that the system with something to play on it breaks, while the system nobody wants to play, doesn't.[/QUOTE]I like to play on that other system and I know plenty who feel the same way too. ;)
 
Asian Xbox 360 manufacturers are blaming poor console design cheap components and a lack of testing coupled with a manic obsession by Microsoft to beat Sony as the reason for the Xbox 360 "Red Ring Of Death" probems.

Two years ago In a desperate quest for supremacy in the gaming console market and in an effort to beat Sony and then later Nintendo with their Wii console, Microsoft committed themselves to getting the Xbox 360 to market some 12 months ahead of the new Sony PS3. They also stripped costs out of the unit in an effort to undercut Sony.

Now they are paying the cost of their failed marketing exercise after the world's largest Software Company announced on Friday that they will take an A$1.3 billion to $1.4 billion charge to extend warranty coverage on repairs and replacements. The company said a months-long investigation into an "unacceptable number of repairs" to Xbox 360 consoles has helped it identify several flaws that caused the system to crash—indicated by three flashing red lights on the front dubbed the "Red Ring of Death" by gamers.

Smarthouse suspected 7 months ago that there was a problem with the Xbox 360 after we got a high level of emails from readers complaining of problems. We wrote a story that appeared online. This in turn triggered a lot more readers to write to us about their problems not only with the Xbox 360 but in dealing with Microsoft.

In Australia Microsoft refused to return calls on the issue and their PR Company even went as far as saying that there was no problem and that SmartHouse was exaggerating. So we decided to contact retailers selling the Xbox 360. They reported massive problems with the console with several claiming that the return rate was over 30%

As an example the Sony PS2 had a return rate of between 1 & 2% The PS 3 which has only been in the market for 6 months is less than 1%.
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, declined in an interview to say what specifically caused the failures or how high the failure rate has been, but Asian manufacturers of the Xbox 360 who have been pressured by Microsoft to lower costs by as much as 15% say that the problem is caused by poor Microsoft design and the Company buying low cost components in an effort to beat Sony.

Recently Microsoft adopted various strategies to be more cost competitive with its Xbox 360 game consoles, with moves including asking for a price reduction from Taiwan-based component makers and working with Lite-On IT for its add-on HD-DVD drive, according to sources in Taiwan.

One Asian manufacturer that SmartHouse spoke to on Friday said "Microsoft have known of this problem for a long time. They are trying to blame component manufacturers but it was a combination of bad design and them (Microsoft) wanting everything cheap. This is what caused the problem along with them wanting to beat Sony to market. A lot of manufacturers were pushed to deliver components without much testing of the components working together inside the console".

Microsoft has said little about the causes of the hardware woes. It relies on two contract manufacturers to make the Xbox 360—Flextronics International (FLEX) and Celestica (CLS)—both of which make the finished product at plants in southern China. But Bach indicated the issue had nothing to do with the recent spate of tainted or defective Chinese imports.

"You should think of it more as a design question," he says. "We had some design issues, and it's a combination of factors that led to the problems." Microsoft said it worked with the contract manufacturers to identify and address the problem, and has taken steps to make sure future shipments do not suffer similar issues.

Despite adding to the continuing losses for the entertainment and devices division, Microsoft executives pointed to a silver lining: "Most customers are going to look at it and say, 'Great, Microsoft stands behind the product,'" Bach says. "Ultimately, it becomes a positive thought in people's minds."
Stalled Momentum
Microsoft will record the expenses in the quarter that ended June 30, compounding losses at a division that has yet to become profitable. Fallout from the admission won't end there. The hardware problems could undermine Microsoft's credibility with the hard-core gamers it has fought hard to court in recent years. The company belatedly owns up to flaws that reach back to the November, 2005, Xbox 360 launch.

Users complained then that the console scratched game discs and rendered them unusable. It took nearly a full year for Microsoft to admit that the original batch of shipments was failing at an unusually high rate. Last September, the company extended its 90-day warranty to a full year. Then they offered free shipping on returns.

What's more, Microsoft's pronouncement could further slow the momentum the company had built with its year-long lead over Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. Since January, the Wii has stolen the spotlight—and gamer dollars—from rival systems. Microsoft shipped 10 million units through 2006, but has sold only 1.6 million additional units since then. The company failed to reach its forecast of shipping 12 million units through June.

In June, the Wii outsold the Xbox 360 by a 2-to-1 margin and it outstripped PlayStation 3 sales nearly 4 to 1, according to product tracker NPD Group. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata predicts the company will sell more than 14 million units in its current fiscal year.

Game Releases Planned
Like other makers of consumer electronics, Microsoft is willing to accept losses on gaming consoles in hopes of recouping revenue through game software. And Microsoft plans to release some blockbusters later this year. Along with others in the games industry, it is expected to showcase many of those products at this month's annual E3 games expo held in Los Angeles. Microsoft is betting its core Halo franchise will give it a boost later this year with the release of Halo 3.

The company also has stolen a march on Sony, getting Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) to drop its PlayStation exclusivity for the next instalment of its Grand Theft Auto franchise
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http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/News-50168.aspx

Wow, I kind of figured MS used cheap parts, but now I see it is true. Some feel the 65nm chips would solve all problems, but I've been thinking they won't as much because MS is using cheap parts, circuit board needs to be re-designed and cleaned up first, etc.

I somewhat hate to admit it, this article almost makes me want to ditch my 360 and buy a Wii (I'll keep my 360 though, but I'm just saying. Although in many ways, I've been wanting a Wii more and more, but that's another story), because hearing this disgusts me. Well, that's what you get for being cheap (People complain about the PS3 price, but even if Sony didn't include blu-ray, it would have still been expensive, because its quality).
 
interesting. slowly, everything gamers have suspected for the past year or so is finally coming out.

2 things:

The hardware problems could undermine Microsoft's credibility with the hard-core gamers it has fought hard to court in recent years. The company belatedly owns up to flaws that reach back to the November, 2005, Xbox 360 launch.
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Ha! yeah, right. People are dumb and this won't be publicized enough. besides, as long as there are games on the system, people will still flock to it.
 
My "phat" PS2 was constantly kept clean and I've had it for several years. DRE's left and right as of recent playing Champions of Norrath and a few other games. My God of War 2 greatest hits version constantly freezes at a certain save point, and Sony isn't willing to exchange the disc for free. Despite it being game breaking because I can't get past that save point in Athens, even when I start over. Sony is not immune to these problems and is just as stubborn at fixing things. I also had a launch PSP with dead pixels and Sony would do nothing. Thankfully my friend was willing to buy the PSP for full price and I haven't missed my PSP since.

However, the XBox 360 is the biggest turd hardware failure wise in the universe of video game consoles. That's not to say It isn't the best next gen console gaming wise, because it most certainly is. With another blow to Sony with Virtua Fighter going Live I'm amazed there hasn't been a rumored boycott on Sega products from PS3 owners ;) Just look at the game list the 360 has to offer now versus the PS3 by the end of this year. No contest.

I love my Wii60 combo to death, and It's the main reason the issues don't effect me, since MS will replace my console with the warranty with no problems I can just go play my Wii (or with my wife) in the meantime my 360 isn't here. People act like if their 360 is gone for a few weeks they have nothing to do.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']
However, the XBox 360 is the biggest turd hardware failure wise in the universe of video game consoles. That's not to say It isn't the best next gen console gaming wise, because it most certainly is. With another blow to Sony with Virtua Fighter going Live I'm amazed there hasn't been a rumored boycott on Sega products from PS3 owners ;) Just look at the game list the 360 has to offer now versus the PS3 by the end of this year. No contest.[/quote]But you gotta deal with the horrible 360 D-pad.

I love my Wii60 combo to death
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The combo blows ass, end of story. I rather be shot than to support it.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']

The combo blows ass, end of story. I rather be shot than to support it.[/QUOTE]

Your mom blows ass, end of story.
 
I will once you stop riding Phil's cock.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']Go back to licking Reggie's butt crack.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']But you gotta deal with the horrible 360 D-pad. .[/QUOTE]

Exclusively for the Xbox 360 - The Virtua Fighter 5 Limited Edition Arcade Stick! Put the smack down on your friends in style with this, officially licensed and endorsed limited edition arcade stick. BY HORI

Arcade Stick > D-Pad/Analog according to all the "fighters" Granted I find the analog fine.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']
The combo blows ass, end of story. I rather be shot than to support it.[/QUOTE]

You get the best first party games (Nintendo) and the best third party support (Microsoft) and of course the best online features from Microsoft. You can't go wrong with that.
 
[quote name='daroga']Wow, the 360 is becoming the PS2 of this generation. Why can't we just get systems that work and last?[/QUOTE]

Because consumers buy them anyway?

See the post in this thread where the 360 owner is excited to buy the "upgraded" 360, I assume in high hopes that the new version might actually work.
 
Considering everyone apparently forgot about the comparably riddiculous problems the PS2 had (and which were never rectified by any sort of extended warrantee or repairs AT ALL), I doubt this will hurt MS much in the long run.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Mana? Cut the fucking attitude. Instead of insulting someone who stated their opinion on something that doesn't matter one fucking bit in the real world and then adding a cute smiley with its tongue sticking out to make it seem like you're "just kidding", just don't say it. This kind of bullshit just makes posting here less enjoyable, period.[/QUOTE]

WTF, someone says his mom blows ass and you're whining about him and not the other guy? Where is the logic in that.

[quote name='Monsta Mack']With another blow to Sony with Virtua Fighter going Live I'm amazed there hasn't been a rumored boycott on Sega products from PS3 owners ;) Just look at the game list the 360 has to offer now versus the PS3 by the end of this year. No contest.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry but anyone who believed that VF5 couldn't be done online because of Sega's PR Bullshit is a dumbass. I would have bought VF5 and Virtua Tennis 3 had they put online in the PS3 version. They took the lazy route and made up a poor excuse, so they can go fuck themselves.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Exclusively for the Xbox 360 - The Virtua Fighter 5 Limited Edition Arcade Stick! Put the smack down on your friends in style with this, officially licensed and endorsed limited edition arcade stick. BY HORI

Arcade Stick > D-Pad/Analog according to all the "fighters" Granted I find the analog fine.[/QUOTE]Sorry, we already got an awesome HORI stick before you. :lol: Analog stick on a controller cannot pull off combos effectively.

[quote name='PyroGamer']Considering everyone apparently forgot about the comparably riddiculous problems the PS2 had (and which were never rectified by any sort of extended warrantee or repairs AT ALL), I doubt this will hurt MS much in the long run.[/QUOTE]PS2 did not have anywhere near the problems 360 had. PS2 only had like a 2% failure rate compared to over 30% which the 360 has. There are too many MS Viral Marketers here trying to say PS2 had problems when most PS2 problems were very minimal (clean the lens or be careful with the console so the lens doesn't become mis-aligned). There weren't long list with PS2 consoles dying because Sony made decent quality hardware. Sorry, it's just a fact the 360 is worse hardware and the PS2 at least lasted for a while.
[quote name='Monsta Mack']You get the best first party games (Nintendo) and the best third party support (Microsoft) and of course the best online features from Microsoft. You can't go wrong with that.[/QUOTE]Sony's first party games blow the crap out of Nintendo's first party games IMO. Sorry, Nintendo doesn't have the best first party games. As for third party games, I'd put Sony and MS even, since all MS has are stupid shooting games. Sony makes the best damn games period, and without a Sony console, you're missing out on the best games. Not a single platforming series on any platform can touch Ratchet & Clank. Forza doesn't hold a candle to GT. Sony has the variety of games that Nintendo and MS just can't do right. I have a 360 now and I'm freaking bored with it. I bought all the games I wanted. Next game I want is Blue Dragon, and that's over a month away. Plus, I rather play third party games on a quiet, more reliable console, and on a console with a better controller (SIXAXIS is better than the 360 pad for sure).
[quote name='The Crotch']Mana? Cut the fucking attitude. Instead of insulting someone who stated their opinion on something that doesn't matter one fucking bit in the real world and then adding a cute smiley with its tongue sticking out to make it seem like you're "just kidding", just don't say it. This kind of bullshit just makes posting here less enjoyable, period.[/QUOTE]
Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. :lol:
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']You get the best first party games (Nintendo) and the best third party support (Microsoft) and of course the best online features from Microsoft. You can't go wrong with that.[/quote]
/end of thread
 
[quote name='apokalipze2']Pffft, I would just ignore ManaKnight he's a fanboy.:roll:[/QUOTE]
To be fair in the PS2-GC-Xbox gen the best first party games were on the PS2 (I guess some were 2nd party but whatever). Nintendo had the franchises, but they just didn't really use them well.
 
[quote name='apokalipze2']Pffft, I would just ignore ManaKnight he's a fanboy.:roll:[/QUOTE]

It's hard to ignore someone that has provided entertainment with his sheer amount of ignorance. You could wave the winning lottery ticket in front of his face provided by Microsoft, and he would still ignore it unless it was sold by Sony. Him and Richbastard have provided me countless laughs on CAG. Richbastard with hillarious one liners, and Mana Knight with his endless drivel.
 
Any dickhead who tries to use "the way I remember it" or personal experience as solid evidence to back up his claims in a discussion like this should be banned. These forums would become a utopia. On that note...

I love how people are tweaking this Mana Knight guy's levels of aggression...once in a while he'll squeak out something to try to imply he is "honest" rather than "biased" ("I was a HUGE Xbox fan who absolutely loved the console"). But if too many people call him out for being the clueless putz that he is, he's flips his lid and suddenly brings out overblown, asinine nonsense like the 360's life expectancy is 360 days, and he'd rather be shot than buy a Wii/360 combo.

Other quotes of interest from The Mana Who Rides A Sony Cockhorse:
[quote name='The Mana Knight']I can tell my looking at your gamerscore you spend all day playing 360, never getting any sunshine.[/quote]
Ouch! A real zinger! That guy clearly has no life, but yours is full of activity.

[quote name='The Mana Knight']I played my PS2 for over 1500 days in a row[/quote]
Yeah, nothing more needs to be said there. But I will anyway!

For christsake, your name is "The Mana Knight" - you calling out someone for not going outside is pretty rich.

I have better things than to listen to a Nintendo nerd like you anyway
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...and yet you keep coming back to this thread, listening to both Nintendo and Microsoft "nerds." I'm going to have to call you out for lying about having better things to do. Admit it, you get a huge boner clicking on this thread, hoping someone else is talking to you again. What, did you break your 1500 day streak to start coming here instead?

I have not done it to MS products, but the next time my 360 dies (and MS makes me may), then I'm DONE with them
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Bullshit. If you had any belief in your statements and weren't just being stubborn in supporting your stupid intarnetz message boardz "allegiances," you would already be done with them. You love the 360 and you hate yourself for it, so you bash the console, which is hilarious. They're video game consoles, not cocaine.



Really - both cases (PS2 and 360 hardware failures) were inexcusable. Hell, my 2nd 360 is on the way back to MS right now, and I'm none too happy about it. I'll deal with it since the games are outstanding, but that doesn't mean I have to like it and I'd love to see MS get their ass handed to them financially over this (which may be coming true now, we'll see).

Sony and Microsoft are both full of scumbags (and the same goes with Nintendo, for completeness sake). Both don't care about the customer more than they do their income. The sooner you wake up of that deep, deep slumber you're in, the sooner you'll be able to stop sounding like such a fucking idiot.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']
Sony and Microsoft are both full of scumbags (and the same goes with Nintendo, for completeness sake). Both don't care about the customer more than they do their income. The sooner you wake up of that deep, deep slumber you're in, the sooner you'll be able to stop sounding like such a fucking idiot.[/QUOTE]Then why does Sony give me lots of free demos, free PlayStation hat, coupons, and other stuff? I've been a PlayStation Underground Member since 1996, Gamer Advisory Panel Member since 2003, and they've treated me very well, making me a happy gamer. ;) Has MS, Nintendo, Sega, Atari, or anyone else given me all this great stuff? Nope. Personally, I've just really enjoy my PlayStation stuff over the years and that's why I continue to support it. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy other consoles, because I really loved the Dreamcast (I wish it never died, one of my favorite consoles ever), enjoyed some stuff on the original Xbox, liked GBA, liked Gamecube, and many other platforms. Only platform to ever disappoint me (which I owned), was the Atari Jaguar (but then again, I owned three bad games for it and didn't buy anything else). Just like all of you, I really like games a lot (I like games just as much, if not more than people love their boyfriend/girlfriend) and I'm very attached to them (which is why I get defensive at times).

Enough of that, here's another story, which has to do with disc scratching.
We knew it was only a matter of time until someone brought a class action lawsuit against Microsoft and the Xbox 360, but we thought it would be related to failure rates and the red ring of death, not scratched discs. But, here it is before the ink is even dry right after being filed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The plaintiff and his lawyers are seeking more than five million dollars (insert Dr. Evil laugh here) to cover the damages and costs. C'mon, this is Microsoft, their soft-serve ice-cream budget for a holiday weekend probably exceeds five million smackers.

The lawsuit contends that the plaintiffs in the case "have been damaged in that their game discs were destroyed by the Xbox 360 during reasonable, foreseeable, normal, and intended use." They blame Microsoft because "The Xbox 360 was negligently designed and manufactured in that the Console's laser disc reading assembly contacts and scratches the video game discs during normal and intended operation and use." They cite at length the scratching study conducted by the Dutch TV program Kassa (are they getting a cut of this?) and the fact that the plaintiff couldn't play his Madden NFL '07 disc.

Either someone smells blood in the water, or the timing on this thing is just impeccable, we're not sure which one. One thing is for certain, this will probably get lost in the cacophony of E3 this week. Check out the pages in the gallery below, and chime in with your two cents.
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http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/10/scratchin-it-xbox-360-class-action-lawsuit-filed/

I remember going into EB, seeing many customers bring back 360 games due to them being scratched. This was in early 2006 though. I don't think mine had done it, but I never bothered looking at the disc.
 
I don't want to be a jerk but I think a certain member ^^ (Hint: look up) should be banned.Also, Mana Knight, Sony branded systems also scratch discs, not just M$ ones like you say...
 
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