The results from last week's vote are in. In case you were indisposed, the topic of said vote was whether or not you've had any problems with your 360. Everyone has read the widespread reports that the 360 is a bug riddled, heat generating fire hazard, and we thought 360 Fanboy should weigh in on the topic, too -- especially considering the recent reports of Dead Rising zombifying our favorite console. The overall result? The majority of our readers -- 62% -- have a working 360 with no problems whatsoever. Add the votes with minor problems and the total goes up to 74%.
The rest of the numbers is where things get tricky. Looking purely at the numbers, our sample of defective 360s is much higher than the single digit defect rates published by Microsoft -- 723 readers have had to replace a 360 at least once, totaling about 20% of our overall poll. Keep in mind that this is absolutely not a representative poll. It's a non-scientific poll that's relatively easy to skew. Still, even if these numbers are bogus, they have the power to create a negative perception. Whether or not Microsoft decides to recall any 360s -- as some of our readers have suggested -- one wonders if they should at least make some sort of statement to assuage the fears of their users.
The comments generated varied from sob stories to utter disbelief that so many 360s fail. Unfortunately, people with hardware problems are much more likely to comment on them than people without, which in turn raises the overall perception. One constant in the thread was that once problems start, it's a sign that your 360 may be on the downslope. Also, should you find yourself on the phone with Microsoft, make your opinion known, it may (or may not) get you a break on repairing your box -- this guy even managed to get three free wireless controls.
And finally, I'd just like to add that I have now clocked many hours in Dead Rising without a hitch. Our hearts go out to those of you with dead 360s, and we hope for a speedy repair.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-27-2006 @ 4:12PM
Brian said...
I am sure a lot of readers were early adopters and the 360 will get better over time but the warranty should be at least a year. Mine died and M$ were very good, phoning 3 times after it got back to check it was ok.
It's not a slur to say things f**k up, nobody's perfect and even though I hated to see the red ring of death I still love my 360.
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8-27-2006 @ 4:17PM
DeeWox said...
Here in Norway the warranty is 1 year!
:D
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8-27-2006 @ 5:40PM
Shamma Banks said...
Well you can add mine to the dead xbox 360 list.
The reason MS says the incidents are a lower % of users, is because they are counting the number of defective 360's against the total made to date, which they obviously have fixed the problem now. If they just added up the defective ones from the first batches the percentages would be much higher.
I was on the phone with them bitching for an hour and all they would do is give me 25% off of the repair price. I explained to them that I owned 14 xbox 360 games, bought 2 original xbox's(one was defective), 75 original xbox games and countless accessories, also am a LIVE member. I even own a small amount of stock in Microsoft(which I sold right after that phone call.)
I am getting a the new Nintendo when it comes out. Both my NES, SNES, and Gamecube still work.
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8-27-2006 @ 6:07PM
Maxwell said...
I'm sure alot of the votes were bullshit. That said, I've only had to replace my 360 once..And it's still my favorite console. I haven't had any problem since. If only I could say the same for my PS2. With Nintendo's near-indestructible hardware, Wii60 is my way to go this generation.
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8-27-2006 @ 8:37PM
DocEvil said...
I wonder how many negative votes were cast by Sony fans... Obviously there have been issues for many people but I have strong doubts on the strength of this poll...
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8-27-2006 @ 8:54PM
o said...
HI DOC EVIL. I THOROUGLY ENJOYED WEEKEND WEB TODAY.
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8-27-2006 @ 9:41PM
Dylan Neild said...
I just received my THIRD 360 console from MS Canada. In Canada, fortunately, they replace, not repair, all warranty service send-ins. First console was manufactured 10/05, died within a month. Second console, also 10/05, died after having it for 2 months. The new one, which just arrived on Wednesday of this past week, is manufactured in May/06. Hopefully third time is the charm.
I bought an extended warranty from MS, so I don't care if it -does- die... I'll just get another one anyways.... but at the end of the day, it can't be good for MS's bottom line in the XBox division if 20% of their customers are getting at least 2 consoles out of them for the price of one.
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8-27-2006 @ 9:56PM
nojok3 said...
my friend's 360 destroyed his fifa disc when one of his friends tipped the 360 over
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8-28-2006 @ 12:55AM
EdgeOne said...
When it comes to 360fanboys (and girls) those that saw the poll most likely voted good or bad; it may be more accurate than the disclaimer implies.
I missed the poll myself, but I had a 360 die in the first 3 weeks and MS was GREAT about sending me a new one (all shipping paid). I even got an extra HD out of it! (note: DO NOT send your HD in with the unit if you have to send it in).
I do feel like I playing on borrowed time however... just waiting for the red ring of death, but hey, just adds to the excitement!
Also looking forward to cutting my gas bill in half by using my 360 as a space heater this winter.
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8-29-2006 @ 12:36AM
Tom said...
"my friend's 360 destroyed his fifa disc when one of his friends tipped the 360 over" ~ nojok3
Your friend's friend? That technically could be referring to YOU. Stop tipping over your friend's Xbox 360! Problem solved.
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