Another One Bites The Dust

[Heller]

3rd xbox just bit the dust...went to go play it for the first time in ~4 weeks and it refuses to recognize any disks, even the brand new RSV:2 i just bought, but it did manage to eat it pretty good. (stuck some nice scratches into the middle of the game, gonna return the game tomorrow)

so for 3 failed xbox's 2 RROD, 1 bad DVD Drive.

First Bought the console in nov 06, then the first one died in june 07, then it died in November of 07.

I maybe played with this console 5 times before it broke and took a game with it :disgust:


No doubt that i :heart:my 360, but man its such a poorly manufactured POS.


Shitty thing is, I use it as my DVD player too

 

[Auryg]

Just had my 360 do the RROD yesterday. 10 dollars worth of parts and one hour later..it was fixed. I realize most people don't want to do that, but anyone on these forums surely should be able to

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Auryg
Just had my 360 do the RROD yesterday. 10 dollars worth of parts and one hour later..it was fixed. I realize most people don't want to do that, but anyone on these forums surely should be able to

Good luck with your warranty when it breaks for good.

Anyway, yeah, the whole situation is ridiculous. I cant imagine how many sales theyre going to lose on their next console launch, as people wait it out to make sure they dont spontaneously implode like the 360. When it works its awesome, but it really is the most unreliable POS console design in all of gaming history.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

My 360 is dated 8-24-06 I'm scared that it might die. I don't play it that often though. Waiting for GTA to come out.

 

[Heller]

Originally posted by: SoundTheSurrender
My 360 is dated 8-24-06 I'm scared that it might die. I don't play it that often though. Waiting for GTA to come out.

At least I'll hopefully have it back before GTA

 

[lupi]

In before the my Wii still works reply.


BTW, my Wii and PS3 still works fine.

 

[rat1ca]

My boys are on their 4th 360 since January. Number 1 was purchased in Aug of 2006 and lasted until Jan 1 2008 , the video died...had sound and everything just no video. It was sent for repair 2 weeks later, cost $95. Recieved #2 about 10 days after sending #1, it lasted 2 weeks and got RROD, now under warranty, sent right away, got #3 about 8 days later. It lasted about 2.5 weeks and the DVD tray failed...would not stay shut. Sent it back and 8 days later recieved #4. So far so good for that one, but it has only been 2 days. The return process has been great...fast and good...but 4 in 3 months is a bit much. If this one breaks I am asking for a PS3 instead.

 

[JorynnRace]

I'd like to know where all these people who get RRODs all the time are putting their 360s.

I mean, most RRODs are due to overheating right? So are you guys just putting them next to a heater? Right under a vent? over top of a bunch of other electronics (like a 1000W reciever)? Are the people with defective DVD drives setting up the xbox vertically?

I, thankfully, have my 360 in my basement, which is a constant 13-15 degrees celcius year round. And I have a launch 360 that gets moderate use. (IE. when a new game comes out I play a lot until it's done, then it pretty much sits until the next big game comes out..except recently with Rock band, Mass Effect, etc I am pretty much on it for a good 10 hours+ a week.)

I dunno, obviously not everyone can put their 360 somewhere that's relatively cool, but it just baffles me how people can get numerous RRODs from different 360s. Is MS just soldering things back together and shipping them back to people?

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Originally posted by: JorynnRace
I'd like to know where all these people who get RRODs all the time are putting their 360s.

I mean, most RRODs are due to overheating right? So are you guys just putting them next to a heater? Right under a vent? over top of a bunch of other electronics (like a 1000W reciever)? Are the people with defective DVD drives setting up the xbox vertically?

I, thankfully, have my 360 in my basement, which is a constant 13-15 degrees celcius year round. And I have a launch 360 that gets moderate use. (IE. when a new game comes out I play a lot until it's done, then it pretty much sits until the next big game comes out..except recently with Rock band, Mass Effect, etc I am pretty much on it for a good 10 hours+ a week.)

I dunno, obviously not everyone can put their 360 somewhere that's relatively cool, but it just baffles me how people can get numerous RRODs from different 360s. Is MS just soldering things back together and shipping them back to people?

Well yes. However, it still happens when the 360's are placed in cool places. It was first thought that people who got the RROD were retarded and doing something wrong, like putting blankets over it. However, at some point, people realized that thousands of people couldn't be getting the same problem with such regularity.

The design of the 360 just sucks. The insides get so hot even with good ventiliation some of the wires inside melt, causing the RROD.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: lupi
In before the my Wii still works reply.


BTW, my Wii and PS3 still works fine.

My Wii still works. Granted, it's only two weeks old. Also, yesterday Zelda quit right in the middle of one of the dungeons and I got the disc read error, but I just shut off the Wii and turned it back on and it's worked fine since. I'm still nervous though. Oh, and I've been seeing artifacts in Zelda - little colored pixels that look just the same as when you've overclocked your graphics card a little too high.

But yeah, I'm glad I didn't decide to get a 360 instead. Boy oh boy. MS is going to lose a LOT of sales unless they can actually fix the problem instead of just sending people replacement consoles. I will definitely not purchase an Xbox 360 or its successor until I learn that they have redesigned the 360 to not fail so much. You'd think they'd be able to do it - the original Xbox was reliable enough (not sure how it compares to other consoles but it definitely didn't fail at the rate that the 360 does).

 

[purbeast0]

360's dont rrod because they overheat.

they rrod because they cool down too fast and is causes warping of the mobo which in turn causes traces on the board to crack.

that said i'm sending out my 4th busted 360 today.

 

[shingletingle]

Originally posted by: JorynnRace
I'd like to know where all these people who get RRODs all the time are putting their 360s.

I mean, most RRODs are due to overheating right? So are you guys just putting them next to a heater? Right under a vent? over top of a bunch of other electronics (like a 1000W reciever)? Are the people with defective DVD drives setting up the xbox vertically?

I, thankfully, have my 360 in my basement, which is a constant 13-15 degrees celcius year round. And I have a launch 360 that gets moderate use. (IE. when a new game comes out I play a lot until it's done, then it pretty much sits until the next big game comes out..except recently with Rock band, Mass Effect, etc I am pretty much on it for a good 10 hours+ a week.)

I dunno, obviously not everyone can put their 360 somewhere that's relatively cool, but it just baffles me how people can get numerous RRODs from different 360s. Is MS just soldering things back together and shipping them back to people?

Amazing some people, like this guy here, still don't understand there is a legit problem with the 360. Even Microsoft has admitted it, hence their new, longer warranty.

For the record, I've had two 360s suffer from the RRoD. The DVD tray on my current one seems to be acting a little funny. When I push the button to close the tray, it takes several button presses for it to close. One time, it wouldn't close at all and I had to slighly nudge the tray to get it to shut. I know the tray button is making contact with the drive inside since it makes a sound like it wants to do something, but it just doesn't.

 

[VashHT]

Originally posted by: JorynnRace
I'd like to know where all these people who get RRODs all the time are putting their 360s.

I mean, most RRODs are due to overheating right? So are you guys just putting them next to a heater? Right under a vent? over top of a bunch of other electronics (like a 1000W reciever)? Are the people with defective DVD drives setting up the xbox vertically?

I, thankfully, have my 360 in my basement, which is a constant 13-15 degrees celcius year round. And I have a launch 360 that gets moderate use. (IE. when a new game comes out I play a lot until it's done, then it pretty much sits until the next big game comes out..except recently with Rock band, Mass Effect, etc I am pretty much on it for a good 10 hours+ a week.)

I dunno, obviously not everyone can put their 360 somewhere that's relatively cool, but it just baffles me how people can get numerous RRODs from different 360s. Is MS just soldering things back together and shipping them back to people?

Yes the RRoD is from caused by overheating, but its actual damage to hardware due to overheating. The common thing I hear is that the PCB board warps under the heat and breaks the solder joints on the BGA processer. I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard it a lot and MS's band-aid solutions seem to support the idea

IMO this is in no way can be blamed on consumers, Microsoft should have tested these under worse than normal conditions for reliability, I'm 99% sure their engineers told them this was a problem and they released it anyway. Electronics normally have high out of box failure rates but long life spans, basically if they work out of the box they last a long time, but since Microsoft was so worried about the 360's form factor they ended up with terrible terrible thermal design.

I've had one RRoD on my 360, I keep it out in the open on a hard surface (same with the power brick), but it just randomly died one day while watching a trailer I downloaded on it.

 

[JoPh]

how are the reports on the new 360s?

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

My old 360 still works great. I probably just jinxed it but I play it almost every day. I don't know when it was manufactured but it is the old school one ( not zephyr or Falcon).

I r lucky

 

[Dari]

People need to let MS know how they feel with their wallets. Don't buy that crap.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: Auryg
Just had my 360 do the RROD yesterday. 10 dollars worth of parts and one hour later..it was fixed. I realize most people don't want to do that, but anyone on these forums surely should be able to

Good luck with your warranty when it breaks for good.

Anyway, yeah, the whole situation is ridiculous. I cant imagine how many sales theyre going to lose on their next console launch, as people wait it out to make sure they dont spontaneously implode like the 360. When it works its awesome, but it really is the most unreliable POS electronics design in all of human history.

fixed

 

[Auryg]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: Auryg
Just had my 360 do the RROD yesterday. 10 dollars worth of parts and one hour later..it was fixed. I realize most people don't want to do that, but anyone on these forums surely should be able to

Good luck with your warranty when it breaks for good.

Eh, I'd rather not send it back 5 times over the course of my life. Mine was a launch Xbox, and so was a friends. We pretty much play the same amount, me maybe a little more..in the same room, even (we're roommates). His went first; about a month ago. Stuck to the thermal paste under both of his heatsinks were..well, i'm not sure what you'd call them, but it looks like pieces of foil they'd use to place thermal paste on the processors, but I'm assuming you're supposed to take it off, as that would defeat the purpose.

Mine had the same thing on one of my heatsinks. Surely couldn't have helped things. People seem to be forgetting far too fast how fast and how much the PS2s broke too, and Thomson DVD drives for the original xbox. PS2s broke due to a whole bunch of problems, and most people I knew bought more than one just to replace the one they had that broke.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Auryg
Eh, I'd rather not send it back 5 times over the course of my life. Mine was a launch Xbox, and so was a friends. We pretty much play the same amount, me maybe a little more..in the same room, even (we're roommates). His went first; about a month ago. Stuck to the thermal paste under both of his heatsinks were..well, i'm not sure what you'd call them, but it looks like pieces of foil they'd use to place thermal paste on the processors, but I'm assuming you're supposed to take it off, as that would defeat the purpose.

Mine had the same thing on one of my heatsinks. Surely couldn't have helped things. People seem to be forgetting far too fast how fast and how much the PS2s broke too, and Thomson DVD drives for the original xbox. PS2s broke due to a whole bunch of problems, and most people I knew bought more than one just to replace the one they had that broke.

My launch PS2 lasted until I sold it 6 years later, and I dont personally know anyone else in RL that had a ps2 die on them. Every single person I know in RL that has had a 360 has sent it back at least once. There's no comparison between the two, the 360's failure rate is absolutely absurd.

 

[Kabob]

Bought my 1st 360 1 month used in Nov of '06, lasted until the end of Dec '07. Had the extended warranty and instead of fixing it M$ send me a brand new unit mfr'd 12-29-07. Hoping this one will last a bit longer, no problems so far though (the old one liked to skip and had a much louder DVD drive).

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
360's dont rrod because they overheat.

they rrod because they cool down too fast and is causes warping of the mobo which in turn causes traces on the board to crack.

Which equates to the system getting too hot in the first place.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Dari
People need to let MS know how they feel with their wallets. Don't buy that crap.

Sure, except that the people who are experiencing this issue _already bought their 360s_. Telling people with defective product that they shouldn't have bought it isn't helpful - especially if they didn't know about the problem beforehand.

Besides, Microsoft fixed the issue to a large extent on the new 360s...

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: Auryg
Eh, I'd rather not send it back 5 times over the course of my life. Mine was a launch Xbox, and so was a friends. We pretty much play the same amount, me maybe a little more..in the same room, even (we're roommates). His went first; about a month ago. Stuck to the thermal paste under both of his heatsinks were..well, i'm not sure what you'd call them, but it looks like pieces of foil they'd use to place thermal paste on the processors, but I'm assuming you're supposed to take it off, as that would defeat the purpose.

Mine had the same thing on one of my heatsinks. Surely couldn't have helped things. People seem to be forgetting far too fast how fast and how much the PS2s broke too, and Thomson DVD drives for the original xbox. PS2s broke due to a whole bunch of problems, and most people I knew bought more than one just to replace the one they had that broke.

My launch PS2 lasted until I sold it 6 years later, and I dont personally know anyone else in RL that had a ps2 die on them. Every single person I know in RL that has had a 360 has sent it back at least once. There's no comparison between the two, the 360's failure rate is absolutely absurd.

I'm on the opposite end of the table. I have had 3 PS2s die on me in the past, I've known several people in RL who have also had PS2s die on them, I have never had my 360 die on me and it is an older model, and I do not know anyone in RL who has had their 360 die on them. I am not arguing that one system is more reliable than the other mind you. It's just clear that both have had some really serious issues especially when it comes to the older models.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Of all the consoles that I and my friends have owned, only one has ever caused problems, and it was a slim PS2. I bought it about two years ago, but about a year ago it stopped reading certain games. To this day it does not work with GT4. Sadly, that's the one game I most want to play on it. The rest work fine though.

I've also owned a GameCube (always rock solid), an Xbox (friend owns it now, still rock solid), and a Wii (almost new, hopefully still solid though it gave me a fleeting disc read error yesterday). A friend of mine has a fat PS2 (works fine), a GameCube (fine), and an older 360 that hasn't had any problems. He bought it used a year ago and it's still running great, no issues.

Are these reliability problems worse with newer 360s, or do they span the full range? I don't remember hearing about them more than a few months ago. Are early/launch units comparatively reliable?

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Are these reliability problems worse with newer 360s, or do they span the full range? I don't remember hearing about them more than a few months ago. Are early/launch units comparatively reliable?

Word on the street is that it mostly results in older models of the 360. Many of the newer models were purchased around Christmas or will be purchased very soon by people who are planning to use their tax refunds on one. So, that means the new models have only experienced a few months of regular use for most consumers at best. This is a good sign because most problems of this nature happen within the first few months of use. However, there is still some risk because there are some problems which can only be identified has a hardware defect after the product is being used regularly over longer periods of time such as 6-9 months. In my opinion, once a product has gotten past that 3 month barrier the odds of it being reliable are pretty good and the warranty is enough to let me sleep at night when it comes to the other possibilities.