Microsoft Answers on Xbox 360 Issues: Isolated Problems Options

[XanTium]

Microsoft Answers on Xbox 360 Issues: Isolated Problems -- Posted by XanTium on November 24 02:19 EST
Well, it seems that our article about crashing Xbox 360 consoles posted yesterday made some noise...

A Microsoft spokesperson said only a "very, very small fraction" of the units had problems, but she declined to say how many reports the company had received (according to CNN/Reuters).
This is what next-gen.biz got from Microsoft:
"The vast majority of Xbox 360 owners are having an outstanding experience with their new systems,"
"We've received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected. The call rate is well below what you'd expect for a consumer electronics product of this complexity. As a percentage of the total number of Xbox 360 systems already in the field, these calls represent a very small fraction. That being said, there is no systemic issue with Xbox 360. Each incident is unique and these customer inquires are being handled on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, customer satisfaction is our highest priority. Anybody having an issue with their Xbox 360 console should call 1-800-4 MY XBOX immediately so that we can help, or visit www.xbox.com/support."

While the problem certainly doesn't look massive, new reports are still coming in on this thread (and more accross our Xbox 360 section or on other forums like teamxbox.com). It's of course not possible for us to verify all these reports, but some people certainly have real problems with their 360.
While not representative (for the simple reason that people who have problems are more likely to vote/post/shout than people who don't have problems), the poll on the teamxbox forums suggests ~15% of the Xbox 360 owners have problems (on +400 total votes). The real % is probably lower, but it's hard to say how many exactly atm.

Let us know if you have problems with your Xbox 360 and how Microsoft is planning to repair your broken console.

[Inuyasha152]

MS seems to be handling the issue, I myself have a faulty Xbox360, for every Xbox360 game I play it freezes no matter what I do. I called MS on the 22nd and they said I could get it repaired but it would take 8 business days so I decided just to get it replaced by my local EBGames. I will be getting a replacement on Saturday.

This post has been edited by Inuyasha152: Nov 24 2005, 08:27 AM

[shodanjr_gr]

Its good to have an official response (although we cant know how honest it is).

Still, the only company i truly trust as fas as support goes, is MS. Ive always had positive experiences with them.

And we know we probably wont have to file a law suit to get our consoles fixed if any problems arise (hear that SONY?)

[kseries]

i wonder when they will say exactly what the problem is.

This post has been edited by kseries: Nov 24 2005, 10:10 AM

[shodanjr_gr]

Im pretty sure Xantium was aware of you post. But this is more like the "official" x-scene news discussion thread.

[kseries]

ok then my bad but it still says the same thing.

[BasicAir]

MS further commenting on this issue solidifies the fact that there's both:

A) Not nearly enough people voting "it works fine"

and

B) Way too many "liars" just trying to make MS look bad.

I hope with this second news post and further confirmation that every news site, even Xbox-Scene, will just drop this topic altogether. There's going to be a lot of "Xbox fanboys" claiming they have a PS3 that is defective now, and the more news of this 'crap' is posted, the more those fanboys are going to make the PS3 look bad.

Personally I'm a MS fan, but not a 'fanboy.' It's all but too clear that MS isn't going to be commenting on this topic anymore (as they've given enough evidence/reason not to) so let's just stop commenting on it, too.

This post has been edited by BasicAir: Nov 24 2005, 02:02 PM

[JaGWiREE]

I'de like a clear definition from MS what is faulty. Out of the small percentage of people who actually have problems, I think some may be user related. The fans are quite loud which tells you heat was a concern by MS I think. My room has a very low ambient temperature, but I can see people having heat problems in very hot rooms. Some people I think are using the word defective because they can't get something to work. If your stuff is freezing tohugh, and you've isolated heat as a problem as well as scratched discs, I'de say you have a defective box.

Btw, I don't see voting as a valid way to figure out the problems. I would only trust something by MS. For example, everytime somone gets an RMA on there box or whatever, MS will add 1 person to there poll or graph or whatever.

[russob]

<p><strong>MS Answers on Xbox 360 Issues: Isolated Problems</strong>
-- Posted by XanTium on November 24 02:19 EST

Well, it seems that our article about crashing Xbox 360 consoles posted yesterday made some noise...

A MS spokesperson said only a "very, very small fraction" of the units had problems, but she declined to say how many reports the company had received (according to CNN/Reuters).
This is what next-gen.biz got from MS:
"The vast majority of Xbox 360 owners are having an outstanding experience with their new systems,"
"We've received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected.  The call rate is well below what you'd expect for a consumer electronics product of this complexity.  As a percentage of the total number of Xbox 360 systems already in the field, these calls represent a very small fraction. That being said, there is no systemic issue with Xbox 360.  Each incident is unique and these customer inquires are being handled on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, customer satisfaction is our highest priority.  Anybody having an issue with their Xbox 360 console should call 1-800-4 MY XBOX immediately so that we can help, or visit www.xbox.com/support."

While the problem certainly doesn't look massive, new reports are still coming in on this thread (and more accross our Xbox 360 section or on other forums like teamxbox.com). It's of course not possible for us to verify all these reports, but some people certainly have real problems with their 360.
While not representative (for the simple reason that people who have problems are more likely to vote/post/shout than people who don't have problems), the poll on the teamxbox forums suggests ~15% of the Xbox 360 owners have problems (on +400 total votes). The real % is probably lower, but it's hard to say how many exactly atm.

Let us know if you have problems with your Xbox 360 and how MS is planning to repair your broken console.
</p>

[Joergen]

I think the teamxbox poll is actually conclusive in that 4-7% of failures at the retail level is the industry standard AND factor in the few malicious liars trying to make MS look bad, 15% is low, very low on such an unreliable poll.

[ebphondaprelude]

hey whats up all
my buddy was playin quake 4 last nite
got to one spot where u ride a tank and bam froze up
i restarted it and he played through and same spot froze again

xbox is w/o HD and was verticle and on the ground on the carpet.

i moved the xbox on top of the OEM 360 box (still on the floor), turned it horizontal and fired her up again, that time i got past the part that it froze, and its been running fine since,

im just keepin my fingers crossed cuz i kno them walmart slaves where just throwin them boxes droppin them ect ect,

well hope this helps at least one person as it worked for me so far

EDIT.....

BTW i also moved the power supply at a 45degree angle up against the wall for better air circulation, as where befor it was sitting on the carpet.

This post has been edited by ebphondaprelude: Nov 24 2005, 06:23 PM

[garlm]

That is exactly how mine is setup, though I decided to do it before I noticed any problems. Better safe than sorry. It sounds like some of these overheating issues do indeed cause permanent damage. These cases are more likely the ones with fans that aren't functioning properly though.

Keeping the power supply suspended, I've noticed it is quite a bit cooler than when i had it on the carpet (with nothing blocked). Keep the side with the light pointing ^up^, as a ton of heat is expelled through that port.

[jellykryptonite]

Most carpets are are made from a mixture of 25 to 75% nylon or similar material. These fabrics are well know for storing heat, so even when your power supply or Xbox isn't production alot of heat, the carpet is acting like a insulator. This keeps your system toasty warm, or worse. That's why the user guides usually recommend not placing your system on the carpet.

[athirne]

Well from what I have seen the failer rate is just under 5% tops (having talked to regional sales people from Gamestop and Toys R' Us). This isnt bad to the estimated 5% to 10% defective rate for the PSP in Japan. However its hard to tell how many of those are actualy consles that dont work. Current policy is just to take the consles back and bump them to the top of the next wave of consles they get.
Ironicly I have already had a freind that has had "two problems". First he acidently hit the HDTV/TV switch to HDTV and that blacked out his screen so he didnt understand what happend. The other thing was as mundain as the power plug on the back of the consle not pushed in all of the way until it snaped into place.
The 360 is a vary different consle and is much more complex the the original box. Just because someone claims that their unit is broken its probebly user error.

the biggest problem I have seen so far causing a few returns is the selectable AV cable. If you plug the 3 extra HD cables to the back of an EDTV and switch it to TV the unit will wait for signals from the three extra cables and the 360 will apear dead. if you switch it to HDTV it will then export a 720P signal to the EDTV and it will display nothing because the image size is invalid.
So if you arent getting a video signal just try playing around with the ports on your TV and the switch on the AV cords. Already "fixed" two people's consles because of this.

[thax]

MS further commenting on this issue solidifies the fact that there's both:

A) Not nearly enough people voting "it works fine"

and

Way too many "liars" just trying to make MS look bad.

The main flaw with the poll is that naturally people with a broken x360s are more inclined to vote than those with working consoles.

First they are likely searching the web for assistance in the problem, this poll is likely to be found.
Second, the owners are more willing to go through the registration process than someone with a working box.

The poll is worthless unless you can get a good sample, and in this case the sample is extremely skewed.