If you are one of the 10.5 million Xbox 360 owners you know what the image above is and you may be feeling any number of things right now. Fear, dread, nausea, tears streaming down your face...
Its amazing that something that's supposed to bring so much joy into our lives turned out to be such a pain in the ass. If you're like me you own a 360 but not the unit you purchased. The 360 you bought was packed into a box, sent to a repair center, and you received a different 360 in its place. Many people ask us 360 owners why we stick with the console. In this blog entry, I'll tell you why I stick with my 360 despite its fickle hardware, I'll tell you about my experiences with the repair process, and explain how my attitude towards the Xbox 360 has changed during the 18 months I have owned it. Well, 18 months minus the 100 days its spent either not functioning, in transit, or at the repair center.
Before I get started, I should explain the title and apologize to those who clicked on this expecting a discussion of the game show hosted by Joe Rogan. Every 360 owner knows the fear they feel when they turn on their console. They wonder "Will I have to call the (committed to memory) repair center number and request a repair? I really don't want to wait 2-4 weeks to play my games." Each time we power up the 360, see the power button's four quadrants dance, flash, and see our screen light up with the image of a green X on a silver sphere we thank our deity of choice for giving us at least one more gaming session.
The biggest reason many 360 owners stick with the console is money. Some of us spent close to $500 on just the console. If you want a wireless connection, that's another $100. If you bought a Core/Arcade there's $100-180 for a HDD, $30 for the Quick Charge Kit, $10 for a battery, $50 for a spare controller, $50/Year for Xbox Live Gold...Then there's the games. Retail games range from $60-130 at launch, depending on the Limited Edition goodies. Plus many include DLC; which is non-transferable. In addition to that you have Arcade games at $5-20 a pop and even they have DLC! Add in money spent on themes and gamertags and you'll easily find yourself investing thousands into the console. Money that, depending on your game collection, you may be lucky to see half of again should you sell it. Not to say the thought hasn't crossed my mind. Sure, I could sell my 360 but considering that the new owner would have to either keep the Keavy Rain gamertag or pay $10 to change it in order to play my Arcade games, use my DLC, Gold status, and also considering most of my retail games are now budget titles I may be lucky to get enough to get a PS3 and a couple games. Plus, let's face it, not every 360 game (retail or arcade) is available on PS3 and I would miss playing Lost Odyssey, Geometry Wars, Dead Rising, etc. I don't care how much like Geometry Wars Everyday Shooter is, its not Geometry Wars.
So there you go. The exclusive games and the fact that I've easily invested $1,000 into the system are the two biggest reasons I stick with it. No matter how much like 360 PS3 becomes it'll never be the 360. Same with the veggie creations they give out samples for at the market. You can use all sorts of trickery to turn veggies into a burger but it'll never beat a beef burger.
So let's say that one day your 360 doesn't do its regular bootup or it suddenly quits during a game. You have the dreaded hardware failure. Its time to call "Max" who will ask you a bunch of questions, put you on hold, and transfer you to a call center in India. The person with the thick accent and Anglo name on the other end will have a box shipped to you, you package the console up, and drop it off at your local UPS store or FedEx Kinko's and in 2-4 weeks you receive a refurbished 360 and a free month of XBL Gold. Its about as fun as it sounds. Personally, I have gone through more repairs than I care to recall. The two most memorable were the first and last. The first was delayed by a week when the box was sent to a non-existent address with a horrible butchering of my name being the addressee. The last takes the cake for worst customer service experience and I say this as someone who has shopped at Best Buy and Wal-Mart. I was told by the girl at the call center to send in my power brick, the box MS sent had a space for the power brick, and had explicit instructions on how to package the power brick with the console. Imagine my shock when I got a console without a power brick sent back. After many calls I finally got a repair center manager who grumbled, whined, argued, and finally sent me a power brick; 46 days after I first sent in my console.
When I first got my Xbox 360, I was so freaking happy. I played the crap out of Hexic HD, Sneak King, and many retail and arcade demos I had downloaded. I soon added some actual games to my collection, rented a few gems and stinkers from GameFly, and enjoyed many hours of Final Fantasy XI with PC-quality graphics. The first hardware failure was a bit annoying but I still loved my console. The love continued for some time but the failure that happened two days before Mass Effect's release really ticked me off. Two freaking days before the game I'd been drooling over for so long released! Then there was the failure that happened with me standing in front of the console with Lost Odyssey in hand that really irked me. It was bad enough when my plans to spend my Thanksgiving weekend playing Mass Effect were squashed but this just plain pissed me off. The aggravation that came with the wait for a power brick is what took me to where I am today; in a state of buyer's remorse. Its a "If I could do it over, I would have scrimped, saved, and bought a PS3" sort of remorse, though only because the PS3 is way more reliable.
So here I am, a console owner living in fear. I fear the day my 360 displays "the ring." Each time I power it up I hope this isn't the time. However, I am stuck with the 360 for the time being. I've invested far too much money into it; most of which I won't get back should I grow tired of living in fear and sell it. I dread having to speak to "Max" and whoever he sends me to. I dread the wait for the box and the wait for the return. I dread having to go through a license switch to ensure all my DLC and games work with my new console. All in all, I'm not the happy console owner I should be. I should be telling my friends about all the fun I have playing my 360. I shouldn't get a nervous feeling every time I power it up and I shouldn't feel a sense of relief when the thing does what its supposed to do.
That sucks. Is Microsoft
That sucks. Is Microsoft doing anything about the RRoD problem or did they fixed it with the newer models?
I recall hearing the newer
I recall hearing the newer models don't have that problem, but I hear a lot of things so I might be totally crazy. They should have had it fixed by now on newer models if they haven't however.
Newer Models dont have the Red Rings of Death
Microsoft fixed the hardware problem for its newer batches
of 360s. If u got a 360 after last November then it is very unlikely that you will experience the RROD. I got my 360 at the end of last December, from best buy and no problems at all.
Yet...
...the newer models still suffer disk drive failures just as much as the older models.
The problem is fixed the
The problem is fixed the disk drive failures have been fixed, the thermal paste used to seat the heat sink and the memory and the GPU have been replaced. SO the new consoles work but the thing that pisses me off is that Microsoft keeps sending out the shitty versions over and over again instead of the fixed ones, I dont know why it just costs them more in the long run but they are doing what they want to so what ever.
That's exactly why I avoided the 360.
Yeah, the 360 can be really fun WHEN IT WORKS! Even if the PS3's starting price is higher than the 360's, it's definitely a better pick, because you don't have to buy a ton of extra shit for it, and it doesn't fail on you nearly as much. Its failure rate is what an average console's should be: Less than 1%. The PS3 may not have as good online play or online features overall, but it at least works. If I were you, Keavy, I'd sell it if you get the RROD one more time. Sure, you'll lose a lot of cash because of what you spent on it, but think of it this way: if you can't use it because it's not working for you, why do you keep it? If you keep it, you'll only spend more money on it. If you get the PS3, you'll at least be happy with what you have. I actually have neither of those consoles, though. I own a Wii myself (even if that got taken away due to my sister being a bitch), and when I use it, I have to say, I am quite satisfied with it.
Well, I hope you make a decision that makes you happy with what you have.
Unsound
How can you say someone will be happy with a PS3 over a 360? You own a Wii and know nothing of they're respective libraries.
You are just talking out of
You are just talking out of your mouth sideways. How in the hell can you tell some one they would be happy with the 360 or the ps3 when you don't even have one. Can you even seen the bull in what you said? And what ton of extra shit do you have to buy if you buy a 360? Another case of you not having a single clue about this issue.
OH THE HORROR!
i remember i was having a sleepover with my freind, and we were pullin an all nighter. we were pretty tired, but couldnt save just yet. we left it on, and got a few hours of sleep, when we awoke. the RRoD was staring us in the face. he screamed like a lil girl! i feel rly bad for him.
So it's like buying a new
So it's like buying a new car, the luxury edition with all the bells and whistles and driving it to work and back for a month before the check engine light comes on.
Ok, so you're taking the bus to work today cause the car is back at the dealers getting fixed, but it's ok, cause it's under warrenty.
Ok, we got the car back, we can drive to work again!! Woo hoo! OH WTF, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? The engine light is on AGAIN!
Back in the shop it goes and now I gotta call a cab to get to work. BUT IT'S OK, the car is under warrenty.
Too bad, this cabbie STINKS!
The car is BACK!! Hey, wait a second, this isn't the car I bought. I mean, it LOOKS like my car, but it's not the same one I bought. Oh well, it works and that's all that matters. Maybe the engine light won't come on with this one...
OR IT WILL... FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.........
WHY, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!!!
Something tells me I should have bought a Japanese car.
(If that was you, wouldn't you have demanded your money back and tell them to shove the car up their ass? So why do we make exeptions?)
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Best Comment.. EVAR!
Haha, that's amazing, and that's why I have a ps3. Well, that and the exclusives.
LOL that's why I have a
LOL that's why I have a mitsubishi lancer 07 and a PS3. :p
My wife has an '03 Dodge SX
My wife has an '03 Dodge SX and that thing has RROD on her twice.
I drive a friggin' '03 Kia Rio and have yet to have any issues with it.
... The Japanese arn't stupid. They know how to make cars and they know how to make consoles!
Now that Bill Gates has retired they might let the Japanese make the next Xbox!
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Our Youtube Channel;
http://www.youtube.com/user/FarmhouseMedia
Yeah they sure did make the
Yeah they sure did make the PS1 and PS2 just perfect at first.... Hey wait a minute no they didn't :P
Mass Effect!
That happenend to me too!!! I had just bought Mass Effect. I had THREE days off from work during Christmas vacation so school wasn't an issue, I popped it in and created my character, as I stared drooling, anticipating what was to come the game FROZE!!! The RROD had come to claim my happiness. The worst part, I had just gotten my 360 BACK A WEEK BEFORE. Not only that, when it broke the last time I was playing Bioshock for the first time. I feels like Microsoft punched my soul...twice. I will say that my customer service experience was very positive though. They were nice and the repairs were quick plus I waited on hold for less than half an hour total.
Why am I smoking a cigar? Because I refuse to breathe the world's air!
I'm suffering the red ring
I'm suffering the red ring right now, dude. It sucks.
wow. microsoft is fucking up
wow. microsoft is fucking up big time. it seems no one has been able to put out a console this generation without complaints, though some are worse than others, such as this case.
But they're fixing the 360s
But they're fixing the 360s unlike Sony with the PS2.
and sony with the PS1. Some
and sony with the PS1. Some people just cover their eyes to the facts. It seems the Anti Xbox people are those types.
Wow...
... Jesus man! You sound like a battered wife with 360 being your abusive, alcoholic, wife beating husband!
PS3: try it... you might like it.
*shakes his head*
I have been using Microsoft stuff since I was in the fourth grade (graduated high school 10 years ago), and ever since Windows95 I stay away from Microsoft's stuff as much as possible. The only thing Microsoft that I use now is XP Pro, and that is starting to lose my trust in it. That is why I never bought a Xbox or 360 at all. I know that Microsoft and new equals stress and frustration. I am sorry that you got hit with that type of stuff. I usually will wait a couple of years before buying the product. Just some friendly advice to anyone wanting to purchase anything new from them. Wait a couple of years, let the prices drop and let them find the bugs. Usually, most issues are fixed by then.
-He who controls the past, conquers the future. He who contols the future, conquered the past. -Kane, Command and Conquer.
http://www.furnation.com/wyldfox/
Not a Big Micro-fan
Yeah, I'm not a big microsoft fan myself. The last good thing they did was make the MSX2, and I think they only contributed in the making of that, Sony took the reigns, correct me if im wrong. But yeah, Sony's always been more reliable, so what if their launch titles sucked, that was like 2 years ago now. The ps1, and ps2 never let me down, and neither will my PS3, so I can say I made a smart purchase. I make videos with Sony Vegas, and record audio with Sony Sound Forge. They've never let me down, so I'm sticking with Sony.
Replace MS and Xbox with PS1
Replace MS and Xbox with PS1 and PS2 and you got it dead on. The PS1 and 2 are great systems for Games, but they had very serious issues when they came out. Why is it you sony guys never seem to mention that? Selective memory maybe?
Sony, Microsoft, and who knows, maybe Nintendo too.
I do have to agree, Sony had their issues too, but usually fixed them within a year, or told us the issues. I have yet (doesn't mean they didn't) seen any problems with any Nintendo system at all, but I do know this. Microsoft has a real bad habit of rushing their stuff when they put it on the market. It usually takes them like 2-3 years to fix, and if you look at the shelf life of a typical console, it is 5 years. I just recommend anyone who buys one of Microsoft's products to wait like 2-3 years before buying one. I wait at least a year on any new system purchase.
-He who controls the past, conquers the future. He who contols the future, conquered the past. -Kane, Command and Conquer.
http://www.furnation.com/wyldfox/
360
I recently got my 360 (pro) not two weeks ago, but instead of being afraid, im just wanting for the f[]n thing to happen. But yes my xbox is getting expensive as hell. Its already 450 bucks to date. I tried the PS3 while i sent away a borrowed 360. I didn't really got into it. All the great things that i heard about the ps3 in school, just weren't there for me. Even though Microsoft is messin up, the Ps3 isn't doing that hot either. $60?!? for PS3/360 games?!?...c'mon, money doesn't grow on trees...at least shave off $10, is that too much to ask Sony & Microsoft? f[]k..they won't LISTEN...make the price $50 for games a standard next time...
at least the RRoD repairs are free for now...
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lol Genesis does what Nintendon't, Blast Processing
Pretty much, yeah
That is the EXACT reason I own a PS3. There are also the exclusives that REALLY matter to me like MGS4, Kingdom Hearts 3, and FF13 and that I don't care for ANY exclusives the 360 has. FPSs? No thanks. So yeah, I bought a PS3 because I wanted a reliable console, not to mention it has and is getting some GREAT games. Uncharted is one hell of an amazing game, and is the first REAL game that I have probably played for awhile now. We get a lot of mediocre games, or just plain SHOOT A GUY games...so when I got Uncharted...it was just amazing. It was like one of those great games you'd find on the Dreamcast. Good stuff all around. So anyway, what are you going to do the next time your 360 breaks?
- Drew
Send it in for repairs free
Send it in for repairs free of charge if it even happens again. There is plenty more than first-person shooters in the 360 library if you give it a look. Certainly, the FPS genre is dominating, but there is plenty more. And the multi-platform games such as Orange Box reportedly run better on the 360. :)
I have a 360 too and that's
I have a 360 too and that's what I'm expected to do. I've sent it before and it isn't a big hassle. It'll be just like 2-4 weeks away. I've received my cuz's 360 back in a week and a half. Plus I didn't get the 360 to play FPS's. I'll play what I want to play.
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lol Genesis does what Nintendon't, Blast Processing
You Sony fanboys sure like
You Sony fanboys sure like to fudge up the facts don't you? First there is no confirmation of a KH3 at all. No one knows if it's coming nor what system it's coming for if at all.
If you think the only exclusives on the 360 are FPS's then you prove you have zero clue as to what is really out on the 360.
Drake is just a tomb raider rip off where... You shoot guys.
This is why I avoided it.
I too avoided buying a 360 because of the problems I heard. I decided most consoles nowadays have too many skus, problems, and gimmicks you got to keep buying to enjoy the full entertainment value.
I'm sticking to handhelds.
Xbox 360 - Failure rate always puts me off
So many times I've had some spare cash and wanted to buy an Xbox360, but the failure rate always puts me off the purchase last minute; and I can't afford a PS3.
So I'm stuck with my Wii, I bought it on Launch, Nintendo's good rep on high build quality and low failure rate in it's consoles were one of the factors why I bought it.
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CCowell125
I wouldnt worry about the
I wouldnt worry about the RROD issue now Microsoft has finally found the issue and has fixed it. The thermal paste on the CPU,GPU, and memory has been replaced so it wont over heat and fry anymore. Plus the Disk drives have been fixed for awhile now since the HDMI ports have been out. So if you want one just get one with HDMI and you should be perfectly fine but if you want to be for sure safe wait til Christmas time :)
Two comments I need to make.
First, I forgot to mention the disc scratching because its never happened to me but it is a problem. It could be related to the DVD drive issues but its something else that's cropped up.
Second is why I haven't traded my 360 for a PS3 and there's a really good reason. Even if I get a good deal for my 360 and can afford a PS3 I will miss many games and have to repurchase and replay others. Of my 15 retail games I'd have to repurchase six and have to never again play the other nine.
Oh, and the PS2...People who know me know how much trouble I had with that console. Seven dead units and only one died under warranty. Considering the PS2 was bad (Like the 360 is) and the PS3 is, aside from the 2.40 Firmware issues, a reliable and solid console has me hoping the next Xbox will be a solid and reliable console.
I'm sorry, SEVEN dead PS2's?
I'm sorry, SEVEN dead PS2's? What were ya doing, jamming penut butter sandwiches in the thing?
All my friends with PS2's are still on their FIRST PS2, some still have theirs from launch!
To say the PS2 is like the 360 in terms of failing is
just a BIT of an overstatement to say the LEAST!
But understand where you're coming from, you'll miss the games, hell, you'll miss the system itself.
It's like quitting smoking, you know you'll be better off in the end, but at the same time, you know how much you'll miss it.
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On the seven dead PS2's
After the first few I began to think that maybe if I stopped using it for everything they may last longer so I got a PS1 and a DVD player. Funny thing is the DVD player, in the last five years, has gotten a lot of use and is still going strong. Wish I could say the same for the PS2 I bought at the same time (Lasted six weeks and I only used it and every PS2 after for PS2 games.)
I take really good care of my stuff but I will admit my consoles do get a lot of use. The PS2 and 360 are the only two out of all the console brands I've owned that have given me problems.
I wish I knew what I was doing wrong with my PS2's and 360's to shorten their lives. I've never dropped them, I keep them clean, and I make sure they're well ventilated yet they keep dying.
Had a similar Issue went
Had a similar Issue went through 4 PS2 and said F#@$ it and went to an Xbox and have never looked back I dont even care about the RROD because atleast Microsoft is fixing it for FREEE unlike the sony bastards who just shut a blind eye to so many of their bad consoles. I also went through 3 PS1's so dont tell me Sony makes good stuff and Microsoft makes crap if anything the 360 was a mis step but they are atleast correcting it and paying for it.
Oh my! I know the feeling.
Oh my! I know the feeling. It kills a part of you inside.
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I just mash the buttons 'till it's all over!
Microsoft must have magical
Microsoft must have magical powers. No other products in any market could fail as much as MS's, and still make BILLIONS! I'm typing this on a Vista powered computer. I've thought of switching to a Mac or even Linux, but will I? For some reason that's out of my control(magic), NO! I will always support MS, it's frickin' voodoo!