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February 14, 2008 at 8:37 pm #2221492
Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Lockedby jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
I just got done dropping my MONTH OLD 360 off at the UPS drop off store to send back to MicroSoft. As soon as I walked in with the white shipping box MS sends you to return the defective product, the guy behind the counter said “oh, another xbox”.
It all started with the RROD [i]”Red Ring of Death” [/i]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems
The store I purchased it from, GameStop, politely informed me that this $450 system I had purchased from them 3 weeks early was NOT something they stood behind. [i](Never would have got it through them if I had known they didn’t stand behind purchases)[/i]
My only recourse, call MS. The lady that was clearly not in the US walked through it all with me, and it became evident my only option was to have them send a pre-paid box for me to return the defective product to them for repair. Five days later, I got my box.
They had also told me SPECIFICALLY not to write XBOX on the outside of the box. Hmmm, think they were getting stolen during shipping? Naaaaaa. Turns out after talking to Mr. UPS, EVERYONE knows what that box is already because there is such a flood of them.
I have been told I will get my system back in 2 to 3 weeks. Wonder if they do anything to try to make up for the considerable lost “goodwill”?
Wish I would have gotten the SPS3. I had given my boys the choice and they wanted the 360. I should have known better.
Has anyone else gone through this?
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February 14, 2008 at 8:46 pm #2664379
Not Personally JD
by hal 9000 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Mainly because I was about to buy a 360 when I was told that 1 in 3 don’t work new out of the Box.
Seems that M$ not only sells second rate Software full of bugs but also Hardware as well. One day when the 360 is no longer UG I’ll pull one apart to see what’s inside the thing in the way of Circuitry. They have to have something really Cheap & Nasty in there and I’m interested to see the Poor Design.
Col
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February 14, 2008 at 10:30 pm #2664352
I would give it another 2-3 years before
by the scummy one · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Not Personally JD
they will be less than $50 on ebay.
Just from my personal observations, they aint worth sh!t in the first place.
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February 14, 2008 at 10:25 pm #2664354
I warned ya’ll
by the scummy one · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I got one for Christmas last year. Although the problems I have had are different. My little bro got 1 and has had to send it in 3x for repairs.
But, dont expect it in 2-3 weeks. The last 2x my bro sent his in it took 6+ weeks before being returned.
The problem with mine is in the middle of playing (at random) it will freeze, or stop and tell me that the disk inserted is an XBOX 360 game and to insert the proper disk into the drive.
WTF, the friggin 360 tells me the disk is a 360 game, but it decides it is not a 360 anymore so it cannot continue with it???Nah, this POS is never being returned to MS to make more money. I already dealt with their support on this issue for more than a week and a half. MS can kiss my A$$ if they think I will send this POS to them and pay them for it. When it dies, I got a nice hammer waiting for it.
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February 15, 2008 at 6:10 am #2664894
I waited patiently
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I warned ya’ll
figuring by NOW they would have a decent working system instead of the crap that it turns out they are pushing out the door.
I am so pissed about the whole thing.
Sounds like they need to revamp the things and put a big fan in the side of it to keep the little piggie from burning up. Most of what I have read said the failures are triggered by heat. Sure, using the wrong sodder and sh1t parts doesn’t help PREVENT heat problems…..
I also read that MS is trying to say if you buy one of the aftermarket coolers, they suck off so much juice that THEY will kill the system. Need a cooler that has it’s own power source. [b]Sounds like a job for Morty![/b] Time for him to make another hacking/tweeking blog, this time, “saving your xbox”. 😀
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February 15, 2008 at 6:58 am #2664867
yup
by the scummy one · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I waited patiently
before I even plugged it in, I got a 3 fan set with its own power supply.
I also plugged the POS into a UPS. Maybe that is the reason that I havent had the red ring prob.. However, the freezing up is too annoying to bother with often, and telling me to put in a 360 disk is more than annoying. So the POS just sits there most of the time.
I think after the first few months that I have had it, I probably only have about 20 hours (or less) on it. It gets an average play time of 3-4 hours every other month.Personally, I am now avoiding everything made by MS. Wont go near Halo, or MS mice/keyboards, or anything else that has their stamp on it.
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February 15, 2008 at 7:36 am #2664836
With twin teen boys
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to yup
On a weekend with a friend or two sleeping over, that thing can be one more hours in the day than it is off.
Especially because we like to play the FPS games, so you have to take turns. After a few [i]hours[/i] it is someone elses turn.
A lot of time, but then again, it is better than watching TV, which I almost never do.
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February 22, 2008 at 8:39 am #2657030
“this POS”…
by timbo zimbabwe · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I warned ya’ll
… is how I referred to my PlayStation, or NoPlayStation. Nothing but probs with it, sent it back, told them to keep the damn thing.
My 360 has purred like a kitten from day 1. No problems, but I did take heed at the potential for overheating and set it up accordingly. Keep the PS3… I’ll take my 360.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:56 am #2656983
PS3 is built better and has a fail rate of less than 5%
by phimuskapsi · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to “this POS”…
Whereas the 360 has a reported failure rate of 30-35% which is just unacceptable.
However, I have a 360 and I had to send mine back as well. It wasn’t because of overheating the drive no longer opened, I take care of it too. Just one day it wouldn’t load games anymore.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:04 pm #2974457
they are back to two weeks
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I warned ya’ll
And there are many ways to solve the problem at home too, as I noted in my post to JD above.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:16 pm #2974443
Below, actually
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to they are back to two weeks
And your solution, while the better fix, would void the warranty.
Definitely something to look at when the warranty runs out, though.
Would you believe I was told by MS that a fan unit would not be necessary to prevent another burnup? Of course you do…. ;\
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February 15, 2008 at 7:28 am #2664842
As a popular Geek webcomic said,,,,
by kjell_andorsen · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I’ll wait for the XBOX 361 for workgroups….
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February 15, 2008 at 7:40 am #2664833
I really should have known better
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to As a popular Geek webcomic said,,,,
I knew about the original problems with the power supply, but hadn’t heard anything about the RROD. I can’t believe I didn’t google it BEFORE wasting so much money on an MS product.
Maybe I will be more sypathetic to people looking for product keys, just because MS has pissed me off so much.
But hey, it is early. Maybe they will turn this around and make things right? Doubt it.
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February 15, 2008 at 7:42 am #2664829
I’m on my 4th XBOX 360
by smorty71 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I purchased a unit just after launch in December of 2005. I’ve had it replaced 3 times already.
With each subsequent repair, the turnaround time has gotten longer.
The first repair used overnight shipping to get me the empty shipping box and to get it to and from the repair facility. Turnaround time was about a week (would have been shorter, but it was sent in just before Christmas, so the repair facility was closed to 2 days).
The last repair I had took about 5 days to get the box and about 27 days to get the repaired XBOX back.
You can read more about my XBOX 360 repair ordeal here:
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February 15, 2008 at 8:15 am #2664806
Ugh
by jellimonsta · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I’m on my 4th XBOX 360
I am glad I no longer play games. Only play online Dora and Curious George with my 5 year old daughter. 😀
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February 15, 2008 at 1:16 pm #2664640
NOW you say something…… :(
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I’m on my 4th XBOX 360
I WOULD have just gotten a PS3 instead if I would have only known…..
I am thinking I will be leaving the system on for a week straight when it finally comes back. If it is going to burn up, let it be right away while it is fresh in my head.
Question, are you running a cooling unit on yours now?
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February 15, 2008 at 1:42 pm #2664622
I installed custom cooling fans early on
by smorty71 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to NOW you say something…… :(
I have multiple fans in my entertainment rack that pull heat out. Didn’t seem to make a difference.
The rep on the phone told me it was a design flaw in the original design. She claimed that they had figured out how to fix it now.
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February 16, 2008 at 12:24 pm #2556598
I remembered the entertainment rack system
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I installed custom cooling fans early on
but was wondering if you ran anything directly on the 360 or not.
I even read where MS claimed that some of the fans would leach too much juice and burn the system out. can’t win for losing.
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February 16, 2008 at 4:26 pm #2556544
While not on a X Box
by hal 9000 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I remembered the entertainment rack system
Several years ago I did mount some extra fans onto a Audio Amp that was used professionally and was constantly overheating and clipping.
I got a good laugh out of the next time that the Service Guy came out and claimed that the fans where overloading the Transformer causing the problem. Apparently he thought that the fans where 12 Volt when they where 240 Volt [i]Mains here[/i] I just let him rave on attempting to get out of repairing the unit and then asked how the Mains could be overloaded?
The moral of the story is that they will try anything to get out of fixing/repairing a faulty design. On that one they not only replaced the unit UG but as a Factory Modification they incorporated my Fan Idea on all the existing units. The new ones also had the same thing fitted so that they would keep working. Of course the Power Transistors kept burning out and stopping the unit but they needed replacing with the correct rated components not the cheap rubbish that they where fitting.
Maybe I should have kept the stupid thing and charged them for the cooling solution to their main problem. 😀
Col
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February 16, 2008 at 5:36 pm #2556524
Sounds like the local Saturn dealer
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to While not on a X Box
I picked up a Saturn just before Christmas (gets about 35 mpg). The problem with it? The locks they use suck ass. About 1/3rd of the time, you could not remove the key from the ignition. :-X One day, I was so pissed, I gave it a good yank, and now the key will come out in any position.
When I had talked to the dealer about this, their first question was “how many keys do you have on your keyring”? Yeah, having more than three keys on my ring will ruin the ignition? I have never had this issue with ANY Chevy or Chrysler product.
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February 22, 2008 at 6:39 am #2557171
Too much weight on keys
by phake · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Sounds like the local Saturn dealer
It is certainly possible for too much weight on the keys to mess up all of the mandated key and engine electrical security features…
My wife will often have her cell phone and mini-wallet attached to her keyring and she occasionally gets a brief engine cutoff in her Chrysler minivan.
I never get that problem with my keys (vacation driving) although I “only” have about a dozen keys….
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February 28, 2008 at 7:05 am #2454619
Saturn and Chevy
by daemonslayer · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Sounds like the local Saturn dealer
FYI: Saturn, like Chevy (and, i know this is probably a duh, GMC) is a GM brand name.
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April 11, 2008 at 1:56 pm #2659227
Two 360″s and Belkin doesn’t like either. The PSP either!
by robondell · about 15 years, 11 months ago
In reply to I’m on my 4th XBOX 360
Can anyone here point me in the right direction so’s I can get my two new newly repaired 360’s and a new unrepaired PSP on line by way of a Belkin Pre N 8230-4 wireless router?
Belkin folks don’t seem to know either!
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December 11, 2008 at 12:05 pm #2974455
Seeing as you are very technical
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I’m on my 4th XBOX 360
try this: http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=254517&messageID=2659212
I’ve had a few friends sove the problem now, and as of now it is still fixed.
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February 15, 2008 at 8:20 am #2664801
It is all to do with heat
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
They fit poor cooling systems in the 360. If they fail the chips fry.
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February 15, 2008 at 1:21 pm #2664637
Should not have been an issue
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to It is all to do with heat
less than a month old, and it has been running in the equivalence of a “refrigerated room” for the last few weeks. Between 41 and 55F average.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:11 pm #2974447
But it is
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Should not have been an issue
Its a major, very common issue. They use a strip of tinfoil as a heat sink, just doesn’t cut it.
They were supposedly putting new heat sinks in new machines this fall, not sure what’s happened with that though.
But there are fixes for these more than common issues, as I noted below.
http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=102&threadID=254517&messageID=2659212
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February 22, 2008 at 2:17 am #2557277
Easy fix if out of warranty
by andy.nelson1 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to It is all to do with heat
Yep ? seen loads having this problem here in the UK. Don?t know if there?s a spec difference here but they tend to go into what seems to be a ?safe mode? before actually getting destroyed. I?ve sorted 4 for friends who have bought them ?dead? off ebay for ?20-30 a piece. Then you just grab some good silver based heatsink compound, a larger piece of aluminium, strip, replace and add an extra bit of heatsink material and hey presto!!
Anyone wanting to do this, check out the simple instructions here:-
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February 22, 2008 at 12:06 pm #2656910
Other options
by sublimedragon · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Easy fix if out of warranty
Check around on Google also for xbox mod sites… some sell packages with custom heat sinks and cooling systems… I’ve even seen a liquid cooling system!!
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February 22, 2008 at 7:45 pm #2656789
only for an out of warranty system though
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Other options
if you pop it open to put on a different heat sink, bye-bye warranty.
You did hear they extended the warranty covering the RROD out to three years, right?
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December 11, 2008 at 12:09 pm #2974449
Too true
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to It is all to do with heat
A tinfoil heatsink that doesn’t keep it cool enough.
Thermal paste and X clips should be replaced with Arctic and bolts.
You can also get an external P/S with fan, liquid cooling systems and other goodies but using proper paste on the CPU and bolting it in seems to be effective.
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February 16, 2008 at 7:31 pm #2556511
“Standing behind” the product
by seanferd · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I believe all issues must be handled through MS. I don’t the that the retailer has a choice in this, either.
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February 17, 2008 at 8:54 am #2558076
Up to 7 days for Gamestop
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to “Standing behind” the product
they will just give you a new one if you get a defective product.
It used to be 30 days, but there has been such a flood of these defective 360’s they had to go to 7 days instead.
I am surprised they will even carry it anymore.
I wish I would have bought it at Target. they have their 30 days, satisfaction. I would have returned it and got the PS3 in a second.
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February 22, 2008 at 1:40 am #2557289
Fast Repsonse
by d.neal · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Sent my 360 back after the RROD, shipped it in my own packaging so I didn’t have to wait for MS to send me a box and 8 days later I got the same one back working better than before and with one months free xbox live. OK so the problems shouldn’t be there to start with but at least I got quick service.
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February 22, 2008 at 1:47 am #2557288
Working better than before?
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Fast Repsonse
How exactly?
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February 22, 2008 at 3:50 am #2557244
How
by d.neal · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Working better than before?
I used to get a lot of can’t read the disk errors, especially mid game when cut scenes etc were loading. Since it came back this doesn’t happen anymore.
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February 22, 2008 at 6:19 am #2557184
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February 22, 2008 at 9:00 am #2657020
I don’t know if that is really something to brag about?
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to How
Your saying you had OTHER defects with the system beyond the RROD, and they fixed the system to how it should have been in the first place. How nice of them?
I thought you were going to say it PERFORMED better during game play than when it was new. THAT would be an improvement, not just what is expected.
Cool that you got it back quickly.
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February 22, 2008 at 1:55 am #2557286
Got the new Premium with HDMI as a replacement
by guillaume.finance · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I went just 7 days before my 1st year warranty to Game (UK store) and luckily they replaced it with a brand new Xbox 360 Premium with the HDMI – hurray !
The guy told me however that the problem of breaking down is probably still the same with this one… 🙁
Such a shame that there are so many problems as it’s a nice gaming console…
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February 22, 2008 at 1:57 am #2557284
Problems with newer 360s
by techrepublic · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Has anyone had a problem with the newer versions, i.e the ones with the HDMI port (the Halo version or the Elite)
My understanding is that these models have an improved cooling system, and are less prone to failure. -
February 22, 2008 at 2:54 am #2557263
We have been well and truly mugged! Twice
by hughclinton · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I have owned an xbox for nearly 2 years, but have hardly ever maanged to use it. Whenever I do, something else breaks or goes wrong. The RRR appeared when I was returning my intermittently locking up xbox to the store.
When I got the new one home the wireless adapter stopped working. I returned my working Xbox steering wheel which seemed to have been quietly recalled, and when I got it back (very quickly I must say) It didn’t work at all.I have never had so much trouble with a single device – and I have worked on more computer systems than most people have had hot dinners! What a mug I must be – it’s been a truly awful thing to own. The PS3 is sooooo much better – quiet cool, more powerful, blue ray drive, and …… IT WORKS.
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February 22, 2008 at 3:11 am #2557258
Perhaps M$ need a kick up the backside
by graham wilson · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to We have been well and truly mugged! Twice
Because as far as I can tell, the PS3 cannot yet comepete with the Xbox on its primary function; a games playing unit.
Okay the PS3 may be the more reliable, cooler, quieter hardware but its missing the most important thing a games console needs and thats games to play on it.
At the moment I am ashamed to admit that if my 360 broke I would put the purchase of a new one on my credit card while the broken one was off to M$ for repair.
This is because I dont yet have a realistic alternative console available to me.
I cannot under any circumstances justify buying a PS3 yet because there simply isnt enough available on it.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:03 am #2657018
I disagree Graham
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Perhaps M$ need a kick up the backside
The single most important thing about any product is that it is a quality unit that will work well.
It doesn’t matter HOW many cool games there are, if you can’t play them because of defective hardware.
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February 25, 2008 at 3:22 am #2657157
chicken and the egg scenario but you are incorrect because………
by graham wilson · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I disagree Graham
If there are no quality games to play on your choice of games console (and you bought it for actually playing games on) then ones chances of having fun playing games are not much more than 0%.
However, if there are many quality games to play on a console and more on the way that at least arrive at some point rather than just reamining in the pipeline/pipedream for ever then ones chances of having fun playing games are much higher. Admittedly thuis can all come to a crushing end one evening mid play but even so.
Dont get me wrong and tar me as some M$ lover and Sony hater. I have no alliegencies to any one hardware or software maker because thats rather silly. They make products I like or dislike just like anyone else that sells goods or services. I want competition in the marketplace because it benefits me, the consumer in the end. I do not wish failure any any one console maker, I want them all to survive, compete and force each other to innvoate more and keep trying to provide the better products and services.
Its annoying me that right now its a one horse race. I want Sony to get off thier backsides, release some worthy games and make M$ sit up, take notice and improve!
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February 25, 2008 at 7:14 pm #2658069
It was very different early on
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to chicken and the egg scenario but you are incorrect because………
when it was the ps2 vs xbox, sony was sitting in the drivers seat.
Between the xbox live game play and more action games for the teen and mid 20’s people, (the main audience), sony fell behind. they have some cool games, but their focus was always the sports games. that was the main reason for going with a 360. MORE games to my liking. ps3 would have still kept me amused.
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February 28, 2008 at 1:09 am #2454737
Definately True
by graham wilson · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to It was very different early on
PS2 was definately streets ahead of Xbox when the Xbox was first released because Xbox had no games and was expensive. M$ though saw where games were going to go (online) and made their console online ready at release with the needed hard drive so as not to limit the online possibilities for patches, extra maps, modes etc.
As time moved on games started appearing for it though and although there was alot of pc game conversions the console eventually became worth buying.
I took the plunge myself and slowly but surely my PS2 was getting left behind. Sony never delivered the the much needed hard drive which pretty much made the console completely obsolete as it eventually became near useless for online gaming. Fortunately, Sony’s gaming arm survived on fanboyism and people who still hadnt made the jump to online games. During this time Sony wasted time and money on crap like the PS2.5 and PSP instead of fixing their primary product.
This current situation could now go the other way if Sony would stop doing their usual trick of promising but not delivering and going off getting involved in other projects once the money has been made on the one that still isnt as good as it should be.
I hope they do sort it out because PS3 could be something good. I have also heard they have dropped the ball somewhat once again with the online implementation. Shame that. Should have just shamelessly copied the M$ online implementation like Nokia have for their next N gage. hehe.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:40 pm #2656442
I agree 100%
by jgraun · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Perhaps M$ need a kick up the backside
The 360 is by far the console out there, just look at the sales vs. PS3. MS is crushing Sony. They may have won the Blu-Ray Battle but they lost the Console War.
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February 22, 2008 at 3:25 am #2557253
didnt have many issues…
by stangg · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
… apart from the odd freezing. Though after a while i did find it became a very effective room heater in those cold winter nights. That was over a year ago now though and i sold it in the first quarter last year as well, looks like i sold it just in time from what i read.
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February 22, 2008 at 3:41 am #2557248
Never had a plm
by sdkfljg · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to didnt have many issues…
I’ve never had a problem with mine (yet I suppose). I usually only play with my xbox 2x a week, but for up to 8 hours straight on a good night of CoD4. I did have issues playing Fable, but I just chalked it up to playing a regular xbox game. I may have jinxed myself, but I still love my 360 and if it requires hacking the box to keep it running, so be it.
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February 22, 2008 at 3:42 am #2557247
Xbox Whoes will continue…..
by yponson · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I’ve had the same problem, after about one year of the purchase. I got my X-box replaced by Microsoft. And now? Well, my hard disk crashed and now I have to get a new one. I hope nothing else breaks down.
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February 22, 2008 at 4:13 am #2557240
PS3 is just as bad
by rcampos79 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I bought a PS3, after a month it stopped reading discs–ANY disc, dvd bluray u name it. I got the box, returned and got a shiny new one in two weeks. I hope it doesn’t break after the one year warranty…
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February 22, 2008 at 4:19 am #2557236
Never had a problem with my PS3
by iainb · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to PS3 is just as bad
I’ve never had a problem with my PS3, but my mate had a hoorible time with his 360, to the extent that after playing Heavenly Sword one night at my place he exchanged his 360 console and games and bought a PS3! All I remember about his 360 was that it was SO noisy!
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February 22, 2008 at 6:20 am #2557183
Fate was watching
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Never had a problem with my PS3
wonder if they have become tempted?
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February 22, 2008 at 4:50 am #2557226
rings…
by src-brian · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I just recently got the RRoD, and am waiting on my prepaid box to be sent to me. I bought my 360 used and it was manufactured back in 05 according to when i had it registered with MS. I’m not a hardcore gamer, so waiting 3 weeks or however long it takes is not a big deal to me. My particular error code was a general hardware error, and wont cost anything to get fixed. I’d like to get a PS3….but they are too expensive, and all of the games for PS3 are also for 360…so I’m not gonna run out on pay for an overly priced PS3 when I have a 360.
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February 22, 2008 at 5:03 am #2557222
Good luck – first of many returns (going on 4 360s)
by mongo_xbl · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I am currently on my third 360 (first one RROD, second one RROD). Now the third one has lost the ability to communicate wirelessly with anything. Spent an hour on the phone with XBox support telling me to hit some bizarre combination of buttons on the controller. I had to laugh and ask the person – “do you understand what you just requested? Hard to do when the wireless controllers don’t work!”
Meanwhile, the Wii has been flawless and I keep thinking about picking up a PS3.
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February 22, 2008 at 5:06 am #2557220
and one more note…
by mongo_xbl · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Good luck – first of many returns (going on 4 360s)
btw – I am not a hardcore gamer and hardly use the system. The system is very well ventilated and I have a cooling fan attached to it.
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February 22, 2008 at 5:09 am #2557218
retailers
by symon.l · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Most retailers wont cover any console’s like this that is what the warrenty is for, MS Xbox have always dealt with these fault I used to work on the Tech Desk for Xbox but it those days it was a case of calling up explaining what the fault was and we would arrange a courier to pick up the Xbox and swap it there and then like for like. I had 2 normal Xbox’s go wrong and 2 360’s go wrong, I dont know why these consoles are so doomed but never go to the shop you got the console from especially MS’s consoles go onto http://www.xbox.com call the toll free number this will save you alot of hastle in the long run.
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February 22, 2008 at 5:27 am #2557212
XBOX 360
by quasar kid · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Both of my sons saved up their money and bought their own XBOX…from Gamestop…never had any problems with the XBOX or Gamestop. Now if you want to talk about the last American made car I bought I can give you some horror stories…
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February 22, 2008 at 7:25 am #2657095
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February 22, 2008 at 9:14 am #2657013
GameStop is a love/hate relationship right now
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to XBOX 360
When I went in with my boys to get our 360, the display showed you get the two games included with the system. I tell the clerk that was helping me that was the system we wanted.
He went in the back room, carried it up to the counter and put it directly in a bag and said it would be waiting for us when we were done shopping. (needed to get extra controllers and a few games).
We pay and leave.
Putting the system together, and there were no games with the system. When I called them, they said they must have run out of systems that have the free game, but there wasn’t anything he could/would do about it.
I talked to the manager from a different location, and she was dumbfounded when I told her what had happened. She took the game out of her stores inventory and hooked me up. I promptly went on-line to do the survey on the register slip. I gave her a shining review.
I trashed the GameStop in the Midland Mall, here in Michigan, and informed them not only will I never go to that store again, I will make sure that everyone I ever talk to will know about how they do business and will do my best to steer everyone away from them.
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February 22, 2008 at 5:41 am #2557205
RE: 360
by loonit · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Yeah man, my first x-box I had for about a month and it crapped out so I just brought it back to Wal-mart for a new one. The second one lasted about 3 months. The return policy on electronic items is like 30 or 90 days at wally world or something so I had to return my second x-box to Microsoft in their coveted little white box. I went through the same shhhtuffff that you described in your story, UPS, 2 to 6 weeks. It was more like 2 to 6 months, however now that I have gone through all that and have gotten my console back it works great. I have heard several different reason why this is happened to these machines but the reason that makes the most sense is soldering. I was told that there is a small soldered connection that breaks loose inside the machine when it runs for a very long time. The machine gets so hot inside that the solder softens. Thats enough babbling from me, anyway, the refurbished system works great, and xbox live is fun with friends, and Call of Duty 4 rocks man. Good luck
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February 22, 2008 at 10:08 am #2656979
Do you realize what you are suggesting?
by hal 9000 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to RE: 360
Electronics Solder Melts at 310o C it starts to soften at 250o C so if the unit is producing so much heat to heat up the internal components to temps like that the actual Electronics must be frying long before the solder can begin to [i]soften.[/i]
While the idea sounds great it’s just more of the same old story poor quality components making a poor quality product. But they save a very small fraction of a cent per unit when they make them so it’s OK.
Not to mention the costs involved in running something like this it must cost about as much as a small room heater if it’s getting that hot so I would be expecting Horrendous Power Bills after playing one of these. But as it’s mostly kids who use these I suppose it’s the Idiot Parents who get lumbered with the bill. 😀
Col
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February 22, 2008 at 11:01 am #2656948
Col, One thing I read did talk about incorrect solder being used
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Do you realize what you are suggesting?
Gets hot, gets brittle, then snaps.
Hey, I read it on the internet, so it MUST be true, right? B-)
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February 22, 2008 at 1:44 pm #2656863
Even brittle solder shouldnt just snap. It’s not as if the 360 vibrates lol
by dave · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Col, One thing I read did talk about incorrect solder being used
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February 22, 2008 at 7:43 pm #2656790
There are a lot of shoulds and shouldn’t’s in the world
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Even brittle solder shouldnt just snap. It’s not as if the 360 vibrates lol
and this fits right in.
B-)
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February 23, 2008 at 5:54 am #2656380
JD Electronics Solder has a High Silver Content
by hal 9000 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Col, One thing I read did talk about incorrect solder being used
So it melts at a lower Temp that other Solder. Typically somewhere around 310o C give or take 5o C.
If the unit is getting hot enough to make any Solder go soft the Component must be at least 15o C hotter than where the Leg enters the Solder. These Components are rated to 40-50o C maybe and quite often a lot less so they should [b]Self Destruct[/b] long before they get hot enough to have any effect on the solder.
But even if they are only getting a tenth as hot as was claimed above they are one Power Hungry Resistor and I would personally hate to be paying for the Electricity that these things are using as they are wasting a lot of it as heat. That in itself is a [b]Sure Fire Sign[/b] of a [b]Very Poor Design.[/b]
OH now that is on the Internet it must be so true mustn’t it? 😀
[b]The M$ X Box 360 chews more power that a small room heater and sends the users and their Parents Bankrupt.[/b] Hey after all it is M$ we are talking about here. :^0
OH BTW my electronic Soldering Irons do not exceed 312o C and I’ve yet to run into any problems with not being able to melt solder. Of course the cheap Soldering Irons without Temp Control are a different story and I’ve seen someone who shall remain Nameless attempt to use one of the Electronic Weller’s to solder up something with Plumbers Solder. Besides turning the Iron Black it wouldn’t even come close to melting that solder even when it had bits cut off it in an attempt to stop the heat leaching up the Solder Stick. Still I had to replace the tip just in case of Contamination.
It was a lot of Fun teaching that one not to mess with my Tools. :^0
Col
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March 10, 2008 at 6:51 pm #2554749
OI
by loonit · about 16 years ago
In reply to Do you realize what you are suggesting?
Settle down there Captain Flux. I said that is what I was told. I could understand your mild outrage if I had said this was a solid conclusion after hours of experiment in a controlled environment. Awe who gives a $4!t anyway. cheers!
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February 22, 2008 at 6:08 am #2557189
Even bigger mistake…..
by rbtechguy · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I made the bigger mistake of letting my 17 year old son purchase one from ebay. 20/20 hindsight always bites you in the aft end.
After two weeks of use, it quit. Well, no returns from ebay seller, no Microsoft support. I did some research and found the list of problems that plague the system, and actually implemented some of the fixes….erasers, heat gun, etc… The tricks seemed to work, and the 360 has been running for two months, no problems. It’s a shame that customers have to resort to extreme measures to get the problem resolved.-
February 22, 2008 at 6:51 am #2557156
Just luck I guess
by noads · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Even bigger mistake…..
Owned an xbox, in all the useless packing material came several notices about correct placement and heat issues. being the paranoid SOB that I am, purchased additional cooling before using. Never had a problem.
Upgraded to the elite last summer, and although noisy with the intercoolers, again, never had a problem. My son, however didn’t have the same experience with his PS3. After numerous replacements for disk read errors and lockups, He now stays parked on my elite.
Lucky me.
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February 22, 2008 at 6:56 am #2557153
Not Yet!
by theoracle1001 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I’ve had my box for several years now and I have yet to have any problems with it. (Knock on wood.) My wife had hers less time than I did and she had to send hers in. She didn’t have to wait long because they sent her a replacement. So be sure to copy or get your stuff off it before you send it in!
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February 22, 2008 at 9:17 am #2657011
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February 22, 2008 at 6:57 am #2657115
Mine has been good
by sigman · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Bought a 360 late fall of ’06. We had the disk scratching problem just after Christmas ’06, sent it back, got another unit in two weeks, this one has worked well since – even the wireless adapter.
Not trying to rain on anybody’s rant here, but ours gets 2-8 hours of use per day and its been great.
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February 22, 2008 at 7:14 am #2657101
Fate has been reading TR
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Mine has been good
let’s hope they are not tempted.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:18 am #2657008
They aren’t all bad
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Mine has been good
it is ONLY about 1 in 3 ( 33%) of all systems that are bad.
You hopefully can stay part of the 66%.
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February 22, 2008 at 7:16 am #2657099
One returned
by dpeter · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I have to admit to did get the rings of death while playing Gears Of War. I did the towel trick and was able to get the Xbox working just long enough for me to beat the game. I returned the Xbox to Microsoft with no questions asked. The first thing I did though was go buy one of those cooling fans for the back of the Xbox and have not had a problem since. I guess its been about a year now.
I am just glad I did not buy the HD DVD add on!!!!!!!!!!!!
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February 22, 2008 at 7:42 am #2657073
Happy with mine…
by techniquephreak · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I bought one the night the came out, one of the early ones with video card issues. Sure, it died within two months, but Microsoft sent me a replacement via next day delivery. I haven’t had a problem with the replacement, and it has been running hard on a daily basis for almost two years now.
Your boys know what they’re talking about. A good rule when it comes to consoles and video games? Defer to the wisdom of your children. It’s about the gameplay, stupid! Xbox Live is the ultimate reason to have an Xbox 360. PS3 and Wii have nothing comparable. No contest.
And yeah, I’m a Halo fanboy, so Xbox is where it’s at for me. Disagree and I’ll pwn your ass. 😉
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February 22, 2008 at 8:27 am #2657040
I ended up happily with a Wii
by franmill · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Same here, XBox was defuncto from the word go..
Gave up after two returns and new problems, accepted fate and relegated it to the old computer box closet…
Bought a Wii and could not have been happier, it fits all of us from the 7 ear old to the 60 year old adoptive parents…
fmillmd-
February 22, 2008 at 9:22 am #2657003
Wii was never a contender for us
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I ended up happily with a Wii
we don’t do “cutesy” games, and that is the Nintendo nitch.
First person shooters all the way, which is why we went with the xbox.
Sony always spent more time on sports games, which is not our cup of tea.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:21 am #2657005
This may be an unpopular statement, but….
by daveaaa3 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
If the XBox and PS whatever’s are causing this much trouble, it’s time to start thinking about using a PC for your gaming.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:25 am #2657000
console vs pc
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to This may be an unpopular statement, but….
the pc games win out every time over ANY console, no questions asked.
The problem is, we are comparing a $400 system to a $2000 system to play games.
I also have twins, and two people can play on a console, two people can not play on the same PC. (actually, need a third for me….)
I do have several game systems, but they are not high end systems.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:18 pm #2974442
?
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to console vs pc
“I also have twins, and two people can play on a console, two people can not play on the same PC. (actually, need a third for me….)”
I play multiplayer games on my PC all the time with friends, USB joysticks X number of friends = multiplayer gaming, NHL09 etc. run flawlessly.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:25 pm #2974439
The REAL advantage PC games have over consoles
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to ?
is the more options available by using the keyboard/mouse instead of a crappy controller.
For a shootem’up, give me a mouse over a joystick any day.
And the games we play are not FOR multiplayer on same system.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:34 pm #2974433
Thats true…
by jamesrl · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to The REAL advantage PC games have over consoles
My son has had three friends over to play Mario Kart on the Wii, and the four of them can all play with one TV and one console.
To play the same way on a PC would mean they all bring a computer, network cable, and I supply a hub. And one of the computers would have to act as server.
On the other hand, I play with up to 63 other people on Battlefield, on maps that can be 10 or more square miles, but only on the PC.
James
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February 22, 2008 at 9:28 am #2656996
MS recieved the box 02/21/08
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Following the tracking, and MS now has my 360. Wow, did they go cheap on the shipping, because it took them a week to get it.
Of course, they never sent me a confirmation that they got it, but that is probably standard for them.
Will post more as I get more information on this. I WILL be having a marathon session with this system when I get it back. Have my boys have some friends spend the night, and have the thing go for 48 hours straight. Might even connect it to the projector from work and run it through the surround sound. that would be cooooooool. B-)
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February 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm #2656898
Our is Delivered
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to MS recieved the box 02/21/08
Hey,
Ours was delivered today, we sent it out on Tuesday the 19th. We have never received any notice from them about them getting it on any of our exchanges.
One of ours was lost on its return trip and they did not even let us know. After a very long time and not receiving it we called them to ask status and they said they were waiting for us to call about it because it was lost on the return trip.
Keep an eye on service.xbox.com for status, if you registered your original 360.
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February 22, 2008 at 7:42 pm #2656791
I followed the UPS tracking code
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Our is Delivered
to see when they got it.
I plan to keep a close eye on this pig.
Not to mention, everyday the boys are asking when the xbox will be back…… 😀
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February 23, 2008 at 6:09 am #2656373
JD maybe it’s a M$ conspiracy
by hal 9000 · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to I followed the UPS tracking code
To get you to buy more XBoxes. You know just like M$ and Windows Vista, because I do business work I’ve been told by M$ Marketing to sell a new computer with a Vista License [i] Something like Vista Basic because it’s not going to be used[/i] and then install another License of XP onto the system and charge for both. One computer with 2 M$ Licenses for it. Sure sounds good for M$ at least.
Actually I’m not actually sure that the guy was kidding either. 🙁
AS for the X Box 360 maybe it’s M$ idea to get customers to buy several so that they always have a working one while the others are in for repair. 😀
Col
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February 22, 2008 at 9:36 am #2656993
Working On Number 5
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Hey,
We have had our launch day 360 replaced multiple times. Right now ours is “Out for delivery” in Texas, this will make number 5. This one did not even make it two months. This time for not being able to read any disc inserted. Only had the RRoD once in all of these problems.
The thing I hate is that to get all of your downloaded items to work again you have to do stupid human tricks for MS because your content is associated with the 360 it was originally Dl’d on. Which means more time on the phone and less time playing.
Last time they did include a free 30 days of Live, no big deal as we already are paid up for a year.
We know five people with a 360 and each and every one of them has had it replaced at least one time with our five times at the top of the number count.
Not a contest we want to win.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:52 am #2656984
repaired or replaced?
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Working On Number 5
I know some people have been reporting some of both.
I have my serial number, so am curious if I get mine back or just a referb.
You would think they would have a stack of them referb’ed and ready to go, to reduce the turn-around time on these.
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February 22, 2008 at 9:59 am #2656981
Replaced In Our Case
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to repaired or replaced?
Hey,
We have never got the same one back, I expect this time to be no different.
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February 22, 2008 at 1:35 pm #2656870
But were the ones you got back ‘Refurb’s?
by dave · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Replaced In Our Case
I would expect MS to do something with most of the ones that come back, they just want to get you a replacement sooner than they can fix yours. So they send you one that someone else returned two months ago which they think they have fixed.
Nothing wrong with that except of course where there is a fundamental design flaw and they don’t have enough of the redesigned units yet.
From what I hear, if you get one back with a second heat sink and a heat pipe cooling the processor, that is a ‘fixed’ unit or interim production unit, and may be reliable. Early repairs which did not include the extra heat sink were still problematic. You can only be truly confident in the new manufacture (lower power, cooler chips) units, and even those may have other problems than heat to contend with.
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February 22, 2008 at 7:00 pm #2656801
On my 3’rd and it took 3 tries to get a box in the mail
by richardroles · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to But were the ones you got back ‘Refurb’s?
It took 3 attempts to even get my plain white box from them. 1 month later the thing shows up so that I can return the blasted thing!, In all it took 2 days shy of 2 months to even get it back from them. I am not impressed with their so called “Customer Service” either No compensation what so ever except for a month of free xbox live! WTF that does not cover it. Microsoft can bite my shiny metal A$$ ! ps After I had my xbox back a week later another empty white box show up at the door! I am keeping this one in case I need to return it again! And yes it all has to do with heat! I have mine up on stand so that air can flow freely even underneath. Just don’t block any air holes proping it up!
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February 22, 2008 at 7:40 pm #2656792
I had to laugh about their box
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to On my 3’rd and it took 3 tries to get a box in the mail
as soon as I walked into the UPS store, they guy behind the counter says “oh, an xbox, huh”?
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February 22, 2008 at 10:21 am #2656968
Secondary problem related to replaced 360s
by osirisb · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
There is another headache that occurs when a 360 dies and is replaced. Apparently the licensing or DRM for downloaded content is matched to both your gamertag AND the console. This means that if your console is replaced you have to be connected to XBLive to access this content, presumably to verify your gamertag’s rights to it.
I found this out the hard way when I recently took my newly replaced 360 on a weekend getaway and found that all of my arcade games had reverted back to trial versions, I couldn’t access new Halo3 maps (THAT I PAID FOR!!), and I couldn’t watch most videos. Downloading the content again doesn’t help.
This may not be a problem for most people, but I take my xbox on trips and to LAN parties where this is a big issue.
A mistake buying the 360? Probably.
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February 22, 2008 at 11:58 am #2656915
Even Worse Sometimes
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Secondary problem related to replaced 360s
Hey,
What is even worse sometimes is that the content is not available even when online. Our Crackdown content does not show that we have ever DL’d it and even when it would let you re-download some content with charging you again it would not work for any account but the main account.
We called MS and they had us create another gamer tag and then several weeks later they called us back and gave us codes to input for the amount of money we had paid for everything. The problem is that now we have this gamer tag that we don’t use and can’t be deleted because the stuff is also associated with it.
There has to be a better way. Seems like they could go into our account and associate the new/replacement 360s serial number.
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February 22, 2008 at 10:43 am #2656956
The Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player
by stumanca · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I don’t think anyone’s mentioned anything about the HD-DVD player for the 360, yet. That brings all kinds of ire to me. The demise of HD-DVD standard to Blu-Ray really upsets me. What am I to do with all those HD movies when the player dies??? Use them for target practice down at the range??
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February 22, 2008 at 11:05 am #2656942
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February 22, 2008 at 11:27 am #2656932
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February 22, 2008 at 11:42 am #2656923
At least
by jamesrl · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to The Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player
At least the HD DVD player can play standard DVDs too.
I remember in the 80s the RCA laserdisc, a 12 inch platter that was out when DVDs were a dream. When they were done, they were useless for anything new. What you had was all you would ever get.
James
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February 22, 2008 at 12:46 pm #2656893
Thats what I did with the beta tapes
by faradhi · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to The Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player
Oh well, the movies were all bad anyways.
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February 22, 2008 at 12:02 pm #2656912
It’s not that bad… really!!
by sublimedragon · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
After seeing some of the posts on here, I have to wonder… how long are you running the machine for at any given time… in the manual for the system it says not to run the machine for longer than 6 consecutive hours without a cool down period. I faithfully adhered to that rule for a total of 11 months and then one day the kids were off from school and they ran it for something like 12 hours with no break. The next day (MY day off) I went to turn it on and lo and behold… the dreaded Ring o’ Death.
My only problem was how long it took to get the system back (6 weeks, and only a 1-month live card for my troubles)
When I got my system back (a totally new system) I found that certain games I had would not play (Gears of War and Tiger Woods 07) other than that the system was fine and I just traded my two games that didn’t work for Assasin’s Creed.
Before I even played it once, I went out and got myself a 3rd party cooling device which is basically a series of 3 computer chassis fans that clips onto the back of the xbox, I gotta say it REALLY DOES WORK! But even with the cooler I still never run it longer than 5-6 hours without a cool down…
XBOX 360 for me has been a great experience, especially for the games it has to offer.
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February 22, 2008 at 12:24 pm #2656903
Manual??
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to It’s not that bad… really!!
Hey,
They come with a manual? 🙂
Ours is on all the time especially on the weekend, with watching movies, streaming music or videos and video chatting with an out of state daughter. Our first 360 which lasted longer than any of the others, over a year was on all the time as well.
I would think that 6 hours would be a suggestion only. No one at MS has every questioned us about the amount of time the system is running.
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February 22, 2008 at 1:11 pm #2656881
granted…
by sublimedragon · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Manual??
I admit I’ve also ran my xbox longer than 6 hours while streaming, downloading, using Media Centre etc etc, but none of those activities really ‘pushes’ your xbox hardware at all. Try playing a game like Bioshock or GoW for any length of time and you will certainly see the temperature rise considerably…
it seems to me that there are varying reports from all over the world about the xbox… some people have problems right out of the box.. others like yourself don’t seem to be having any issues. Obviously there are some serious quality control problems at the MS camp. (gee, who would’ve thunk it.. MS with poor quality control?? lol)
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February 22, 2008 at 1:57 pm #2656857
Issues
by blackdiamond · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to granted…
Hey,
Oh we have had issues. We are currently waiting for our fourth replacement.
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February 22, 2008 at 7:37 pm #2656794
Some people never have a problem
by jdclyde · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to granted…
I had mine within the first few weeks of owning the box.
limit to six hours, huh? yeah, that is going to happen, not. about the only time it isn’t on is when we are at work/school, or asleep, between my two boys and myself. Easily 10 hour stretch, taking turns playing the one player games.
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February 25, 2008 at 6:00 am #2657746
Fans – back of the xbox
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to It’s not that bad… really!!
Will do not good. The cold air needs to pass over the components and then out the back, not blown in from the back only to be passed back out & in & out…. – this will make things worse!
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February 22, 2008 at 9:30 pm #2656443
No problems here
by jgraun · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I got mine about a month after the launch and I havent had any problems. I do have a lot of ventilation where mine sits. PS3 isnt much better a friend of mine has one and he is on his 3rd one, hopefully 3rd time is the charm.
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February 22, 2008 at 11:21 pm #2656429
Yep, 2 of ’em, 1 PS3, 1 Wii…
by mellis · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I bought my son an XBOX 360 at launch as a Christmas present. Bought one for myself about 6 months later. Got my son a Wii the following Christmas. This past Christmas, got my son the PS3. My Xbox, which was the newer one, failed with RROD after about 6 months. My son’s failed with RROD about two years after purchase. Microsoft promptly extended the warranty (twice) and replaced both xboxes (total turn-around about 2-3 weeks).
Microsoft obviously has a hardware design flaw related to heat. However, they were quick to repair/replace them and I feel like they have supported me well. Much better than some other companies I have dealt with.
Having 2 xbox360’s, 1 wii and 1 PS3 in a single household has allowed us to evaluate the positive/negatives of each system.
The XBox360 has the most and best games (IMO). The online experience (gamer score’s, marketplace, etc.) is much better with XBox. The wii is fun, but is not comparable in graphics or power. The PS3 is probably the most powerful machine but its potential, at least in the games we have, has not been fulfilled. The games seem more washed out and the graphics are not as “next” gen as the Xbox360–at least IMO.
So, even though both of our XBox360’s have failed with RROD, it is still the favorite of both my son and myself. A great gaming experience, the extension of the warranty to 3 years, and breadth of games on XBox360 causes me to make some allowance for its failures.
PS3 made a powerful system that is apparently harder to develop games for than the XBox360–maybe they got the hardware thermal design right, but it just isn’t as much fun–at least not yet.
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February 25, 2008 at 5:56 am #2657749
Questions…
by the listed ‘g man’ · about 16 years, 1 month ago
In reply to Yep, 2 of ’em, 1 PS3, 1 Wii…
Define the meaning of ‘best games’?
Define the meaning of ‘Next Gen’ in terms of graphics?
Thanks in Advance.
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March 27, 2008 at 11:55 am #2560499
Got the system back
by jdclyde · about 16 years ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
well, technically, they kept it for a month and then sent me back a different system.
If they were going to swap it out, why would/should it take them three weeks?
They must have been having a lot of problems with UPS because they switched over to Fedex now.
Will wait and see how long THIS system lasts.
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March 27, 2008 at 2:09 pm #2562142
30 to 40% failure rate
by dr dij · about 16 years ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
is what an article I saw said.
due to poor design, overheating.-
December 10, 2008 at 9:07 am #2973564
The BAD thing is
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to 30 to 40% failure rate
they have known about this major design flaw for a long time.
They were SUPPOSE to have had it resolved, but here I am, with another dead 360, just in time for Christmas….. X-(
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December 10, 2008 at 9:04 am #2973566
Death of the Xbox, round two
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Ok, here it is, 10 months later, and my Xbox360 has died AGAIN. Same problem, the RRD (Red Ring of Death)
At least it lasted longer than the first box, which was only a month. X-(
Anyone else still having problems with their 360?
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December 10, 2008 at 10:56 am #2973523
Thanks JD
by jamesrl · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Death of the Xbox, round two
My son really wants a 360, despite the fact we have a Wii. As time goes on, there is less reason to get another console, there are enough titles on the Wii now.
For example, Stars Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Force unleashed – light sabre duels with the Wii controllers promise to be way more fun than mashing buttons on the 360 controller. And Call of Duty World at War looks good for a FPS on Wii.
But your problem is the icing on the cake. He has friends who have 360s with no problems, but my argument he can go there and play if he wants.
James
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December 10, 2008 at 11:04 am #2973522
COD looks so sweet
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Thanks JD
Saw the ad last night. Too bad I am not in a position to jump ships.
For the price of a console, it is always better to spend the $250 on more games, than having a second console of a different brand.
The boys do play Halo2 and COD3 a lot.
The amount of playing has been going down because for birthdays and such, I have been trying to direct gifts to “REAL” activities, instead of digital.
The big thing the boys are asking for this year? Clothes from American Eagle.
Other than looking forward to my yearly sweater from my stepdads stepdad, I don’t think I EVER asked for clothes as a kid. Now I ask for “work” clothes.
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December 10, 2008 at 11:15 am #2973521
Since they don’t read TR
by jamesrl · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to COD looks so sweet
My youngest – just turned 11, wants a guitar. She has begun to sing in a choir, and she can get the basic guitar lessons at school. But she is a very petite 11, so a full size acoustic wouldn’t work. I can get a 1/2 size or 3/4 size at the local music store for about $100. I would be happy to buy used, but can’t seem to see these sizes on craigslist or kijiji, so will buy new.
Thirteen year old girl wants the rest of the Twilight trilogy. Got her a “toy” video camera that records onto SD cards (I have a few spares).
Son will get Force unleashed – had to chose between that and the Star Wars clone wars lightsaber game…
My son finished Halo 3 at his friends. It looked cool but really more of the same. He has played out Smash Bros brawl and Mario Kart. I’m looking for Tiger Woods for Wii on sale as we would play that together.
James
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December 10, 2008 at 11:55 am #2973513
Halo
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Since they don’t read TR
They just play on-line, not against the console. They had completed the game in a day.
We don’t have 3 yet.
Odd sizes. Does make it hard to find good used. I had the same problem with ThingOne when buying him a compound bow. He is left-eye dominate so has to shoot left-handed. 🙁
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December 10, 2008 at 12:15 pm #2973507
I’m not the type to cheap out
by jamesrl · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Halo
On musical instruments, being a musician myself, but she is the youngest and she will outgrow it in a couple of years. At that point I can buy a full size if she is still into it. For $100 the student size is a “real” instrument, not plastic. I googled the cheap full size ones ($69) that Wallyworld sells, and the reviews were terrible. I’m not a guitar player, and I hated the tone.
I played the original Halo on the PC and loved it. Might get 2, since I have Vista on one partition and a kick ass card. Should be able to find it cheap.
James
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December 10, 2008 at 12:40 pm #2973500
Not cheap
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I’m not the type to cheap out
I always look at it, as I have a set amount I am willing to spend. If I can find a higher end USED model, then it is good all the way around.
There are many products I go used with more than not. Only one of my firearms was new, but have never had any issues with any of them. Only one of my guitars was new, and the same.
Has nothing to do with being cheap.
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December 11, 2008 at 5:41 am #2973282
So – what is a kick ass card then ? …
by older mycroft · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I’m not the type to cheap out
Always good to keep up. If my lowly system has expired, I’d rather know now.
[i]2MB E8500 Core 2 Duo, 512MB/Nvidia 8800GT.[/i] – Oh yeah… XP Pro.
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December 11, 2008 at 6:06 am #2973272
My system….
by jamesrl · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I’m not the type to cheap out
is Dell Dimension 470 – used of course, heavy duty workstation machine with 2 Xeon Processors at 3.2 – hyperthreading but not true Duos. I see 4 cores in the Task Manager, but it isn’t as fast as a quad core for sure. I have 4 GB of dual channel ECC RAM.
My video card is a Radeon 4850 – not the fastest card they make but plenty fast. I have a 8800GT (with only 256) and the 4850 is faster. I use XP Pro in one bootable partition for my gaming, with Vista for the rest of the family. But Halo 2 requires DX10 so its a Vista only game. Yes I know there are people who have hacked it to run on XP.
James
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December 11, 2008 at 6:27 am #2973260
Funny sea story.
by xnavydk · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Death of the Xbox, round two
I was on a ship in the north pacific somewhere and my buddy in the next office over, kept having issues with his and After I had to listen to him scream at it for weeks. finally it flamed up, caught fire and he had to jettison it overboard… It was hilarious seeing him run by with a flaming 360 in his hands cables trailing.
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December 11, 2008 at 6:39 am #2973254
Well, how do you get warranty service?
by cmiller5400 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Funny sea story.
If it is at the bottom of the sea? :p
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December 11, 2008 at 8:25 am #2974540
you dont
by xnavydk · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Well, how do you get warranty service?
he ate it
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December 11, 2008 at 11:55 am #2974462
OUCH.
by cmiller5400 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to you dont
That is one heck of an expensive meal. No fire extinguisher available? Wow. I’d hate to burn that amount of cash. (no pun intended)
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December 11, 2008 at 12:04 pm #2974456
I see…..
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Funny sea story.
Did he even TRY to call support?
I know I would not be pleased.
At least mine is still under warranty and will be calling them tonight on it.
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December 12, 2008 at 6:51 am #2972455
Did he even try contacting Technical Support
by hal 9000 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Funny sea story.
Seems to me that replacing a single X Box Unit would be considerably cheaper to those concerned than being required to repair a burnt out Cabin/Ship.
Of course there still should have been fire extinguishers around that could have been used rather than the need to throw it overboard. 😀
On some Merchant Ships just taking an Open Flame on Deck is a Major Fire Hazard that isn’t tolerated.
Col
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December 12, 2008 at 6:59 am #2972448
I think it was a knee jerk reaction
by xnavydk · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Did he even try contacting Technical Support
Its a US military ship, and I think he was more upset that he tossed it then he was upset it flamed. He was also worried the captain was going to ban any sort of gaming system on the ship, such being the Military. But I personally don’t think he was thinking except for OH CRAP!…
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December 13, 2008 at 6:16 am #2981481
Yea some Officers & Captains
by hal 9000 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to I think it was a knee jerk reaction
Are funny that way. Open fires are not well liked in a situation like that particularly if it’s anywhere near a Magazine. :^0
But I do understand that these ships have lots of Fire Drills where you have to be able to get to the Open Deck without the aid of Torches, Lights so maybe it would be a good exercises for a Fire Drill let a few 360’s cremate themselves and see just how long it is before the Ratings reach the deck. Of course you would have to make sure that the Capitan knew all about the Exercise as it wouldn’t pay to inconvenience him would it? 😀
Col
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December 11, 2008 at 12:03 pm #2974458
an easy fix
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
This very common issue was supposed to be resolved by changing the heat sink in the main unit this fall. The new gen ones are supposed ot be fine, apprently not.
there are a few websites illustrating the weeny little tinfoil heat sink and ways ot beef it up. You can also add a secondary fan to the system to keep it cool and avvoif the RED button issue or a power supply with fan as shown here: http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/06/intec-offers-up-another-xbox-360-cooling-solution-the-100-powe/
Another common issue for teh red ring was due to the thermal paste and X clamps used on the CPU. This is apprently fixed by using arctic silver instead of thermal paste and bolts instead of X clips.
you’ll have ot Google that one though.
Good luck, how ‘tardish is that! 😉
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December 11, 2008 at 12:13 pm #2974445
Frick that!
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to an easy fix
it is under warranty. Let them fricken fix it, AGAIN! B-)
Yeah, at the time the first system failed, they CLAIMED to have found the source, so my replacement would have been “fixed”.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:19 pm #2974441
“Bolting in”
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Frick that!
are there brackets, or does this require some fabricating?
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December 11, 2008 at 12:26 pm #2974438
I haven’t done that one yet myself
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to “Bolting in”
But a friend has, I believe the connector plate is the same as most CPU’s and thus has predrilled/tapped holes for the bolts.
I think the Arctic paste is the most important though.
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December 11, 2008 at 12:24 pm #2974440
But they never will
by oz_media · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Frick that!
as you can see, MS just replaces failed components, they just put a bandaid on it, they don’t resolve the issue.
The external power supply with fan may help, and wouldn’t void your warranty if it did. But otherwise you will juts be constantly sending it back and waiting whil ethey replace burned out components. Fk the warranty , fix the problem instead.
It’s just lik emodding one, if you add a mod chip, yuo void teh warranty, but you also get to download any game you can possibly imagine and throw it on a CDRW or teh HD itself and play it for nothing.
I have a good friend with a 360 with a terabyte harddrive, external, that he rigged into it. He has every game, movie and song imaginable on the HD and runs it as a media centre on his flat panel. No warranty but what a score!
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December 15, 2008 at 4:18 pm #2967921
works fine now
by markschu · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I too had the “red ring of death” about a year after I purchased a 360 (brand new when they came out). I sent it back and received it from Microsoft fixed about 2-3 weeks later. It has been over a year and a half and I have had NO problems with it since. I LOVE MY XBox 360 and would take it over a PS3 ANYDAY!!!
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December 15, 2008 at 5:33 pm #2973893
Only platform for Fable
by stygmata · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
Honestly, that was the deal maker for me. I’m not a huge console guy, but I finally decided after my Quake and Doom phase that computers were for computing, and consoles were for games.
The 360 is not a great platform. It is too crippled by Microsoft’s desire to *make* it a platform. While it is more open than the Wii, the PS3 is a more truly open platform device and is good for more things (Linux terminal, Blu-ray player). The PS3 really does approach being a true convergence TV device, while the Wii is a mere game platform and the 360 is stuck somewhere in between.
But, it has Fable and that was the seller for me. The game is just that good. Plus, the multimedia features are getting better – Netflix is a huge bonus, and PlayOn is getting better all the time as well. Those are both signs of openness of the platform, and let Microsoft please take note.
Oh – and it really would help if the hardware didn’t s*ck b@lls, too. Fix the overheating.
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December 16, 2008 at 1:00 am #2973811
R.R.O.D.
by emmetgibson · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
I’ve had the same problem,mine occoured 18 months after the day of purchase and MicroSoft repaired it with no quibbles,i bought a 360 this time round because i had the same problem previously with a ps2,the difference been that i had to pay over half the cost of my ps2 to get it repaired even though sony admitted that the console had a flaw,and they made it sound as if they were doing me a favour by repairing it at half the cost of a new console!
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December 16, 2008 at 2:47 pm #2972882
GameStop’s Secret
by sbatdorf · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
GameStop has found a fix for the “red ring of death” which they install when they refurbish an Xbox 360. So you are probably better off buying a refurbished one from GameStop rather than a brand new one!
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December 26, 2008 at 12:15 pm #2981068
Sent the system back, for the second time
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Anyone else make the mistake of buying an Xbox360?
It was annoying the jerk I got when I called MS about returning the system. He had me checking other things, trying to pretend that it might be something else.
He was far from friendly.
They offered to let me print my own label to save on the two days for them to send me a box, but I passed on that. Didn’t have a box the right size, and was not going to deal with damage in shipping that they could blame on my packing. X-(
There can’t be any way that they are still F’ing the systems up anymore, is there?????
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December 27, 2008 at 6:12 am #2980964
JD M$ Motto is Near Enough is Good Enough
by hal 9000 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to Sent the system back, for the second time
Always has been still is just look at any of their software. You should expect to replace these items at least once every 6 months.
How else do you expect M$ to generate their Income Stream?
I hope you are not suggesting building something that was correctly designed from the word go are you? I don’t think that is possible from M$ at least and they would never think to do things that way because it’s never been necessary previously.
I’m surprised that this [i]far from friendly[/i] person actually even offered to send out anything or even suggest that there was a problem not introduced by the user. After all he did eventually send out the Packing so it could be returned so he was very friendly. Normally they would have just told you to buy a [b]New One as this one has worn out.[/b] But maybe this time you should keep the Packing because you know what’s going to happen sooner or latter don’t you. 😀
Col
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December 27, 2008 at 6:25 am #2980962
His “advice” to keep this from happening again
by jdclyde · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to JD M$ Motto is Near Enough is Good Enough
unplug the unit from the wall when not in use. WTF? Can’t I just turn the bastard off????
It was not what I would ever point out as a “good” experience. Would have rather given him one of Scummies hacking “treatments”…. ;\
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December 28, 2008 at 5:54 am #2979442
I can’t say I blame you there
by hal 9000 · about 15 years, 3 months ago
In reply to His “advice” to keep this from happening again
That is exactly how I feel whenever I have to deal with M$ Licensing.
There they seem helpful but just give the wrong directions every time so you end up more confused than when you started. 🙁
Col
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