Have you had XBox 360 problems?

[Gratch]

One of my main reservations with picking up a 360 is that it sounds like they have a ridiculously high failure rate.  Seems like every day someone here is posting something about the "red rings of death" or other problems, and getting the thing fixed is apparently a complete pain in the ass. 

However, as with any consumer item, those with problems tend to be the most vocal while you never hear a peep from those whose systems work fine.  So, to help me make my decision, here's a quick spot poll to determine what the "have problems:don't have problems" ratio is.

[Kevin Grey]

Launch day console here and (knock on wood), no problems. 

[IkeVandergraaf]

I bought mine in 7/06 (mfr date 4/06 maybe?) and it died on about day 92.  They sent me what appears to be a replacement, which appears (cross-fingers) to be working ok.  Some minor issues - stuff I would ignore if it was anything else - but so far, so good.

I've calendared when the warranty expires though, just in case.

I should add, however, that aside from the reliability issues, the 360 is a damn fine console, and is really beginning to hit its stride gamewise.  All things considered, I do recommend getting one.

[Jancelot]

Exchanged a launch 360 in August due to frequent lockups.  Got the 3 RRoD this morning. 

[Gratch]

I should add, however, that aside from the reliability issues, the 360 is a damn fine console, and is really beginning to hit its stride gamewise.  All things considered, I do recommend getting one.

To be honest, there's not really a lot of games that interest me yet.  However, the list of announced RPG's is making my trigger finger a bit itchy.  I just get nervous dropping the $$ on something if there's a ridiculously high probability of it crapping out.

So, part of me says "Buy Now" and part of me says "Wait for the must-have games and (hopefully) a more stable system".  So torn...

[CeeKay]

I had my launch unit die in November right after the fall update.  Luckily they extended the warranty and I was able to get a new 360 (at least it looks new) 22 days later.

[CeeKay]

So, part of me says "Buy Now" and part of me says "Wait for the must-have games and (hopefully) a more stable system".  So torn...

If there's a definite sign that MS is releasing 3rd gen 360's (or 2nd, but I remember hearing they're on the 2nd gen arlready) I'd wait.  However, unless they make major cosmetic changes, how you'd be able to tell what gen they are is beyond me.

[EngineNo9]

So, part of me says "Buy Now" and part of me says "Wait for the must-have games and (hopefully) a more stable system".  So torn...

If there's a definite sign that MS is releasing 3rd gen 360's (or 2nd, but I remember hearing they're on the 2nd gen arlready) I'd wait.  However, unless they make major cosmetic changes, how you'd be able to tell what gen they are is beyond me.

They have a manufactured date and serial number you can check right on top of the box.

[Jancelot]

Buy from Costco if possible.  Otherwise I feel getting one of the consumable 2-year replacement warranties from Best Buy (or your chain of choice) is essential for piece of mind with this hardware.  I would not rely on MS for service.

[CeeKay]

So, part of me says "Buy Now" and part of me says "Wait for the must-have games and (hopefully) a more stable system".  So torn...

If there's a definite sign that MS is releasing 3rd gen 360's (or 2nd, but I remember hearing they're on the 2nd gen arlready) I'd wait.  However, unless they make major cosmetic changes, how you'd be able to tell what gen they are is beyond me.

They have a manufactured date and serial number you can check right on top of the box.

yeah, but unless MS says 'we've got a 3rd gen of 360's out' and give a specific date on which they started making them I'm not sure how to tell.  I guess your best bet would be to check the date before buying, and look for the most recent one.

who'd of thought you're best way to get a good 360 would be to check the date like a bottle of milk?

[happydog]

Buy from Costco if possible.  Otherwise I feel getting one of the consumable 2-year replacement warranties from Best Buy (or your chain of choice) is essential for piece of mind with this hardware.  I would not rely on MS for service.

Although being able to walk into a store to exchange for new would be a preferable option, I haven't found anything wrong with the MS service. The only issue I had was when they sent my first replacement they made it's 30 day warranty take over the 1 year (05 build date). So when the replacement died they said it was out of warranty. Even though they couldn't seem to confirm that I should be under warranty, they still game me warranty service. Now I can purchase the extended and be covered for a while again.

[HankRaptor]

On my third.

[shaggydoug]

My console was manufactured on 12/24/05.   I got it in April.   I can't say that I have had "no problems" but nothing to send it back over.  One day, it was over 85 degrees F in the house.   I decided to play.  The system locked up about an hour into playing.   I chalk that one up to me needing air conditioning.

Intermittently, I tell the tray to open and it doesn't on the first attempt.  It will on the 2nd attempt.  Doesn't matter if a disc is in or not.

I've gotten the dirty disc read error twice.   Both times I cleaned the disc and the system worked fine.

Oblivion goes into this weird state where there is a bug in the color palette and it looks like the world has been sprinkled with blue sugar crystals.   "Clearing the cache" (holding down the "A" button during boot up) clears it.

I just finished playing halo 2.  Sometimes during the game there is this weird "image retention" that requires a reboot.   The "image retention" is almost like the spots in front of your eyes when you stared at the camera flash.  The silhouette outline of whatever was on the screen hangs around.  It's like the brightness was retained on the screen for certain sections.  Note that the actual colors aren't there, just the brightness of the pixels is different such that you can see the outline.

The last 2 could obviously be bugs with that certain game but I thought I would mention it just in case.

- shaggy

[naednek]

I'm also expecting to get a xbox 360 for christmas and I am a little worried about it breaking down.

I do have 1 question, can I extend the warranty if I received it as a gift?

[Jancelot]

I believe you can call them and extend it anytime during your initial 90-day warranty.  If you want to do it locally (i.e. Best Buy) I would hope that they would still offer it to you if you walked in to the store with the sealed box.

[Captain Caveman]

On my third.

That's terrible! What are the odds that a device with just a 3% failure rate would die on you twice?

[happydog]

On my third.

That's terrible! What are the odds that a device with just a 3% failure rate would die on you twice?

Well I'm on my third also...

[Arkon]

I have lost count on how many I have gone through.  The biggest problem if you go with the MS warranty like I did, is that once you have to get repairs it seems to start a vicious cycle.  Usually you end up with a different system back from MS which is a refurb.  That said, I am very pleased with my 360 and how accomodating MS has been to make things right.

[Destructor]

On my third.

That's terrible! What are the odds that a device with just a 3% failure rate would die on you twice?

Well I'm on my third also...

Same here (launch console). Although, I do have to say that Microsoft shipped me back the same console (I think) the first time around when it failed just after Christmas.

Technically I'm on my 4th - used my EB warranty to get one that was FAR quieter than my first-gen console, even though there was nothing technically wrong with it.

[jblank]

You realize that by starting this thread, all of us that answer "no" are now doomed to have the red lights of death today.

[Farscry]

Mine died a bit over two weeks ago. Waiting on MS for repairs/replacement right now. It worked great for nearly 10 months.

[papasmurff]

ON my 4th.  Thank god for BB extended warrenty!!!  Each time I took it in said it is broken and they replaced it for me....home with a new one in 30 min.

I have had 2 die with red rings and one that sounded like it was ready to blow!

[jament]

On my 3rd.

Red Lights of Death on the first, the second refurb I got was apparently a foreign unit that wouldn't play Region 1 DVDs and had constant lock ups.  Awaiting #3, hopefully this week.

[Gratch]

You realize that by starting this thread, all of us that answer "no" are now doomed to have the red lights of death today.

Heh, sorry about that.   

So far, this is making me lean towards waiting.  It looks like there's a ridiculous amount of failure with these units, and I just really don't want to worry about that.  I think I'll probably wait until a few more of the RPG's hit.

[gellar]

No problems.  However, I apparently am in the minority of console owners who never have issues.  Launch day 360 - no issue.  Launch day PS2 - no issue.

gellar

[jblank]

You realize that by starting this thread, all of us that answer "no" are now doomed to have the red lights of death today.

Heh, sorry about that.   

So far, this is making me lean towards waiting.  It looks like there's a ridiculous amount of failure with these units, and I just really don't want to worry about that.  I think I'll probably wait until a few more of the RPG's hit.

Gratch, almost universally the problems are with 2005 360's......unless you are hard on the console or don't let it keep cool. Among my gaming friends, only 1 has had an issue with a 2006 360 and it was more a power supply problem than an actual console issue. My 360 is a February 2006 build and she has been great (knock on wood) and from what I read, almost all the real defects are out of the console at this point. I say go for it and if you keep it ventilated and don't put it an the power supply right together, you should be fine. Just treat it like a sophisticated piece of electronics, take care of it, don't let it get dirty, and you should be a-ok.

My post you quoted was a joke and I hope I didn't add fear to your purchase plans by saying that.

[Soulchilde]

My launch system  just died, but I consider myself a lucky one that it lasted this long.  I still love my 360 and can't wait for it to come back.   

[Graham]

Launch day console here and (knock on wood), no problems. 

+1 

[kathode]

No problems.  In fact, out of everyone in the company (who has one) I have heard of one having to be sent back.  Guess we got the good batch! 

[ATB]

I haven't yet had mine 3 months and no signs of trouble although the fan has gotten a little noisier...

[Kobra]

Buy from Costco if possible.

+1.. 

Also wait if you can, the first big "Sweetspot" to buy a 360 will be over the summer 2007.  Microsoft wants more units on the shelf to sell more games next Christmas, and will likely bring in some deep discounts during the summer because they know next Christmas will be much more competative.

The second Xbox360 sweetspot will be Christmas 2008, competition will be tough, all of the new gen consoles will be plentiful, and discounted substantially, and perhaps hardware re-designs available.  A lot of AAA titles discounted, plenty of used games on the shelf, and no shortage of much of anything.

[JLu]

No problems.  In fact, out of everyone in the company (who has one) I have heard of one having to be sent back.  Guess we got the good batch! 

Of seven friends in real life who have them, one had to send his back.  The rest, problem free so far...  Mine from launch day, the others slightly newer.

[Captain Caveman]

On my third.

That's terrible! What are the odds that a device with just a 3% failure rate would die on you twice?

Well I'm on my third also...

I was actually offering a sarcastic commentary on Microsoft's original claim of just having a 3% failure rate. For launch units, I wouldn't be surprised if it was at least 10x that. Props to MS for acknowledging the issue and offering to pay for repairs. Mine gave me a good 6 months or so before biting the big one-- my 2nd unit has been fine so far (knocks on groin).

Meanwhile, my launch day PS2 is somehow still crankin'!

[Nth Power]

I was having hard drive errors (E67-E69), but it would be OK on a restart.  It was getting pretty bad, so I took off the hard drive and reattached it the other day.  So far, it seems to be back to normal. 

/crosses fingers.

[The_Man]

One of my main reservations with picking up a 360 is that it sounds like they have a ridiculously high failure rate.  Seems like every day someone here is posting something about the "red rings of death" or other problems, and getting the thing fixed is apparently a complete pain in the ass. 

However, as with any consumer item, those with problems tend to be the most vocal while you never hear a peep from those whose systems work fine.  So, to help me make my decision, here's a quick spot poll to determine what the "have problems:don't have problems" ratio is.

I had a launch system and another one that I bought in January.  Both systems performed flawlessly until September.  Then my January system froze up while playing Madden 07 and when I booted it back up, I got the 3 red lights on the power button.  I could boot up to the dashboard sometimes, but the minute I put a game in the drive, it failed.  I'm assuming it was the dvd drive.  Having a warranty, I took it back to Gamestop and got it replaced.  Then four days later, my launch system did essentially the same thing while my son was playing Fifa World Cup 06.  Rebooting led to the same results as with my previous one, so I boxed this one up and took it back to EB with warranty in hand.  I got both replaced 4 days apart and had to repurchase a warranty on each of the new ones.  No big deal since now both are warrantied until September of 07. 

Then to my horror, the system I got replaced from EB went bad in November while my son was playing Gears of War.  Same exact thing.  Game locks up and rebooting brings up the 3 red lights that never go away.  Another system dead.  I went back to EB and got it replaced this time telling the guy that I refuse to lay out $40 for another warranty as this one only lasted me two months.  He agreed that something wasn't right and gave me a new one year warranty on another system and this one he said was manufactured in 06. 

I think they still have an incredibly high rate of failure and I wouldn't advise anyone to buy one without getting a warranty.  There's been way too many horror stories about different games and system updates "killing" the system.  I know for a fact that quite a few people had lost their 360 while playing Gears of War.  There's even a thread about it at Gamefaqs.  Also, several people that I know lost their 360 after downloading the Chapter 2 content for Ghost Recon and even more threads have popped up on other message boards about the fall update "killing" systems.  I don't know what to believe, but I do think it's odd that so many systems just die while playing a game. 

I'm very disappointed with the durability of these systems.  I still have an original NES system, a SNES, two Playstation Ones, two Dreamcasts, an N64, a launch day Xbox and a launch day PS2 that haven't given me a minute's trouble...it's really odd that I've lost three 360s in less than a year. 

[Calvin]

I had a launch day 360 that had problems from almost day 1. Unfortunately I wasnt smart enough to see that and exchange it early. I got fed up with it 3 months ago and got another with the help of some shennanigans at Costco. All is well now.

[metallicorphan]

my launch day console disc tray,wouldnt stay closed after about 10 months of no problems,so i rang them up,they came to pick it up(UPS)..and they said it would take a week to 10 days for it to return,so i bought another 360 while that was being fixed and just fitted my hard drive onto it,so i could carry on playing online

the system came back and i went back to playing with that one and i havent had any probelms since

its a shame because really,it is a great machine...even though there have been a lot of problems with a lot of peoples machines there has also been a lot of people who havent had any problems

you cant go wrong with the games for it though

[Kobra]

I had a launch day 360 that had problems from almost day 1. Unfortunately I wasnt smart enough to see that and exchange it early. I got fed up with it 3 months ago and got another with the help of some shennanigans at Costco. All is well now.

I sense the old "Buy another, swap it out" scheme in play on that.

[Samurai]

My console that was manufactured in April of 06 has been running perfectly. I almost wish I didn't buy the two year warranty, but at least I don't need to worry about anything now.

[DonD]

I bought the 360 in March.  In June, it died and was sent back.  The replacement lasted 2 weeks.  The replacement to that replacement has lasted 5 months so far.