Xbox 360 - 54% failure rate?

[Streeteh]

I thought it was widely believed that Microsoft knew all too well about the terrible reliability of the 360 before its release, I recall a quality tester revealing that test consoles were failing within hours but it still went into mass production. They simply rushed it in order to get their foot in the door so to speak.

 

[vincent1989]

I thought it was widely believed that Microsoft knew all too well about the terrible reliability of the 360 before its release, I recall a quality tester revealing that test consoles were failing within hours but it still went into mass production. They simply rushed it in order to get their foot in the door so to speak.

i'm sure there would have been people clamouring to defame it and i'm not saying he's lying (if indeed anyone ever did), if there were any truth in the statement at all i'd expect the claims to have been checked by an independent authority and confirmed or debunked his allegations. as MS haven't been taken to court or had to issue a recall based on this statement i must assume that his claim was either false, or an internet fairy tale.

it's a bit like slinging mud though isn't it, i'm sure there could have been people claiming the same with the PS2 iirc many simply didn't work out the box and the iffy lasers plagued sony for a considerable amount of time (and continue to in their new console)

 

[orderoftheflame]

While the 360's rate is alarmingly higher than the others, it's still bafflingly low because it blows the mind to imagine that 45.8 percent of the consoles have not broken

Sums it up pretty much.

Microsoft offers a decent repair service so it doesn't really matter. At least, untill the end of life of the system.

Gotta agree with this.

MS better sort it out before people realise PS3 is a far superior console!

I can't even be bothered.

 

[Wossi]

Had my 360 for 2.5 years before it died and it was used a hell of a lot. Sent it off last Wednesday and it's on it's way back to me already after having been repaired/replaced. Won't get rid of it though.

 

[Teaf]

I was just on about this the other day to my mate when I mentioned I was probably going to get a Playstation 3, in part due to how much more reliable they are compared to the Xbox 360 - in which I've had 3 consoles so far. Had a feeling the figures would be something around that, since I regularly here of Xbox 360's breaking but only a few times that I've heard sometimes Playstation 3 broke.

 

[Dutch Guy]

Microsoft's numbers are inflated because 360s are used the most of the three consoles,"

Rubbish, how can he know that people having a 360 use their machine more than people that own a PS3

 

[boxman2000]

Ooooooo, you're going to be fun I can tell .

They won't have anything to worry about on that front, because it isn't, they're both as good as each other; it all comes down to preference and opinion.

Agree with preference and opinion but they aren't as good as eachother IMO.

 

[Things change I've changed]

5 returned 360's here and on my 6 Sixth atm which was a nearly purchased Elite, what's sad is that I guess this is one console that retro console collectors in the future won't be playing.

 

[Nanoman]

The old 360's are more reliable. My first one was perfect for over a year and a half before it red ringed. I then bought a falcon core that would artifact really bad in just split screen games, this was literally only 3 months old before it started. Took that back got a falcon Elite instead, this E74'd on me after about 6 months. Got the Elite replaced at the store AGAIN and now this one seems perfect (touchwood). My brother's launch console also still works to this today.

 

[rp2000]

i'm sure there would have been people clamouring to defame it and i'm not saying he's lying (if indeed anyone ever did), if there were any truth in the statement at all i'd expect the claims to have been checked by an independent authority and confirmed or debunked his allegations. as MS haven't been taken to court or had to issue a recall based on this statement i must assume that his claim was either false, or an internet fairy tale.

it's a bit like slinging mud though isn't it, i'm sure there could have been people claiming the same with the PS2 iirc many simply didn't work out the box and the iffy lasers plagued sony for a considerable amount of time (and continue to in their new console)

The number of PS2's not working was no way near the 360. It has been proven statistically no console ever has broken as much as the 360.

From a common sense point of view, I find it hard to believe that no-one knew about this or had an inkling about the unreliability. As you say though, it was never written anywhere in black or white otherwise the lawsuits would be flying all over the place.

Plus there have been multiple revisions of the 360 where they claim to have reduced or "fixed" the inherent RROD problems. (Jasper, Falcon, Ecudorian)? They give 3 year warranties as it is the only way to keep Microsoft out of court regarding the ridiculously high failure rate of the 360. If PS1/PS2/PS3 had such a high failure rate (or even anywhere close) they would have to somehow fix/replace/recall consoles in a similar way to avoid legal action.

The worst thing is Microsoft cannot even take away the 3 year warranty now as no-one will trust them if they say a new revision is "fixed". They will have to wait till their next console.


rp2000

 

[Nanoman]

I think a lot of the PS2/3 problems stem from the fact that it was also new technology. DVD lasers and Blu-ray lasers were essentially new tech when first implemented. The customer pays for these 'teething' problems however.

 

[Kreeeee]

Agree with preference and opinion but they aren't as good as eachother IMO.

In terms of manufacturing quality they're both poor but the 360 is shocking. In terms of power, I don't think you're qualified to make an accurate statement.

 

[Strife212]

They won't have anything to worry about on that front, because it isn't, they're both as good as each other; it all comes down to preference and opinion.

In terms of power, you're right. But to be honest, purely on the hardware side, it isn't opinion.

The xbox 360 feels cheaply made when you hold it. The disk tray feels naff. It's so damn loud. The front plate reveals a horrible generic steel type PC case when you rip it off. The failure rate speaks for itself. The PS3 has it's fair share of issues too (mine broke, and my 360 hasn't ) but the 360's hardware is overall worse for sure.

 

[Streeteh]

In terms of power, you're right. But to be honest, purely on the hardware side, it isn't opinion.

The xbox 360 feels cheaply made when you hold it. The disk tray feels naff. It's so damn loud. The front plate reveals a horrible generic steel type PC case when you rip it off. The failure rate speaks for itself. The PS3 has it's fair share of issues too (mine broke, and my 360 hasn't ) but the 360's hardware is overall worse for sure.

Oh i agree on the hardware front, it's just that he was referring to the quality of the console as a whole, games, operating system etc. The controller that came with my 360 went a bit wierd within 24 hours so i got a replacement and the unit itself does indeed just feel 'creaky'. Runs cooler than my PS3 though which i hope is a good sign (or, the heatsinks aren't pulling heat away efficiently, depends on how you interpret it).

 

[vincent1989]

Rubbish, how can he know that people having a 360 use their machine more than people that own a PS3

in much the same way they find out the other statistics?

 

[Streeteh]

Still, only 3% less of people use the PS3 3-5 hours a day according to those statistics. There is no way in hell that extra 3% would hold a significant sway on the failure rates, they'd be pretty much as high if the usage was identical.

 

[CliffyBiro]

On my 3rd PS3 at the moment.

1st developed a fan issue where they would ramp up, but never slow down again.

2nd had a hard drive fault.

Both replaced by Sony with a refurb 60gb.

EDIT: And I would say my PS3 use is very high.

 

[AGD]

The failure rate is a big part of why I won't buy a 360. How can the product be so shoddy that over half fail? Then after the first fail you have a 4 in 10 chance of another!

 

[vincent1989]

The number of PS2's not working was no way near the 360. It has been proven statistically no console ever has broken as much as the 360.

i'm not saying it did mate, i'm merely pointing out that the PS2 at the time was considered as shocking as the 360 is now considered ie not as indestructible as the other consoles of the time, but still worth the risk.

From a common sense point of view, I find it hard to believe that no-one knew about this or had an inkling about the unreliability. As you say though, it was never written anywhere in black or white otherwise the lawsuits would be flying all over the place.

they did rush the console out the door, it probably had very few months of testing with the retail grade hardware and the rrod fault couldn't be adequately diagnosed within those few months, as most 360s seem to make it to/past the 6 month mark. the number of failures recorded were probably in or around what would be considered 'acceptable' levels.

Plus there have been multiple revisions of the 360 where they claim to have reduced or "fixed" the inherent RROD problems. (Jasper, Falcon, Ecudorian)? They give 3 year warranties as it is the only way to keep Microsoft out of court regarding the ridiculously high failure rate of the 360. If PS1/PS2/PS3 had such a high failure rate (or even anywhere close) they would have to somehow fix/replace/recall consoles in a similar way to avoid legal action.

sony did fix lots of lasers. I knew a modder who used to chip and repair PS2s, at one point he was fixing 20 a week (90% of which were laser faults). wasn't the warranty on the PS1/2 3 years any way? the one redeeming thing for MS is that they've acknowledged the problem (couldn't really avoid it), extended the warranty on certain faults and offer this for free. on the other hand sony knows that their lasers are consistently (and have been since the PS2) flaky and yet still charge a fee (i don't know what it is of the top of my head so wont make up a number) to fix this known fault even 1 day after the year warranty.

The worst thing is Microsoft cannot even take away the 3 year warranty now as no-one will trust them if they say a new revision is "fixed". They will have to wait till their next console.


rp2000

this i agree with you on, which is probably why the console they bundle with natal will have had a few revisions to it's hardware and will probably only come with the original 1 year (this is just my own theory, but i wouldn't be surprised if this were the case) and will come out slightly re-branded to ditch the current 360=RRoD feeling.

 

[Nismo]

The failure rate is a big part of why I won't buy a 360. How can the product be so shoddy that over half fail? Then after the first fail you have a 4 in 10 chance of another!

Newest revisions should have minimal failure rates, bear in mind that these stats are (I assume) based on the stock from launch and the 2 or 3 revisions afterwards which still weren't great.