“Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it expects to spend more than $1 billion to repair widespread hardware problems in its Xbox 360 video game console after a large number of them broke down… Microsoft will pay for shipping and repairs for three years, worldwide, for consoles that experience hardware failure, which is usually indicated by three flashing red lights on the front of the console, something gamers sometimes refer to as “the red ring of death”.”
Well there you have it. The rings of death are quite popular amongst avid Xbox360 gamers. Graev had a nightmare about them once I think…Anyway, it’s fairly common for many gamers to actually replace their system entirely. According to various message boards some gamers have had to replace their console 3-4 times. I call bs on some of these claims but I don’t doubt it’s possible.
Since the Xbox360’s release (which we camped outside of Bestbuy for in 2005) we have only had a few lockups. This is rare for what’s called a “Launch” system. This whole console discussion does confuse me I admit. Graev tells me there are several different “generations” of Xbox360’s and some are worse than others. It has to do with when and where it was made which can be determined by looking at the numbers on the bottom.
It is also important to note that some games cause lockups more than others. Some gamers report their consoles were “fried” by playing Saint’s Row or Ghost Recon, or whatever game might have been in when their system died. Right now it’s completely unknown if the games are responsible or if Microsoft is to blame.
So there you have it! A bit of info for those of you out there debating if it’s worth picking up an Xbox360. I’ve had loads of fun with some of the Xbox360 games so it’s well worth the chance that you might get the dreaded “rings of death”. Now that the warranty is extended you can’t lose.