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BBC News: Red ring of death returns at GDC 08

Microsoft wants consumers to believe that its problems with the Xbox 360 console in terms of hardware failure are over.

But wandering through the Game Developers Conference halls and it's clear that the problem persists.

On Microsoft's own stand at the show one of the demo consoles has a rather familiar problem - the red ring of death. There's no way of knowing if this particular console was manufactured before or after Microsoft identified the problems with the machines.
Alternative Sources:
RRoD shows up at GDC 08' - xboxnowonline.com | By: mrcoolz
Even Microsoft get the &quo... - consolemonster.com | By: Wriggy
Red Ring of Death strikes G... - gamesindustry.biz | By: Cyrus365
Microsoft Lights Up GDC Wit... - game.blogdig.net | By: BIoodmask
BBC catches 360’s RRoD at GDC - thatvideogameblog.com | By: wohoo
Microsoft gets RRoD at GDC - engadget.com | By: skynidas
Cyrus365 - contributor
Published: 681 days 10 hours ago | Video | GDC 2008 | Xbox 360 | Gaming
 
 

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Showing: 1 - 50 of 198 Comments
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permutated - 681 days 10 hours ago
1 -
How humiliating.

I love my 360 but this is getting ridiculous. They obviously either don't know what's causing the problem or they don't care.
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sonarus - 681 days 10 hours ago
1.1 -
that is pretty humiliating indeed. The good news is it didnt happen during the presentation with an actual 360 so hardly anyone will notice. Nothing msoft can do now though they already gave out 3yr warranties all they can do is do their best to make sure future consoles are not inflicted with the same fault. That being said i have one of the older 360's 2 yrs now still standing but i am like ridiculously careful with it extremely paranoid the thing will die. I dnt use it for anything else but games and i always put it off and unplug it when i am done. However if msoft cant even take care of their own console what chance do i have.
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rofldings - 681 days 9 hours ago
1.2 -
ROFL!
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Winter47th - 681 days 9 hours ago
1.3 -
What an embarrassment.
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00 - 681 days 9 hours ago
1.4 - Maybe
it's the glass box it's stuffed in.
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Xiphos - 681 days 9 hours ago
1.5 -
Ouch, very humiliating. This coming off the heels of not only the new 16% estimate, but Microsoft disputing that number as being too high. You'd think they'd have someone on standby to swap it out just as a precaution.
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mikeslemonade - 681 days 8 hours ago
1.6 -
And these demonstration units are usually newer and tested more and they still red ring. In some sense this sets up Microsoft's inevitable annoucement of the new 360 sku at GDC.
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-EvoAnubis- - 681 days 8 hours ago
1.7 - Wow....
They really just kinda "pwn'd" themselves. They REALLY need to start addressing this issue.
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Martini - 681 days 8 hours ago
1.8 -
The enclosure doesn't help but come on MS you are a bunch of noobs !! Nice egg in the face !
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iMad - 681 days 7 hours ago
1.9 - That's lame!
You can easily get 3 red lights just by unplugging video cable.

3 red lights not equal toRRoD. Lame story.
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CrazedFiend - 681 days 7 hours ago
1.10 -
@1.4

HA!

Then you would think that Microsoft of all people would know not to do that then.

But I still see the same thing in the display booths from time to time here in Japan (I use to take little cell phone videos, but never posted them). The only difference is that here they switch it out with a PS2 and keep playing the M$ videos.

No wonder nobody buys 'em here (@_@)...
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Lifendz - 681 days 4 hours ago
1.11 - It's an epidemic at this point
a recall should have occurred.
1.12 marionz | 681 days 4 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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hardmetal - 681 days 4 hours ago
1.13 - It's like a curse
No cure for it.
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rofldings - 681 days 3 hours ago
1.14 -
@iMad

No, that's 4 red lights then.
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solidt12 - 681 days 3 hours ago
1.15 -
That's bad. and this is on BBC which gets alot of visibility across the world, and at GDC too.
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killax3563 - 681 days 2 hours ago
1.16 - Its Microslop at its best
Their stuff always breaks. Its just what they do.
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Mr PS3 - 681 days 2 hours ago
1.17 - Now
Thats Cool !!!!

And thats all i gotta say about That !
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MaximusPaynicus - 680 days 23 hours ago
1.18 - It's not really that humiliating
You know, if it had been Sony or Nintendo with this problem, it'd be embarrassing. But considering the history the Xbox 360 has had with the RRoD, this really doesn't shock me like it normally would.

Which is downright sad.
1.19 kalle | 680 days 23 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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IntelligentAj - 680 days 23 hours ago
1.20 -
Damn that's some embarrassing stuff.
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Mattearl - 680 days 21 hours ago
1.21 - hahahaha
Thats some funny sh*t right there. A RROD at their own display area... seriously, that can't be good.
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Pain - 680 days 21 hours ago
1.22 - D'oh!!!
Cant say it beter.
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Push - 680 days 18 hours ago
1.23 - Ha
It probably is just not getting well ventilation..but what about the other consoles..why are they working fine? RRoD is horrible. This on the other hand is not good for MS. They really need to fix that if they stand to win this war. They went from this being a small launch issue to now everyone has either had it happend to them or know someone personally.
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CrazedFiend - 680 days 17 hours ago
1.24 -
@1.12

No. It's just not a 100% failure rate, that's all. You're just not part of that 16-33%. Consider yourself lucky.
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Bubble Buddy - 680 days 16 hours ago
1.25 -
Yeah, MS should start to fix those. All they do is make refurbished ones..
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Storm23 - 680 days 13 hours ago
1.26 - HAHA!!!!
That is funny.
2 Anything but Cute | 681 days 10 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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marinelife9 - 681 days 1 hour ago
2.1 -
To be honest. If I owned a 360 I would go ahead and make it red ring right before my three year warranty was up just to get a 360 with new parts.
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Premonition - 681 days ago
2.2 -
The funny thing is it happend to the first xbox, when they were on stage showing off, i guess a new game and the blue screen of death popped up.
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Cyrus365 - 681 days 10 hours ago
3 -
You would think msoft would have their own "Display" models retro fitted with like a water-cooled, aircondition'd 360 so it RROD won't ever result due to over-heating...
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TheHater - 681 days 10 hours ago
4 -
I already gotten the RROD once. And trust me, no gamer want to go through that.
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Dlacy13g - 681 days 9 hours ago
5 - the worst part about this.....
Is due to the wide spread issues MS had with the console failure something like this gets totally jumped on by the press.

But reality is there are a couple of things that can cause that ring besides the console completely failing as I recall...and are easily fixed. But...because they had such a big problem nobody would (myself included) give that a second thought and will just assume its one of the 'bad' consoles.
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ruibing - 681 days 9 hours ago
5.1 -
Yeah but I doubt anyone can find an article or video like this for the PS3 or Wii.
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Jenzo - 681 days 7 hours ago
5.2 -
I agree. The whole thing feels very exaggerated. But MS only have themselves to blame. They should have adressed it earlier, more properly. This tiny error might already have cost them this generations console war.
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xXbebofisherXx - 681 days ago
5.3 - actually...
if u want to see every system fail come to gamecrazy that i work at. our display wii has been sent in 14 times since launch. it always kicks the bucket in the middle of a demo for a customer. the ps3 we had fryed. my store smelled like butt cheecks for days. burnt chips isnt appealing. our 360 has died 3 times too. but that our own fault becuase our displays r on everyday for at least 13 hours. every console has failed, maynot be omg microsoft failure but electronics all fail. every last one of them becuase they r designed too.
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ForTheFallen - 680 days 14 hours ago
5.4 - I don't believe you, xXbebofisherXx
I have never heard of a PS3 "frying". I really don't think that's possible. Unless, like, the core/harddrive f'd up.

My friend's PS3's Blu-ray gave out after like 6 months.
Sent in. Got it back within a 2 weeks.

Correct me if I'm wrong.
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dachiefsman - 681 days 9 hours ago
6 -
wow....they probably set up the one I just sent back....

after all this time you THINK they could have resolved this issue by now!
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xsteinbachx - 681 days 9 hours ago
6.1 -
You'd think so.. plus those cases aren't really vented properly... so..it's a lose lose situation....
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Expy - 681 days 9 hours ago
7 -
lol, wow, how embarrassing. That's really bad haha.
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games4fun - 681 days 9 hours ago
8 - that
is what i call bad timing, dont laugh too hard
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IDemonstalkerXI - 681 days 9 hours ago
9 -
I still have GS gamer buds post in there blogs about them having to send in there 360's im talking days and weeks recently.

This is pretty sad. They gave me a free month of XBL gold last time I sent mine in yet charged me $99 for replacement. Since disc scratching 360's where not covered in the extended RRoD warranty....
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Skerj - 681 days 4 hours ago
9.1 -
Oh that's harsh, mine will scratch a disc if I play it for a few hours straight. I heard grinding in the drive when I was playing Mass Effect and opened it up to circular scratches on the disc. They buffed out easily though so I guess I'm alright for now. ..
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spandexxking - 681 days 2 hours ago
9.2 -
a bit off topic but not. my friends 360 died and it wasnt a RRoD and they said it wasnt covered under the warranty. and said i would have to pay. i took none of it and complained and the guy said he'l speak to his finance department. he then said they'l make an "exception" and fix it for free. my bet is if you really complain there more than willing to replace/fix for free
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XBREAK3FIXME - 681 days 9 hours ago
10 -
LOOOOOOOOOOOL!
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grilledgorlupa8 - 681 days 9 hours ago
11 - Funny
No matter who you are you do have to find it a little funny that it would happen at GDC
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zakupilot256 - 681 days 9 hours ago
12 - the irony
with the RRoD and the paper sleeve Lost Odessy case, the questions remains: How many slaps to the face from Microsoft does it take to piss off their consumers? 1, 2, 3......? the world may never know
12.1 Clinton514 | 681 days 9 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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Orange - 681 days 8 hours ago
12.2 -
yes, but you won't get the *crunch* after three. 360 owners are a resilient bunch, unlike the wise tootsie-roll pop owl.
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SlippyMadFrog - 681 days 7 hours ago
12.3 -
You guys only look at the negatives of the 360, take off your fanboy caps and realize that people have LOTS of fun with the 360, regardless of RROD and the "the paper sleeve Lost Odessy case" *sigh
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