Sorry, Your XBOX 360 Isn't The Right Kind Of Broken

Meg Marco Writes - By now, most people know about the dreaded Red Ring of Death issue on the XBOX 360 - and the accompanying 3 year warranty. What many do not know is that that 3 year warranty only covers the "3 red lights" issue. If you get any other error code, you're out of luck.

Reader Matthew just found out about this the hard way

[Mr_Potato_]

Another example of Microsoft greed. But the xbots like it in the a$$, so it won't matter they'll pay as usual.

Go on sucking Ballmer's balls he likes 12 year old sheep like you.

[No Way]

It sounds like you're upset.. Did he turn you down? =(

[sennasnit]

If you read the comments below the story, this is why M$ claims to have sold 28 million, 4 or 5 of the comments suggest buying an arcade 360 and adding their existing HDD to it, i bet the real sales are half what M$ say, they've all bought 2 or 3 consoles, what a joke...

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I don't know much about how internal hardware reports errors, but do you think MS could start changing the hardware to report a three light RROD as a one or two light instead?

I guess somebody would probably eventually figure it out though....

[militant07]

doing that will get Microsoft in big big trouble

i think they aware of that, so its wont happen

[YoMeViet]

towel trick ^.^

[SpoonyRedMage]

There's my issue right there, your 360 broke and it had nothing to do with the RRoD and then you kicked it! to try and make it get the red lights and then lied. This is why the RRoD is overblown and nowhere near as bad as people say.

[Jinxstar]

i'm really starting to think MS does it on purpose. It seems that a ton of 360 owners just keep buying replacements instead of just getting a decent PC upgrade or a PS3... or both...

[crazypuppet]

This isnt strange at all, in fact a 1 year warranty is the standard. The only reason the warranty was extended to 3 years for rrod was because it was so wide spread.

[scruffie1]

@ Jinxstar

why would MS do this on purpose when they have already announced that its costed multi millions or a billions to rectify and at the same time losing all credibility for the RROD?

plus when you send off your machine you don't receive a brand new packaged 360 its either the same machine (check serial number) or its an old reconditioned one. this has nothing to do with sales when MS are losing money from it.

[slak]

if this is BS but my 360 got one red light ones and it was covered ..no pay for me

[BiG_LU]

I don't really know if cover other issues but at least me I'm save cuz I bought mine at best buy and I'm in the 3th one and my BB warranty always cover any issue and they always give me a new one but I always ask myself if they count those xbox360 as a sale cuz if is like that well I can see how MS is always on top in sales compare with sony lol

[ultimatek1]

Use adhesive tape and close the x360 ventilation system, sooner or later will blow a chip or capacitor, then u will get the 3 red lights.

[LTC]

I think he is just annoyed from seeing how stupid xbots can be. I bet they swallow also.

[militant07]

the best way to prevent RROD is installing game.

try it
play installed game for 2hrs then put your hand on the back and see how is it (mostly pretty cold air coming out)

and without installing the game it will get much hotter.

if you don't believe me , go and try it

[SSJSubgeta]

Due to the very strange way they manufactured these units. All have the possibility of giving some type of error code, be it 1, 2 or 3 red lights. It's a draw of luck if you get it or not.

[LCF]

One of the reasons for the RROD is because some games are very graphic intensive and heat up the GPU in the X360. After the GPU cools down the cheap solder becomes brittle. The only way to prevent any damage is not turn it on or play a non demanding game. I'm surprised that us gamers put up with this.

Microsoft should of never made their own GPU chipset for the X360. In my opinion, I think microsoft should just stick with software development. Let some other company make consoles. Maybe let Sega have a crack at it again. Hell, maybe have Ford motor company make consoles, I bet they be more reliable than the X360. Again we gamers should never put up this.

[KRUSSIDULL]

I have made competetion for my Xbox 360 if it survives til winter 2009 I will buy a new Xbox 360 if it dies I will sell all my 70 games and Xbox 360 and buy PS3 even tough my dad already have one cheers :P

PS. its have survived about 2 years now since I got my first RRoD.

[drdre74]

M$ sent me a repaired 360 and about 3 months later it stopped reading disc. I called them and they told me i had no warranty left and I needed to pay 100 bucks for a new drive. (wtf) so I called back a few days later and just told them I had the RRoD and they sent me another one without even checking the old one.

[Heldrasil]

Only issue with your story is the fact that MS gives you a 1 year warranty on the console after they reapir it. Nice trolling though.

[Heldrasil]

This is not news, nor a surprise. Everyone who owns a 360 should know about what the different warrantys cover. 1 year for general hardware and 3 for RRoD. MS was more than willing to give me 75% off my repair cost for the "E74" that came about after 3 months of being out of warranty. Cost me $24.99 w/ a new 1 year warranty and next day air shipping to and from the facility, got it back in 4 days. I have had really great service from them, people need to stop acting like they are getting ripped off, if you buy a 360 you know what to expect by now.

[GarandShooter]

So, you're saying all this press about falcon, jasper, and phoenix etc. fixing this problem should just be taken as bullsh!t from Microsoft? No one should buy a 360 until independant studies at Harvard and Princeton show RRoD to be a thing of the past?

If claims that RRoD has been fixed but new problems crop up, people aren't entitled to feeling misled, ripped off?

I, myself, have been fortunate to have only had one hardware failure that was repaired under warranty, and my experience with customer service while it hasn't been stellar was at least satisfactory. However that gives me no right to slight someone else's issues with the system/MS servicing.

I want to upgrade my pre-HDMI 20Gb Pro to an Elite, but these issues (and I'm talking about people I actually know, not some internet BS) prevent me from being able to do so.

[Heldrasil]

You must have me confused with that crazy ass voice in your head, because your reply to comment had nothing to do with what I said. Did I mention new chipsets? no. Did I mention comments by MS about the 360 being "fixed"? NO again.I explained MY specific situation with MY warranty and expressed that no one should be surprised. If you want to start a rant, throw it at someone else's comment that would make a better fit.

[GarandShooter]

'people need to stop acting like they are getting ripped off, if you buy a 360 you know what to expect by now'

No, this is what I was responding to specifically, and am quite certain it was written in your post, not spoken by that crazy ass voice in my head, but thanks for noticing. (Damn, the doctor assured me I was over that by now)

This really had nothing to do with your experience and was calling people out who've had different experiences or opinions. I was merely pointing out that there may be a justification for people not feeling the same way as you. Whether you can see that or not is of no consequence. Have a nice day regardless. :)

[SpoonyRedMage]

People should F off, the red lights are there to tell you there's something wrong, if MS didn't implement that we'd have no Fing idea what's wrong.

The 3 red lights signifies the common problem and tells you exactly what's wrong. Then you can send it to get fixed and MS knows what's wrong. the other lights are totally separate things.

GAWWWD, If MS didn't implement the red lights to tell us if something went wrong we wouldn't have the majority of these dumb things.

A lot of people also caused their 360s to RRoD by not providing it with proper room to ventilate and stuff and not following the safety guidelines set out. It's also a point that if you take care of the machine you shouldn't be on your 3rd or 4th, you should be on your second at most.

Sorry, mini-rant there.

[GarandShooter]

If one can fail due to no fault of the user, why would subsequent failures have to be the user's doing?

[SpoonyRedMage]

Good point, but the majority of people shouldn't be on their third or forth like a lot of people say they are. They've made constant revisions to the machine in order to prevent the RRoD and in fact it's said to have been near neglible since late 2007/early 2008.

But the fact still is that a lot of people cause it themselves and then claim MS did it.

It's like people who leave discs out of their cases and then complain when they don't work.

EDIT: I'm just kind of getting annoyed because people don't realise that the red lights on the machine is probably the only reason people have overblown the problem. It's the fact that MS put in a safety/maintenance feature to tell you if it screwed up and to help with the fixing process that most people didn't assume(correctly in a lot of cases) that it's their fault. They think "oh, three red lights, MS Fed up" instead of "I left my 360 on for twenty hours on a tiny shelf where it's closed in, perhaps it overheated.".

The 360 is also not the first games console to have issues, look at the PS1 and PS2(Slimlines were notorious for overheating).

EDIT2: Look at comment 1.2 and you'll see what I mean, people are exploiting MS's willingness to fix the issue.

[Dacapn]

Funny, I went into best buy this morning to pick a headset, and I saw their display had RROD XD

[GarandShooter]

Spoony, I totally concede/agree that there are people claiming multiple failures on internet forums which are completely untrue, and are simply fanboys using an unfortunate situation for their own agendas. However, painting all multiple failures as the work of liars or idiots is unfair, to say the least.

I personally know two people who are on their fourth and fifth systems, respectively. The first, is an independant businessman with enough common sense to not cause himself multiple failures. In fact he loves his 360 so much, he just kind of sees it as a mere bump in the road. (Probably not a bad attitude to have, as I'm quite certain it lowers your overall stress level in life.)

The second is my nephew, who is in his late teens and is a bright kid. After his first failure, I made sure he was aware of ventilation and overheating issues so as to avoid any future problems. His 360 lives in an area so devoid of other electronic equipment and things that may reduce ventilation, that I sometimes expect to see tumbleweeds roll by. His 18 month old Elite just failed, but it's not RRoD, and he was turned down for warranty repairs. I told him to call back, tell them it's RRoD and get it repaired for free. Five consoles, through no fault of his own, is completely unacceptable.

And as far as the red lights go, they are a diagnostic tool, as much to help MS servicing as well as the consumer. I once got 4 red quadrants after re-setting up my 360 because I changed entertainment centers. A quick look to the manual showed no A/V cable connection, and sure enough, I hadn't snapped it completely in to the back of my 360. They served their purpose and saved me a lot of time and head scratching to figure out what had happened.

Edit: Responding to your edit #2, I work in an automotive service department and have seen all the tricks some scumbags are willing to use to get something for nothing. Normally, this is not a recommendation I would make to anyone, especially my nephew as I don't want to encourage him to become one of those people, but people with legimate multiple failures should get additional consideration from MS, if for nothing else for PR's sake. I also realize as well that MS may have a difficult time separating legitimate from carelessness, but I would think there has to be a way to tell user caused from poor design/quality control issues.

[SpoonyRedMage]

Yes, I was just a bit annoyed from reading "I know a guy on his fifth.." everywhere when it's not true in the majority(not all cases).

I had the four red lights once too and I looked it up(MS actually give great support on their website) and just sorted it out but think about if we didn't have those lights, how many issues would go unnoticed, would there be a contraversy about RRoD.

I also think that your nephew and friend should check the electicity supply, keep a close eye on the 360 power supply too, as they may be getting too little or too much power. I'd recommend plugging the 360 into a wall outlet if it isn't already and if you must use an extension make sure it's surge protected.

I also think that if there is an issue that isn't been indicated by the red lights MS should be notified about that issue instead of being told it's RRoD because that problem will persist otherwise. It'd be ideal if we could actually get the message to the MS bigwigs though.

I think a lot of the problem is caused by people who can't take care of the console and that reduces the credibility of people with actual issues with the hardware. I think MS would be somewhat aware though that some people are lying to them.

EDIT: I know no one on their fifth 360 though, I don't think anyone I know is on their third even.

@V: I'll return the favour due to your objectivity on the subject, neither demonising nor idolising Microsoft and of course for calling me out when I made a fallacious claim, which led me to explain what I meant.;)

[GarandShooter]

All are valid points, Spoony.

Bubbles for the intelligent discourse. :)

[Trebius]

I agree that yes MS did place the lights system in order to let the consumer know exactly what was wrong with their system and as a tool for there to be no mystery as to what ails the system. Thats definitely not the issue though, that helps the situation.

The issue is the sheer number of failures compared to other pieces of hardware that makes it nigh unacceptable.

There has been hardware, software, and even toys that get recalled because of some sort of malfunction in way too many that have been released to the public and it gets rectified and re-released.

Microsoft had the option to take the route any other reliable/responsible company did, to recall the 360s, have them all rechecked, save themselves over a billion dollars and re release them with no issue.

The only reason they didnt take the steps to rectify the situation that they should have is because they rushed it out onto shelves in order to start selling a year before the competition...had they waited to test and make sure all systems were doing well, they would never have had this RROD problem...they deserve to lose the massive amounts of money for letting it happen...33% is too much for ANY piece of what's supposed to be reliable hardware.

Although I do agree that most of the 360 owners are more than likely children (parents wouldn't buy a kid a ps3) i agree with you in the sense that yes, these kids dont know how to take care of their systems, and the RROD happens...but it should not happen to so many consoles out there.

You can blame the owners all you want...you almost sound like you work for MS (not insulting you at all), because you seem to give them wayyyy too much credit for this innovative red light system of failure recognition.

Just so u know, the only reason i even replied is because I have 3 brothers, 2 dont live with me the other used to but is now in med school.

We all have a 360, the one in med school is on his 3rd. My little brother is still on his launch, but it had a read disc error a few months in, and my eldest brother is on his 4TH. And believe me they take care of their equipment better than anyone else i know.

[IronAva]

I am on my 4th box. It does make me a little angry that we have to put up with this stuff but it is a game machine and I do have a Wii and a PS3 as well. The thing I have not had was RROD. The issues my systems have had are with the video output or the system not starting up. (Knock on wood) As of right now I have had no issues with my 4th system and it has stayed on for many of hours ( not lately because of KZ2 but it will once RE5 hits Friday). All we can hope for is that MS can put this behind them and make sure the next console (if there is one) is built to last.

[dkgshiz]

Good thing I bought a PS3.

[Kushan]

Because the PS3 is completely immune to hardware issues?

All electronics have issues, the 360's issues are just a bit more widespread. I know a couple of people who've had their PS3 die in some way (the Blu-ray drive seems to be the biggest failure, but it has the odd other issue as well and it's own kind of RROD called the Yellow Light of Death).

Your bragging is just asking for a Karmatic slap =P

[SSJSubgeta]

No, the PS3 is just built with quality. Hardware wise the mother board of the PS3 is more stable then 360. Sure all electronics have issues, the 360's issues are just a bit more widespread and undoubtedly accepted by all consumers. Why?

"I know a couple of people who've had their PS3 die in some way (the Blu-ray drive seems to be the biggest failure, but it has the odd other issue as well and it's own kind of RROD called the Yellow Light of Death)."

Do you own a PS3?

The YLOD is caused by overheating, simple as that. This is due to the end user not taking care of its unit.

Blu-Ray drive error haven't seen many of those happen as they were faulty diode on a couple of release units. I'm not denying that PS3 doesn't have problems, they in fact do exist. But they are more tolerable then 360's baggage.

[Kushan]

I do own a PS3 actually and I've not had any issues with it yet. I was not implying in any way that the PS3 is problematic, just that it DOES have problems as all electronics do.
Also, the YLOD can be caused by numerous issues, heat is just one of them. Googling "PS3 Yellow light" gets a variety of people having issues - many of which are not heat related.

[Trebius]

I have a launch ps3...the bluray drive stopped reading discs about 3 months ago...had to get it repaired. I called tech support and they would've fixed it for about 100 bucks, but it would've taken forever, took it to Videogame911 instead. They really took care of it for me. I'm the only person I know with a PS3 that failed in any way. One of the .5% haha

[Kushan]

Yeah one of my friend's PS3s died, he had to pay something like £150 to get it repaired. In fairness, Sony just replaced it with a brand new (or at least refurbished) console and took the old one away. Still, he could have bought an Arcade for that! =P

(Note: That was a joke).

[dj55555555]

Just deal with it, you where stupid enough to buy one.

[taco_tom237]

that's what u get for buying a 360

[Hypnotic]

I've pretty much decided that as soon as my Xbox breaks I'm going to be getting a PS3 so I won't have to go through any of this bullshit.

[JEDI WOLVERINE]

The trains on a few lines werent able to run due to there being the "wrong type of leaves on the tracks"......

[laaakokaracha]

reminds me of the German railway Deutsche Bahn RIGHT NOW!

[fossilfern]

Why do people keep supporting the 360 with the attitude MS have ? its a total joke

[Mutley416]

What ever is wrong with your 360...just tell them it`s RROD...they dont check...they will just fix it...I speak from XP-

[Kushan]

This isn't an unknown issue, MS never once indicated that you had a 3 year warranty for anything other than the RROD - if anyone did this, it was the media. It's a standard 1 year warranty for anything else - and that's the exact same warranty both the PS3 and Wii have (At least in the EU, as there's laws to enforce a minimum 1 year warranty on all electronics).

[thenickel]

I could see if the red ring was uncommon but it is. 360 has some issues so the normal warranty should not apply like other consoles. They need lifetime warrantys on every 360 until they do a recall and rid the issue if possible.

[thenickel]

Well I now have two red rings and MS is telling me I have to pay 100.00 to fix it. To me this is BS simply because this one was turned in to MS for 3 red rings about 4 months prior and was purchased 8 months ago. Why in the hell should i have to pay anything for a console that should have lasted at least 4 years without an issue. I was buying these as gifts for friends on birthdays and family but refuse to buy anymore. Money is not the issue for me but the fact that I'm getting a nickel and dime vibe is. Why all the sudden would i get 2 red lights as if MS is now switching the error code to read differently when it is in fact 3 red lights. Just some fishy stuff is going on here and it's getting so annoying. Just do a dang recall already and do some justice for once MS. I truly do love the software and services for 360 but this sh!t has got to stop already. People work hard for there money and should be treated fairly. These consoles need lifetime warranty's not 3 year. Please take your time and get the next box right.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

just cause your 360 broke today doesnt mean we all care pal. its happened 1000 of times before and we didnt need an article on it......wrap it up good till you get rrod and then you can get it fixed.

[PantherDST]

The first problem is that you like many other consumers believe that buying a piece of electronic equipment, one that has a high probability of failure, can be likened to a “rite of passage.” Insomuch that that you didn’t even get angry when the RROD occurred, because deep down you knew it would happen eventually. You stated “I wasn't even angry, thinking that this is just a rite of passage for anyone that owns this system and I just have to deal with it.” I do not think MS should extend their warranty; they should fix the problem to begin with. Look at it this way. Why should MS fix the problem when people are still willing to buy the console knowing full well it will likely fail? Extending the warranty was a temporary measure to “save face” in light of the massive RROD failures. But because of good MS publicity and fanboy insistence, most MS consumers believe like you, that console failure is an acceptable occurrence, a simple rite of passage. I do not feel pity for any gamer that buys a 360 knowing the consoles failure rate.

[Silent]

So its all about "chances". Some do break some wont, just have to try your luck.

[W S K]

this E74 thing is maybe the new RRoD???
but i think it is all the same...
just use the "towel" trick and it works (atleast until the UPS guy gets that white piece of $hit)...sorry but im a little bit dissapointed with Microsoft right now

Ive managed(or suffered...) to go trough 20 RRoD´s and 4 times the E74 in ONE!!! Day... and it is still running (sometimes 6 hours straight without any failure o_O )

so...i really dont know what is going on there with Microsoft... but PLEASE!!! sort this type of §hit out.

IM SARTING TO LOSE MY PATIENCE!!!

if they try to get out of the warranty with that trick...then..... screw you M$.... im really thinking of buying yn PS3 (not instead of an 360....no....just to have something for backup)

this console generation is really fu(ked up :-(

[W S K]

though i must confess that i have a XENON (and always had) so it is likely to blow up.
...but there are some REALLY STRANGE things going on with the hardware (even more confusing than a PC)
sometimes it will work and sometimes not....
like gambling....HAHAHAHAHA *goes away from PC to cry over the laughable Xbox hardware*

again... im not hating M$!!!
but i am just a little bit angry right now
(so... ill wait one week until it gets repaired and then let see how long it will last)

[scruffie1]

Cant explain it.

Microsoft advise this is normally due to motherboard overheating but both times i witnessed RROD was after a 3-4 days of not playing with it (due to work commitments obviously). In my case its more of neglect than playing it 10hrs without a break.

[scruffie1]

I Would say to the user that 3 red lights is on its way.

Saturday morning my 360 froze, turned it off and on again and received 1 red light in the bottom right of the ring. phoned xbox support who advised 1 red light meant connection error, most commonly due to hard drive not connected properly or usb device error. whilst on the phone they requested i take hdd out take all of the connections out i.e component leads controller charger etc reconnect and start again. For a while 10-15 mins this worked my machine froze again phoned support once again who told me to power off and on again then i received 3 red lights and a prompt response from the agent to organise a courier to pick it up.

[denied]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...PHEW!! MAN is sh1t funny a$$ hell 1st pay for gaming
2nd pay for your own IT
3rd get the RROD
4th you can't get it fix
5th start over all over again.

I guess that why they call it xbox 360, Lets go back to ripping you guys a new whole...

[Lol Sauce]

The 1 year warranty was the original warranty. The three year warranty for the RRoD problem was just for that wide spread mistake.

I don't see why people are expecting other types of failures to have a warranty lasting longer than 1 year. That's not fair for Microsoft that you agreed to it.

[ReBurn]

And if Microsoft were to be held to fixing absolutely anything for three years then so should the other manufacturers.

[The Holy Trinity]

Is home to many a broken Xbox 360. In the real world, not so much. Believe what you will, but plenty of them seem to get sold and played.

I have been gaming since ColecoVision, and I have nothing but appreciation for how MS has handled the console returns. They stepped forward, took a big loss, and fixed the machines with the least amount of fuss possible. These machines are complex, and unfortunately mistakes can happen. Thats why companies have recalls, including Ford, Toyota, and Sony.

How you respond to those mishaps is whats most important. And I feel MS has handled it all very well.

[ReBurn]

I agree with you. Yeah, it sucks to have your console break down. My first Xbox 360 got the dreaded RROD, too. But when it broke Microsoft handled it quickly and professionally. I also carry the extended service plan on my console, which I'm happy that Microsoft offers to their customers. I'm much less impressed with Sony's "one year and that's it" approach to warranty. My PS3 has been out of warranty for nearly a year and there's no way to extend it through the manufacturer. If there were I would have done it already, because I've never had a Sony console that didn't break on me at some point.

What I find sad is that someone can't live without their console for a couple of weeks while it gets fixed. Regardless of what console you own there is more to life than video games. A broken console under warranty has never been a source of frustration for me. Only when it breaks once the warranty is over and I have to pay to fix it.

[Masta Kaos]

Xbox users are hard headed!! You know that the 360 is a Crap console yet you buy it....Come over to the Ps3 side and Live happily ever after.

[shorttylad]

LOL

[ReBurn]

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves, don't they?

[360]

Come on people the extended warranty was given by MS because they had to not because they are nice people.If you get a failure and you can get it fixed for free then fair play to you if not unlucky either pay for it to be fixed or buy a new one.I got rid of my 360 after the 2nd RROD and will not get another 360 thats my choice.

[shorttylad]

3 redlights is easy to fix yourself anyway, just replace that sh1tty x-clamp MS put over the CPU with bolts and screws and voila. better than wasting your time ringing the bastards

[deividpaulo]

the Xbox360 must change it's name to XPLODE 360!!

disposable console

[shorttylad]

wow, what a sh1tty joke

[teto83]

You sell a subpar, overpriced,underpowered piece of junk and neglected your customers... way to go MS. Would anybody buy a car knowing that it may loose the transmission for no good reason?or an Ipod that doesn't turn on? would people buy it even if has a warranty? how people buys a piece of crap like this and still defend it is beyond me. i HAVE NO RESPECT for people that puts up with these problems.

[shorttylad]

at least you can flash xboxs and download games for free (before they even come out) - have fun trying that with ur PS3 mate. oh.. and the xbox was out well over a year earlier than the ps3 dont forget. :)

[BuckyBarnes]

Instead of "dealing" with this problem, instead you should try to trade in all your other games and accesories, controller and hard drive included, and put it towards a system that wont break and you wont have to go through a "rite of passage"

Is it just me, or are people so messed up and skewed towards microsoft that they forget exactly how they operate and care about the customer?

Also, my ps3 has been a damn camel, supports whatever i want to do, play movies, blu-rays, top notch games, free online play, a sensational Playstation store with awesome smaller titles and video rentals. I usually have it on for 6-7 hours EVERY DAY since I bought it on launch, and zero issues. just some food for thought. (note, i have had 3 360's, 2 i had repaired and sold and the third I got to play Halo 3 and Fable 2. Oh, and I was grossly disappointed with Gears 2.)

[ReBurn]

I'm not sure that this is really news. Flaming and mudslinging, maybe. But by now everyone here should know the terms of the 3 year warranty.