As a reader of quality journalism (and since I’m as pretentious as Piers Morgan from America’s Got Talent) I don’t tend to have a flick through the tabloid newspapers of the UK. However, there was one rather intriguing story about the 360, more specifically the good old Red Ring of Death, but even more specifically about the vastly-improved Elite models, in a recent edition of the Daily Mirror.
Some notorious tabloid gossip scandals follow after the jump!
The Mirror (hardly a reliable news source but they might have done their research for once) is reporting that Microsoft is setting aside a hearty $1billion (£500million) to repair a hefty quantity of Xbox 360 Elites which have suffered the Red Ring of Death. Despite Microsoft promising that the black console will be infinitely more reliable than the early white models, there’ve been reports from owners across the UK of their Elites packing in, with one teenager claiming his gave up the ghost after 8 months.
Of course, in the same way Sony have recently played down console failures (hear about this in the latest podcast) Microsoft were quick to say that “the majority of Xbox 360 owners enjoy a great experience with their console”, and that anybody with issues should give them a ring. I’d be willing to bet that all you’d get if you did give them a call was the “boop, boop” of an engaged tone.
It’s really about now you’ve got to question what it is Microsoft are doing to make their consoles constantly pack up and overheat. Even with smaller chips installed there seems to be issues (unless I’m uninformed and the Elites aren’t using the 65nm Falcon chips yet and they aren’t then I apologise). Personally I’d put the issues down to the console’s diminutive size; it’s very thin, therefore the chips must be packed together tight. Maybe that’s causing the Red Ring?
Either way, Microsoft better get their act together with the 360 and soon, before their fanbase gets that little bit more annoyed each time their console is graced with the Red Ring of Death.
Source: £500m bill for Xbox red ring of death - Mirror.co.uk
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8 responses so far ↓
1 paulmess7 // Jul 7, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Real Xbots have battle wounds, it’s hard to stay at the top
2 mashedPenguin // Jul 7, 2008 at 4:35 pm
The original Elites do not use the Falcon chipset. They do however have an extra heat sink.
3 JakubK666 // Jul 7, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Mirror has just about as much credibility as me.And I’m telling you that Xbox teleports hookers into your room.
Half-a-Billion as a bit off and new chips are pretty much “RROD-less” but the article sound pretty legit.And trust me as a person who lives in U.K., I’ve seen a lot worse
4 Jon // Jul 7, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I am one of those people who gave up on Microsoft (I live in the US, not the UK). I bought a 360, then a PS3 and I always thought I would be playing mainly the 360. Little did I know how many spoiled, immature kids play online on the 360. That still did not sway me though, it wasn’t until my 360 got its third, yes THIRD red ring that I decided to give up on MS for good. “the majority of Xbox 360 owners enjoy a great experience with their console”. That may be true, but it doesn’t do anything for me and my 360 problems. I’ll stick with my PS3 from now on. Thanks MS, you’ve saved me a lot of money, since I don’t have to buy 360 games anymore.
5 César // Jul 7, 2008 at 8:07 pm
3 Elites this year 3 all of them with RROD…. so .l. M$
6 V3NOM // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Like mashedPenguin said, Xbox 360 Elites did not start using Falcon chips until last Christmas, when the rest of the 360s did too.
The extra heatsink should have made it more reliable, but like you said, Yamster, there are several heat-generating chips running in a very small space, and not many fans to disperse that heat.
My console has always run extremely hot, so I always set it up on flat, non-carpet surfaces so it doesn’t attract dust, and I make sure there’s nothing close behind it that might get in the way of the heat flowing out the back. I’ve gotten 19 good months out of the thing so far…
*crosses fingers*
7 Yamster // Jul 8, 2008 at 12:39 am
Yeah, the trick is to get it out in nice open space..my PS3 makes an insane amount of noise when it’s running Folding@Home and the room’s a little on the warm side, but then again maybe the warmth is produced by the damn PS3!
There’ve been tales of the heat of PS3s and 360s sharing the same enclosed space and one killing the other because of it..guess which one died.
8 instant // Jul 8, 2008 at 7:49 am
hmm honestly didn’t think this was still an issue. I don’t own a 360 so thankfully i’ll never have to call M$
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