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GDC 2008: Red Ring Of Death Strikes Again

news.filefront.com — It seems the 'Red Ring of Death' has struck again! This time, it hit one of Microsoft's Xbox 360s at the GDC Demonstration Floor.

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BABYLINDA 157 days ago, made popular 157 days ago

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offspring06, on 02/20/2008, -4/+12Microsoft needs to get their ***** together and realize that the RROD problem is seriously hurting 360 sales. It should have been fixed by now. Redesign the console if you have to but please fix it. I have a 360 and its a great console when it works.
- aajjcckk, on 02/20/2008, -3/+5Uhh.....this is Microsoft we're talking about. Same company that produced Vista? Sorry....but this is typical behaviour. Microsoft products are really not very good.
aqzman, on 02/20/2008, -7/+26I have to admit, RRoD is one of the reason I still haven't bought a Xbox360.

With Blu-Ray winning the format war, I might just pick up a PS3. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position.
- Falldog, on 02/20/2008, -3/+11It didn't stop me from having a hell of a good time with my 360.
  - theaceoffire, on 02/20/2008, -1/+4However, it might in the future.
    Ignoring the initial problems, the DRM is bound to the console, and your content becomes inaccessible once the RRoD occurs and gets replaced.
    I still believe that the 360 needs a massive redesign.
- LLamaStar, on 02/20/2008, -0/+3you should just get both. there's lots of games for xbox right now. more great games coming out on the ps3 soon. best of both worlds.
- dandonia, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3Falldog is right, dont be put off because there is a failure rate the console still has some quality games and is fun to use- dont get me wrong if your budget only allows for one console get the PS3 but if you can afford both get the 360.
  - Ajajadude, on 02/20/2008, -0/+3You're right, they're both great consoles, but I think what agzman is saying is that it might not be worth the headache to buy a 360 right now when it could potentially breakdown on you. I have one, and it IS a great console with a large number of good games, but every single time I turn it on I wonder, and worry, if it's going to break on me. I don't have that same thought when I turn on my PS3...or when I leave it running for 3 days straight while folding@home is doing its thing.
  - buyvalve, on 02/20/2008, -0/+3"if your budget only allows for one console get the PS3 but if you can afford both get the 360."
    A year ago I NEVER would have thought I'd hear this.
    - dcast777, on 02/20/2008, -1/+0Anyone that has played both would not agree, the PS3 is still a waste of money if you just buying it for a gaming machine. If you want a blu ray player and than the bonus of a gaming machine with a few decent games than by all means get a PS3 but if you want a real "gaming machine" this implies that there are lots of good games, get a 360
- estvir, on 02/20/2008, -7/+1Of deciding upon a console not based upon it's merits as a VIDEOGAME player? Yeah, there's a ton of you and real gamers don't particularly like you.
  - Typhoon2009, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3Oh do ***** off. I'm no fanboy but come on. The PS3 has Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Call of Duty, Oblivion... it will have GTA4, Gran Turismo 5, Haze, BF Bad Company... Halo 3 is most likely going to PC at some point. Gears is on PC. The 360 is a fine system, as is the PS3.
bejayel, on 02/20/2008, -3/+10Its no wonder the sales are beginning to drop off a bit. Now they have design documents for the xbox3. Looks like Microsoft is just going to abandon the 360. I hope thye give their current consumer base a deal because of the ***** from the 360.
warpdesign, on 02/20/2008, -3/+15I'm in the same camp. I would have bought one of these but $300 plus is a lot of money to shell out for a console that turns into a paper weight if it gets a little too hot! I have a feeling this issue has really negatively affected sales of the 360 and Microsoft needs to pull its head out of the sand and deal with this!
- Falldog, on 02/20/2008, -3/+2They have and have been.
  - theaceoffire, on 02/20/2008, -0/+2Fixing the symptoms does not cure the patient.
maley, on 02/20/2008, -3/+14It's amazing what MS has done w/ the 360, it really is. To launch such a piece of crap hardware and get the sales they have done, is simply astonishing.
santasing, on 02/20/2008, -0/+7I might pick up a 360 again when these issues go away. I went through my 360 breaking once and I hate it when I have to stay without games for a month or whatever. If MS fixes this, then I will pick it up for Alan Wake and that game on the island (forgot the name). As of now, Warhawk is taking up all of my time. Haven't even finished UT and AC.
LLamaStar, on 02/20/2008, -0/+2lol...why is it in an enclosed case? let it breath!
harrisbradley, on 02/20/2008, -1/+2MS Karma Live
aajjcckk, on 02/20/2008, -8/+14XBox 360 - Fumbled, and failing.

Vista - Worst software in history - rejected across the planet.

Office - good(ish) but still bloated and buggy, and crucially OpenOffice now is more than good enough for almost everyone on the planet, and is much easier to use than MS Office. MS Office also ignores the Open Document Format that is increasingly the standard document format of the world.

Windows Mobile - inexplicably accepted in the US, rejected as laughable across the rest of the planet when compared to the competition (no, not iPhone). In a grand total of 0.6% of phones worldwide - meaning 99.4% of people don't, thank goodness, have to use it.

Microsoft - a has-been corporation of yesteryear, on the ropes. Vast cash reserves but no clue, and a bald idiot running the asylum.
- LLamaStar, on 02/20/2008, -5/+3how is the xbox360 failing? it currently has the best games available on it. The most online activity...the highest average review scores...17million+ units sold...
  
  yeah vista and everything else sucks ass...but you can't really say you don't have fun on the 360. there are just too many games on there that rock.
  - Ajajadude, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3Games and features mean nothing if what they run on is unreliable.
    You can put the greatest stereo system money can buy into your car, but that means jack if your car is almost guaranteed to die on you in the near future.
    The software for the 360 is phenomenal, but the hardware isn't up to par.
    - KingGoonie, on 02/20/2008, -6/+3The PS3 is the exact oppossite. Maybe the hardware is top notch with no problems... but the software is extremely below par. I rather have a gaming system with great games that 33% of systems fail... then a gaming system that has 0% system failures... but hardly any games to play on them. To use the car analogy, the PS3 is like buying a Mercedes, with no roads to drive it on.
    - knowitman, on 02/20/2008, -2/+1I believe that the PS3 has the highest average review scores. I guess this also takes away all concerns about no good games.
      
      http://kotaku.com/355812/say-did-you-know-how-many ...
    - finaldrumgod, on 02/20/2008, -0/+0That may have been the worst comparison I've seen in quite a while.
  - theaceoffire, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3O.o it is failing in the literal sense.
MasterThief117, on 02/20/2008, -1/+2I am on my third one. The second replacement failed literally two weeks after I received it. It is completely ridiculous. It is ventilated really well, for those who think it is my fault. Microsoft needs to do something else than up the warranty on their Xbox's. Upping the warranty is them trying to hide from the fact they made a defective product.
- finaldrumgod, on 02/20/2008, -0/+0Upping the warranty to HIDE the fact that it is a faulty product? I think maybe you were looking to say it makes up for the fact. If you weren't... then stfu.
JAG731, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3I do agree with most sentiments here -- but it gets annoying when you have to wince and cross fingers everytime you start your Xbox and feel like you've cheated death if all goes well. While cheating death is good and all, once your number comes up, then comes the hell of Xbox console repair.
turbopro, on 02/20/2008, -0/+2certainly they could have done SOMETHING to make sure display models don't suffer this, I mean this is for the world to see. at least make those encasements temperature controlled or something, anything.
BIGJHUB, on 02/20/2008, -2/+2My roflcopter goes lul lul lul.
Typhoon2009, on 02/20/2008, -2/+1Honest question... why doesn't Microsoft do something to fix this? How long has the 360 been out, 2 years? I realize some problems aren't so simple to fix but come on MS... you guys are LOSING money by giving FREE repairs. If you fixed this issue once and for all you would stop losing money on constantly repairing dead 360s.
pumpkinlad, on 02/20/2008, -2/+4Umm, repost?

http://www.digg.com/xbox/Red_ring_of_death_returns ...
lordshank, on 02/20/2008, -0/+1Quick guys, get the towel!
ChinezePanda, on 02/20/2008, -2/+3Bury for the repost
Mikhail101, on 02/20/2008, -1/+1Serves microsoft right for millions defective products, I would get a wii but i dont want 2 consoles, i can always get mine replace but the wait is long. Had a waited when it came out I would have bought a PS3 or Wii instead.
Varz, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3The exact same video is on the Gaming section front page, in fact it's right below it........................................
TehSwordMan, on 02/20/2008, -1/+3Good god Microsoft, I hope you don't "jump the gut" next gen by releasing your console before everyone else just to get ahead of the game. With a 33% failure rate, the 360 at your demo floor was more than likely to get it.
4LeggedtriPod, on 02/20/2008, -2/+3I was going to Digg this and thought to myself: "I already did less than 12 hours ago."
GhengisKhan, on 02/20/2008, -1/+1wii owner: WTF is a RRoD?
- willfe, on 02/20/2008, -0/+1A quickie google search for "rrod" would answer this for you. Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_pr ... for more detailed information, but it means "Round Ring of Death" -- three red LEDs lighting up on the Xbox 360's front console at power-on, indicating a general failure. If you see it on your Xbox 360 console, it means your console isn't going to be playing any games anymore. Microsoft claims the failure rate on its consoles is between 3% and 5%, with independent industry watchdogs claiming it to be as high as 33% (or even more). Depending on who you listen to, it could be as bad as literally having a 1-in-3 chance of having a new Xbox 360 console failing very soon after coming out of the box.
  
  Fellow Wii owner here, btw; I like the little bugger myself. I don't own a 360 either; general boycott of Microsoft products stops me, and a lack of interesting (to me) games eliminates the potential problem of "if only Microsoft weren't making/selling it..."
wimmers, on 02/20/2008, -0/+1I got the RROD, sent my console to MS - they sent it back said the warranty was void (the Go Fu&* yourself letter) so I was SOL.
I fixed it myself and have been running for a while now - Xclamp FTW!
Daxanderman, on 02/23/2008, -0/+0Make Xbox Live Free. That will make everyone happy, and hopefully everyone will forget about the RRoD. Anyone else agree? Power to the people!
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GDC 2008: Red Ring Of Death Strikes Again

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