Microsoft Sued Over Alleged Xbox 360 Defects 724
richdun writes "Reuters is reporting that a Chicago man who was lucky enough to purchase an Xbox 360 has filed suit against Microsoft over the overheating and crashing some users have experienced. The man is seeking unspecified damages, litigation expenses, and replacement or recall of all Xbox 360s. While more suits or a class-action is probably on the way, others have sought less litigious solutions."
Fire (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fire (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm going to give up modding the parent +1 insightful in order to post this here, so please do so for me if you can.
The Parent is correct; If you get something hot enough on today's carpeting or by a wall a fire *will* start. And most gamers/computer people I know have stacks of paper - gaming catalogs, cheat code listings, whatever - by there gaming systems anyway so that only increases the danger.
The fact is Microsoft made a really bad mistake out of either gross incompetence or extreme criminal negli
Re:Fire (Score:5, Insightful)
Fiznarp
Re:Fire (Score:5, Funny)
Failing Units (Score:4, Informative)
-everphilski-
Re:Fire (Score:4, Insightful)
I've seen stuff like this happen before when bringing products to market. In a nutshell you design something; do environmental testing, build prototypes, seed prototypes to developers; select some manufacturers; do a small manufacturing run; seed final hardware to developers / testers, etc.
However, if you don't watch your manufacturer(s) like a hawk, they might screw you. Perhaps they deviate from your spec at the last minute; perhaps they get in a pinch and decide to replace "good component A" with "shitty component B;" etc.
And the potential for f'k ups like these only increase once you start outsourcing your manufacturing to people halfway around the globe. Communication becomes an issue, and specs are commonly not adhered to as planned.
Microsoft has been fairly open about the development of this console. Prototypes have been out and about for quite sometime and they've been holding prerelease press events with finalized hardware. If this overheating problem was a major design flaw, it would've popped up already.
I bet if we were to crack open a "bad" power supply and a "good" power supply we'd see some different components.
Re:Fire (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Fire (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Fire (Score:5, Funny)
Sweet. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sweet. (Score:3, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Self inflicted? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Self inflicted? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Fire (Score:4, Insightful)
If a company pushes out a faulty product, they should be legally obligated to correct the problem. We seem to have very high standards for say auto manufactors whenever there exists a problem. Why shouldn't a company who is pushing a electric consumer product be under the same scrutinty.
Bottom line, were are be bombarded with crap. Dell and there "bad" capacitors, Apples scratching nano screens, Sony's PSP and now Microsoft's overheating XBox 3-POS-0 powersupplies
Interesting enough the later three were suppose to be "big releases". And if these four "small underfunded" companies can not put quality products, who can?
I say sue them all. Teach them that pushing crap is not going to be had and if they continue to do it, they will have to continue to replace it.
Re:Fire (Score:5, Insightful)
Many of these cases have to do with user issues. Nano's are small enough to put in the same pocket as your keys, do you're scratching them more often - you didn't do this as much with your bigger iPods. XBox 360's are working fine in the vast, vast majority of cases. There maybe be a few faulty units, but for the most part it is well known that these power supplies are hot and can not be placed on thick carpet. I'm all for the improvement of quality overall, and to an extent I share your sentiment that we need demand higher quality as consumers. On the other hand there are tolerances for faulty units and these tolerances are fairly low. They seem to affect so many people because you don't have 900,000 artciles on how the XBox worked, you only have one or two about a few people who are having problems. Without some tolerance for lower quality we would be paying through the nose for these products. Maybe the bar needs to be raised a little, but I personally do not want to be paying $1200 for a military grade Nano.
Re:Fire (Score:3, Insightful)
There maybe be a few faulty units, but for the most part it is well known that these power supplies are hot and can not be placed on thick carpet.
Well known to whom? The many parents out there whose kids wanted video games for Christmas? A household use power supply shouldn't get that hot, especially considering that a plush carpet is otherwise a great place to play games and the floor is a likely place for a power brick. How many pennies did they save on the heatsink and housing?
Apparently there's no
Re:Fire (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Fire (Score:5, Insightful)
Come on...sure it sucks to get your xbox home and find out it's broken, but really all you have to do is take it back to the store (that is if you don't trust Microsoft to fix it, which they are doing).
Try taking a bridge back to the store.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Fire (Score:3, Insightful)
You have no idea if this is a hazard or not. If the powersupply is the cause of the problem, they should be recalled regardless.
The fact that this is so widespread makes it obvious that they really rushed these out and didn't test them properly.
Yep...this is also why I'm not first in line electing to be a beta tester for the mac
Re:Fire (Score:3, Insightful)
Car engines are slightly different, relying on massively complex automated QA systems. What you must also take into account is the fact that car engines are specifically designed to have bits explode.
This is a games console. Hand-assembled, batch production, assembly line. If you have a bad component for an aircraft it won't
XBox 911 (Score:3, Funny)
Conveniently nicknamed XBox 911.
When in doubt... (Score:3, Interesting)
Jeez, you would think that you could just unload the piece of junk on ebay.
Re:When in doubt... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:When in doubt... (Score:3, Insightful)
>what its claimed to do, without known hazardous side effects. The Xbox360 may fail this due to the overheating.
Except the Xbox also ships with SOFTWARE, with the software there is a EULA that says there is no warranty or fitness of any kind given!
Re:When in doubt... (Score:3, Informative)
Except it's the hardware that's overheating. And I'd bet that kind of language won't fly in court. For example, there are prenup agreements that say the husband will get the kids by default in case of divorce, but the judge still gets to decide against that if he chooses. People leave their company for Google even though they sign noncompete clauses. Just because some
Re:When in doubt... (Score:3, Interesting)
Ah, but you are totally incorrect! The latter half of the statement is true. The device was tested thoroughly and the conclusion was that the device is not to be placed in an enclosed space or on a soft surface which will obstruct airflow. This information is in the manual. It's the consumer that isn't being tested
It was only a matter of time. (Score:3, Insightful)
Liability and suing (Score:5, Interesting)
Now this US situation is this : you can sue ANYBODY. Naturally a judge might throw your claim out, or even kick you out of the court for contempt, your claim might not even go beyond a first hearing or whatnot. Suing does not guarantee you have a claim, it only means you THINK you have a claim. See for example each year the tax protester suing the federal governement (NONE get beyond the judge throwing the claim out or even laughing and in one documented case calling the claimant a fool). So in that case, since a solution already exists (replacement of the unit) then the lawsuit won't probably go very far. That is, unless he can prove 1) that he can't get a replacement or a refund from MS/reseller or/and 2) the overheating unit involve a life risk and/or already damaged a person and/or possessions(items).
Re:It was only a matter of time. (Score:5, Informative)
The Second Restatement of Torts, Section 402A Special liability of seller of product for physical harm to user or consumer, states:
1)A seller of a product in a defective condition is liable if
a) the seller's business is to sell that product, and
b) it is expected to and does reach the consumer without modifications
2) Section 1 applies even though
a) the seller has exercised all reasonable care, and
b) the sure or consumer did not enter any contract with the seller.
This results in a situation of strict liability.
There is also an implied warranty of merchantability, as seen in Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc. (NJ 1960, 671).
Further, this is not about to go away in the near future as the draft of the third restatement includes clause (see the section on products liability).
Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
This is exactly what we see in software. Company's have little incentive to get it right the first time because they can just "release a patch". The result is that it becomes the norm for things to not work right when released.
If you want companies to make sure things work when released, you need to make it significantly more expensive to release something broken so that the free market rewards companies that take the time to make it work before releasing.
Did you actually think about this? (Score:3, Insightful)
Didn't you just lose money fixing the problem that could have been avoided in the first place?
Hardware repairs are not so cheap as a simple software patch that can be posted online and downloaded
You don't even consider the damage to a company's reputation which,
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
"Oops, sorry, it was an accident. Here, I'll cut you another one."
Or when I return a rented movie late:
"Ooops. sorry, it was an accident. Here's you movie, no harm, foul?"
Or when I miss a credit card payment:
"Oops, sorry, it was an accident. Here's the money. You won't fine me or anything, will you?"
Man, I only wish I could slap companies with fines every time they screw me out of some time and inconvenience. Of course in the real world it only works the other way 'round.
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
-everphilski-
Re:Responsibility (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
This isn't the way to do it though (Score:3, Insightful)
Lawsuits should only be for cases where a failure developes out of warantee that is systemic, and the manufacturer refuses to fix the problem. For example a bunch of Canon cameras receantly had failures due to bad CCDs. They were out of warantee, but it was a defect in all of
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Funny)
To sue, or not to sue: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The quirks and crashes of an overhot X-box,
Or to file suit against a sea of lawyers,
And by suing, correct it? To wait, to call;
To call: perchance to connect: ay, there's the rub;
For in that call to support what help may come
When we have shuffled off the automated attendant,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long wait;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of support,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Perhaps I should just
purchase a Playstation?
Re:Responsibility (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Responsibility (Score:3, Interesting)
I think the issue is that a lot of people are assuming every XBox 360 will have exactly the same heat output. This is fairly obviously not true - the CPU cores, GPU, and memory can vary in their heat output. The real problem seems to be Microsoft has been a little over-optimistic about what heat output maximum they'll accept. End result, they get a lot of returns, which is going to be costing them a fortu
Microsoft *IS* replacing defective hardware... (Score:3, Informative)
-everphilski-
Re:Responsibility (Score:3, Informative)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Xbox _Glitches.html [nwsource.com]
But I guess the 3-5 day delay wasn't worth it. Instead he
Re:Responsibility (Score:5, Insightful)
The kind that hates Microsoft for the usual semi-hypocritcal idealogical reasons (but really want to play the games) and are not-very-secretly delighted that an MS product has a problem. It's a chance to publicly whine about MS, paint them as somehow evil for not making a carpet-proof power supply, and to enter the lawsuit lottery. He's not expecting to actually win a lawsuit, he's just hoping for a settlement that will net him a few thousand bucks for being the squeeky wheel. Why he didn't just ask for his money back used to be beyond me, but juries of no-job-having-hate-The-Man idiots have been demonstrating again and again that (no matter how ill-conceived), any suit against a large company is a likely cash cow.
All of the poisonous anti-corporate/business rhetoric actually gets to some people and they begin to think that companies actually owe them something just for existing, and owe them a lot more if they are in any way inconvenienced. This is a cultural problem, made worse by a media-based celebration of victimhood and misfortune-as-fortune. The prevailing sense of entitlement is truly astonishing, and this is just another sorry example.
Of course, it also says a lot about the loser gamer involved that he had so much of his personal happiness tied up in whether or not he could run is XBox's power supply on the carpeting. Of course, that's BS - he's just reaching for cash.
Stop global whining before it's too late.
Re:Responsibility (Score:3, Insightful)
So, if you instead bought a brand new, high-tech entertainment appliance from the little one-man shop down the street (you know, where he hand-makes video game hardware from minerals that he mines and refines himself, and for which he writed all the so
This is one thing I don't like about this country (Score:5, Interesting)
I think there's some sci-fi book where the loser and his lawyer dies. That might work too, but I don't think most people would go for that.
If you think making the loser pay is a good idea.. (Score:5, Insightful)
The RIAA takes you to court, pays outrageous legal fees (which they can afford), files for extensions, appeals and whatever until you run out of money and can no longer defend yourself.
Then you lose.
Now you have your legal fees, plus theirs!
Do you still think making the loser pay all legal fees is a good idea?
Re:If you think making the loser pay is a good ide (Score:3, Insightful)
In the case above, the RIAA could bring suit, but the person *being sued* would not be liable for any legal expenses but their own (unless they agree otherwise in the settlement) - RIAA would be on the hook for it.
If I take an action and that action is injurious to others AND "stupid" (whatever that means) then I sh
Re:If you think making the loser pay is a good ide (Score:3, Interesting)
The solution, obviously, is to make lawyers work for free.
Why not just return the thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
If I purchases an XBox 360 and it wasn't working, I'd be pissed...and I'd call Microsoft and demand a replacement. If they rejected that, I'd put a stop order on the credit card payment or I'd just return it to the store. Is this guy sueing for emotional damanges or something pathetic like that?
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:3, Insightful)
Now imagine waiting in line for a produce that you shouldn't have to wait in line for (think of McDonalds only making 10 Big Macs at each location every day, first come first served) and th
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe those kids are spoiled and should be brought up not to whine and cry because they don't always get what they want.
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:5, Insightful)
It would take severe bodily harm resulting from normal, advertised use of the product to get me to sue.
Like, if, the XBox 360 randomly rockets forward out of the entertainment center at my head. Or if the controllers spiked your hands, or emitted powerful electric shocks. Something, you know, that's actually serious.
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:3, Funny)
Bonus points if you burn down the courthouse during a demonstration!
Re:Why not just return the thing? (Score:3, Informative)
While I like a good story as much as the next person, in the case of McDonald's coffee it actually is true that they were serving their coffee substantially (20 degrees or so) hotter than most other places.
The woman required skin grafts and a week-long hospital stay, and McDonalds refused to pay the medical bills, which was why she sued them. The jury awarded punitive damages of $2.7M (or about 2days worth of coffee sales), the judge dr
What defect? (Score:2, Funny)
oh they have... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh they have [smashmyxbox.com]
don't do this!! (Score:5, Funny)
while I am not a fan of our "sue-happy" society... (Score:5, Insightful)
In addition, I don't like the way it was posted... "a Chicago man who was lucky enough to purchase an Xbox 360"... OH PLEASE!!!! "lucky enough" You make out to be some amazing thing... It's JUST a GAME BOX!!! Hello!!!
WoW!! When playing games is THAT important life must be truly sad.
To Paraphrase: (Score:5, Funny)
Software Beta, Hardware Beta (Score:5, Insightful)
Am I seeing a commercial trend where hardware companies are increasing confident to roll out their products even if they are not thoroughly tested, simply because these companies know they have enough fanboys to buy anything they sell?
It's also interesting to see that these hardware companies are also software companies, who are regularly rolling out "beta" software to the public.
Class Action (Score:5, Insightful)
The Manual (Score:5, Insightful)
Is it a design defect if you're specifically told what the 'problem' is and how to avoid it?
FYI I'm not talking about chainsaws that can accidentally cut your face off, more like a car owners manual that says "keep your radiator topped off or else your engine will overheat." Or in this case, don't put your Xbox in certain places, or it will overheat.
Re:The Manual (Score:3, Insightful)
Or in this case, don't put your Xbox in certain places, or it will overheat.
Wow, so we're not allowed to put our consoles on the floor in front of the television, or in the entertainment center?
That's pretty fucking awful product design.
Re:The Manual (Score:3, Insightful)
It *is* a flaw in a piece of consumer entertainment
Re:The Manual (Score:3, Interesting)
The lawsuit is inappropriate, but this is the clearest way to make manufacturers learn to not make and sell sub-standard pr
MS Should Just Recall (Score:5, Insightful)
People who sue over this stuff are worse than companies that unknowingly release a faulty product. There are better resolutions than calling a lawyer, like returning the system, waiting on a recall, or hacking it up with a string.
The perfect exchange (Score:4, Funny)
This is getting ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
This is absolutely insane.
Re:This is getting ridiculous (Score:3, Funny)
No offense, but that's what we Canadians have long thought of the American practise of constantly suing the pants off of one another.
Our courts will not allow whiners and crybabys to waste the court's time like this.
Ridiculous (Score:3, Insightful)
Not to mention that the first generation of anything often has problems. This certainly isn't unique to Microsoft. This is what happens when consumers crap themselves over something new and have to be the first ones to get it. They get screwed waiting in long lines, paying more than they should and having a potentially defective unit on top of all that.
Anyone with a little sense would wait a few months until those initial problems were addressed and then waltz into any store and choose from one of the dozens of unclaimed units sitting there on the shelves.
Not that I'd ever waste money on an Xbox360, or a PS3 or a Revolution for that matter. They should all stop screwing around and just start developing for the PC directly, because thats what those consoles are turning into anyway.
I suppose someone always has to be an early adopter, and they're the ones who are going to encounter the problems first, and it's because of them that these problems are discovered. However, if you can't get rid of the ants in your pants then you'd better learn to deal with the consequences. Too bad you cant sue someone for stupidity.
The Man? (Score:5, Funny)
Why is that 'The Man' always has to ruin it for us?
Oh please (Score:5, Interesting)
This guy doesn't wany justice, he wants free money. He's a greedy ass and should be brought to book for encouraging this insane litagation culture to feed his own pocket.
And the last thing I want is a recall - mine is working perfectly.
And (Score:5, Insightful)
Talk about a lot of fuss over an entertainment device.
Re:Oh please (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, no... (Score:3, Insightful)
Interesting thing about the single lawsuit (Score:3, Informative)
As much as I hate Microsoft (Score:5, Insightful)
I think there are too many lawyers in the world.
others have sought less litigious solutions. (Score:3, Insightful)
What's a defect? (Score:5, Informative)
But a design defect? I just don't know if we're there.
I know it gets hot http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=169465&cid=14
But it gets hot because it does so much. Its regular level of consumption is 160W. That's a lot, and it all turns into heat. Despite this, the Xbox 360 has a great cooling system. It really keeps itself cool.
But, like all devices, a cooling system just moves the heat somewhere else, in this case ouside the case. So if you put it in a confied area or block the vents, it will be unable to cool itself. There is NOTHING MS can do about this.
Perhaps you'd like Xbox to take less power (PS2 uses 50W). I can understand that. But it's not going to happen. PS3 will be the same. These super-capable game machines are pushing the limits of technology and so they use a lot of power and generate a lot of heat.
So, lawsuit aside, when you evaluate your problems with 360, make sure you're not expecting MS to defy the laws of thermodynamics.
BTW, I got together an EXECELLENT cooling system for my 360 in my stereo/video game cabinet now. I'm considering writing it up. Costs a fair bit, but instead of 116F inside there with the front panel cracked an inch, now it gets to 78F (67F ambient in the room) in there with the front panel completely closed. It's so much quieter now.
Why is everyone blaming the victim ? (Score:3, Interesting)
So the guy is wrong in suing MS, maybe. But somewhere I hope this will make the major manufacturers avoid selling crap they haven't properly tested first. [The following sentence is not flamebait so please] If they can actually sell a console that overheats in less than 20 minutes without knowing of the problem, it's scary to think how they handled their OS design, where flaws are less visible but can be just as bad.
Absurd (Score:3, Funny)
To be completely honest, I don't care if his xbox is freezing up from overheating, I don't recall microsoft promising that the xbox would not overheat, and there have yet to be any cases of the system starting a fire or some such thing, so If its not dangerous, then there is no legal case.
Every time someone bought a computer that overheated and shut down they could sue the computer company for damages? At the most, you deserve a new system, or to get yours repaired, and thats it.
I'll also add, that in my opinion, all the cases of xbox overheats are cuased by end-users that are not smart enough to keep it in a well ventilated place. It is an incredibly powerful computer dissipating several hundred watts of power. It is simply impossible for it to work in a closed cabinet, or if the power supply is set behind it wherein the xbox draws in hot air.
Sorry to go on a rant, and I'm not defending consumer electronics companies that send out flakey hardware, but you took a risk on buying one of the first units off the shelf, and regardless of whether or not it works you have no right to file litigation against the company. Get a refund for your box, i'm sure they'll be happy to give you one, and thats all.
Why I never became a millionaire... (Score:3, Funny)
This guy spent four days in front of his classic Xbox only stopping the game when his wrist had a fracture.
Man, if only I'd live in the United states and not in germany we would have gotten rich together. I would have made this a case to remember:
"Look at that sad man, no love, no job, no perspective and your freakin' large controller even ruined his gaming experience!". But well, in germany this gets you nowhere....
Looks like I gotta look for another way to cash in on other peoples misery... Any ideas welcome!
Let's be fair! (Score:5, Informative)
"""
Lets be fair here - i'm no fanboy, but even I have to admit its not just Microsoft.
Sega Genisis - Crashes games
SNES - at launch batteries were being drained faster from cartidge then supposed to (not sure what this means)
N64 - At launch wouldn't read some cartridges
PSOne - Wouldn't read some games, laser would lways fall out of alignment, and system would overheat
Dreamcast - Overheating
PS2 - Scratch the hell out of people's DVD Movies as well as some games, majority of systems at launch would overheat
XBox - Overheating problems on some systems
XBox 360 - CPU not functional, overheating, scratching disks
"""
Re:Let's be fair! (Score:3, Funny)
Hardware Defects (Score:3, Insightful)
I've had to deal with the microsoft hardware department a couple times myself for my mouse (plus a few times for work but I'll keep the corporate support seperate). Because of the way the cable was fed into the mouse it had a nasty habit of breaking the wires and causing the mouse to behave irratically. Both times I called them they sent me a brand new mouse, free of charge, and never asked for the old one back. The last times I even got one of the newer styles and haven't had a problem since. I've never had a hassle from them and never once thought about a lawsuit. From the sounds of it, their XBox support is about the same.
Anyone aware of the XBox or PS history should know that by buying the systems on the release date they are just asking for trouble. Best to wait for revision 2 or 3 to come around. Thats being said, I haven't heard the same about Nintendo and depending on price I will probably buy a Revolution as soon as it's out, but I also wouldn't be too upset if something like this happened then.
When you buy leading edge tech, you've essentially signed up to be unpaid testers. A lot of problems can only be discovered when you move from a few hundred test machines in controlled environments to thousands of machines out in the wild.
Glitch or Design Flaw??? (Score:5, Interesting)
"A Chicago man who bought Microsoft Corp.'s new
Xbox 360 has sued the world's largest software maker, saying the new video game console has a design flaw that causes it to overheat and freeze up...."
My car has a glitch/design flaw as well. If I start it and leave the keys in the ignition and then get out of my car and lock the doors, I can't get back into my car without modding my car's window or calling in "experts" (legally registered tax paying business, or the type registered by the sheriff's department).
I have a 360 and it does run hot....they need to have proper ventilation, probably more so than any other computer or A/V component I've ever owned. I'm not sure how well the manual states this as I never read them (hey this is
Now was it wise of MS/partners to design it this way (to run as hot as it does and require so much ventilation)? Who knows what their design specs say. But just image taking your tower PC, shrinking by a factor of 4-5 times and then cranking up the CPU/GPU full throttle and think about how much heat would be generated. I'm not saying it's an excuse, but owners of some of the new high powered high tech toys may need to be educated on how well this ptoys work as a space heater.
DAMN DUPLICATES! (Score:3, Funny)
oops... my bad. Not a dupe, that one was about the old XBox.........
The masses? (Score:4, Insightful)
The XBox360 itself does run very hot. Mine I keep in an open AV cabinet with plenty of ventilation and I keep the PSU in a cool area as well. The XBox360 itself is pretty much a super-charged PC in a space 1/10th a standard PC's size. So of course it's going to run hot, and people should take the proper measures.
The design of the XBox360 was one that had to meet a few goals.
1) Had to look cool
2) Had to be smaller or as small as original XBox
3) Had to have adequate cooling WHILE not producing excessive noise from fans and other cooling elements
So Microsoft had to compromise on #3. They had to have the fans run quiet enough so people wouldn't yell, "OMG, ITS TOO LOUD!".. yet have them run fast enough where people wouldn't yell "OMG, MY XBOX IS OVERHEATING NO MATTER WHAT!"
With any manufactured device, there are going to be failures, be it mechanical failure or failure due to the manufacturing process. I'm sure if someone wrote CNN every time one of their Hard Drives died, or every time they got a bad pixel on an LCD, you'd see many other CONSUMER ALERTS for MASS HARDWARE FAILURE, but you don't. Because we've all been using computers long enough to know that with anything, sometimes you just get a bum device and have to get a new one.
Why is the XBox360 different from other computer devices? Well, as I see it, two reasons:
Reason #1 -- It's Microsoft, easy target for hate from some people.
Reason #2 -- There's nothing we can do. The reason Intel doesn't get sued because their CPU's run too hot, is because as consumers we can crack open our case and swap out the cooling with a solution that better fits our needs. Unfortunately, we cannot do this with the XBox360 because there are no alternatives to the cooling and it would void your warranty.
What are we to do?
Well, personally, I haven't had a single issue with the Xbox360 that was worth even getting on the phone over. It has locked up twice, but this isn't the first time in my 24 years that a console game as locked up on me. I recall RC Pro-AM locking up on level 98 and almost having a stroke.
For those of you having issues, explore every option in making sure it's in the proper environment before immediately pointing to hardware defect. If this still doesn't work, just call Microsoft and open up an RMA. Their process takes no more than 4 days before you'll have a new Xbox360 in your hot little hands.
While I think the suit itself is dumb (Score:3, Insightful)
The major issues with the X-box 360 seem to be:
1) The power supply can overheat. It seems most often this is due to poor placement of the power supply. Still, no mention is made anywhere about this problem. So what happens when your average Joe Shmoe consumer or kid gets their Xbox 360 and runs into this problem or sets their carpet on fire because they aren't told in the packaging of a design flaw?
2) Some Xbox 360's just outright have crashing problems not related to the power supply. This seems to be more the case of first batch of a new generation hardware defects. These happen all the time and can't be helped. And when you ahve a low supply like the 360 has, these tend to be more glaring than they really are. This is just an issue of replacing the system for a non-defective one. It stinks, but it happens.
3) Moving the 360 from a horizontal to vertical position, or vice versa, while a disc is spinning will result in serious disc scratching. Now, we're all tech guys so this is sort of no-duh to us. I mean all our PC's and similar hardware all are mostly the same way for that style of drive loading. That said, again it is a case of your average Joe probably won't realize this. I mean the unit is advertised as being equally useful in both a vertical and horizontal position. Sooner or later some dude is going to either accidentally knock the xbox into horizontal position, or move his 360 while in a game and ruin a game disc. Accidents happen, but Microsoft, again, has not advertised that this can even happen. So design choice, flaw, or what have you, it's still their problem.
Again, I think the suit is dumb and either some guy is going after cash or he or someone who paid him has an anti-microsoft agenda. But that doesn't change the fact that the issues are there and MS at the very least needs to make a more concerted effort to at least tell it's consumers what isn't recommended to do to avoid these things happen. That's just common sense business ethics right there.
Re:now way (Score:5, Funny)
Bullshit (Score:3, Insightful)
-everphilski-
Re:A bit ironic (Score:3, Funny)
No see, we're boycotting Sony at the moment. We can't boycott them both without being hypocrites, we want at least one console...
</sarcasm>
Re:fp? (Score:3, Interesting)