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Microsoft argues, though, that it warranty makes failures only a minor inconvenience

Last week, GameInformer released a survey of 5,000 gamers that claimed the Xbox 360 console had a failure rate of 54.2, and a secondary failure rate much higher than that of other consoles. The survey looked at the entire run of the Microsoft console -- so it isn't necessarily representative of Microsoft's latest less-failure-prone version of the console.

Microsoft has issued a statement about the report according to Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows. Interestingly, Microsoft does not deny that the failure rate is that high. It also does not deny claims that consoles frequently take a month or more to be fixed.

Writes Microsoft:

Microsoft stands behind the Xbox 360 as a superior entertainment console with one of the best warranties in the industry. We are constantly improving the design, manufacture and performance of the console through extensive testing of potential sources of any problems. Xbox 360 is pleased to maintain the title of 'most played console' and the vast majority of Xbox 360 customers have enjoyed a terrific gaming and entertainment experience since their first day, and continue to, day in and day out.

Microsoft's response boils down to two things. First, Microsoft argues that as its warranty covers many basic repairs, their console's quality problems aren't as a big an issue. Secondly, the statement references the numerous design improvements that Microsoft has rolled out since the console's introduction, including the Falcon platform, which included a 65 nm die shrink for the CPU, greatly reducing failure rates.

Fans of the Xbox 360 point to Microsoft's lower price than rival Sony as a key selling point. They also point out that the console's online network leads the industry and that the console boasts the highest attach rate (number of games bought per console) of the next generation consoles.

Detractors, however, point to the high failure rate and cases like one user who had eleven consoles fail on him. Thanks to their vocal criticism, the phrase RROD ("red ring of death") has entered gamers' colloquial vocabulary (when the Xbox 360 fails, three red LEDs light up, illuminating the ring-shaped power indicator red, hence the RROD).

Microsoft has reportedly spent over $1B USD to repair defective consoles, since the system's launch in November of 2005.

Stark wrote:This is really no shit. They had terrible hardware problems due to design errors for years, and second consoles were heavily re-furbs (with the same design flaws). It'd be far more meaningful to look at the reliability of the current hardware; everyone I know went through MANY (ie 3+, I went through 5) older 360s, but I've never heard of a Falcon-or-later version failing in the typical ways.

I mean the alternative is buying a PS3 and playing the no games?

[R_H] wrote: Incredible. IMO, Xbox Live Gold membership just increases the inconvenience (you've paid for access, even though you can't play).

Stark wrote:Besides nothing (arguably Infamous) what good games are on PS3 that aren't on 360? LOL

Stark wrote:It's amusing to think how much greater the 360 dominance would be without the stupid mistakes they made which led to reliability issues.

Vympel wrote:I'm going to say Gran Turismo, MGS4

Vympel wrote: Well despite the fact you don't think any games are any good, I'm going to say Gran Turismo, MGS4, Killzone 2 and Little Big Planet, for starters.

So you're wrong.

Stofsk wrote:Not to burst your bubble, but you seem to like Mass Effect a huge lot, and guess what platform it came out on originally...

Stark wrote:It's kinda funny that 360 was rushed to market to get there first (which paid off) but at the cost of terrible design flaws and a huge warranty bill... but the PS3 is a Sony 'we never learn' overengineered super-expensive waste when there isn't enough to choose between the two. If PS3 had really been dramatically technicalyl superior to 360 it might have been different but that might have just led to heaps of really disappointing ports to PS3 and it's a nightmare to port to already.

Losonti Tokash wrote:

[R_H] wrote: Incredible. IMO, Xbox Live Gold membership just increases the inconvenience (you've paid for access, even though you can't play).

When I got mine back, they gave me a card with a free month of Live and another one for 800 points?

Stark wrote:Besides nothing (arguably Infamous)

Vendetta wrote:

Stark wrote:Besides nothing (arguably Infamous)

Which is indistinguishable from Prototype anyway...