XBox Red Ring of Death
Is it a plot by Sony or simply another glitch in a Microsoft design? We all grew accustomed to the Microsoft Windows “Blue Screen of Death” in the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s. Are we now going to accept the XBox 360 equivalent? At least Microsoft is acknowledging the error in their support site. Not only is Microsoft acknowledging it, the are reacting to it as well. In a move that will cost M$ over $1billion, they are extending the warranty on the 360 from 12 months to 3 years. If your 360 begins showing these symptoms, contact Microsoft support immediately to get it resolved. Or, if you don’t want to deal with support (even though you ARE still under warranty), you can try to fix it yourself. Warning: This fix for the XBox 360 red ring of death will definitely void your warranty.
This will undoubtedly cause many people to question the reliability and quality of the XBox 360 and possibly divert them to purchase the Sony Playstation 3. This, in conjunction with the rumors of Sony dropping the price of the PS3 next week, will surly hurt the Microsoft bottom line. If the rumor of the PS3 price drop is true, this could turn out to be the best Sony marketing move in years, if not ever.
Sony got beat in the 70’s with that whole VHS vs. BetaMax war, and never again became the dominant electronics figure that they were destined. Their similarities with Apple are amazing. Both companies have historically provided the superior product only to get out marketed by their rivals. This time, their rivals are the same; Microsoft - But the outcome may turn out to be completely different. Microsoft has a product that is getting a lot of press for it failing, while Sony is getting some press because it is considering lowering their consoles price.
Nothing is set in stone yet. The XBox 360 red ring may turn out to be less of an issue than what is in the press. Sony may decide to not lower the PS3 price (a move that would be monumentally stupid!). What I do know is this; my XBox 360 has worked great each and every time I attempted to use it and the game choices are top notch. I’m looking forward to the release of Mass Effect in a few months.
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Posted on July 7, 2007
By Jason Spence
Filed Under Entertainment |
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I was one to get an XBox 360 from the first release. I was happily playing on it for Christmas of ‘05. I have never had any real problems with it. I think its great that MS had increased their warranty, but I disagree with your likening the PS3 as a superior product to the 360.
I have played on the PS3 a few times, and I honestly don’t see much difference in terms of graphics (both were on an HDTV with 1080i). Where the 360 shines over the PS# (other than the obvious price difference), is that the 360’s controller is head and shoulders better than that cheap lightweight controller the PS3 has. When you lift the 360 controller it has “oomph” and “heft” in terms of weight. You feel like its a sturdy high-quality controller. When you pick up the PS3 controller it is abnormally lightweight. It feels like a cheap toy water-gun in terms of construction. I was afraid I might break it while I was playing. Also, the 360 controller is much more ergonomically designed for the hand. The PS3’s controller looks like they gave it no thought what-so-ever and it seems to be a rehash of the PS2 controller.