Well, my third Xbox 360 since I got one for Christmas last year is on its way!
The first one, within a few weeks, started freezing up constantly and I had to send it in. They sent me a replacement.
The second one had a problem with the disc reader, it was having disc read errors more and more often with every disc I tried to play, even brand new discs right out of the box. I’ve been putting up with it a couple months but it got to the point that I was sitting there opening and closing the tray 8-10 times in order to get the disc to read properly. So I sent it in last week and I just got word that my third console is being shipped out to me.
On the one hand, I’m pissed as hell that their hardware is so unbelievably shitty. My anger is partially placated, however, by the fact that the process for getting a console under warranty repaired/replaced is pretty easy, and the turnaround is as fast as can be reasonably expected.
But the real torture is in the fact that when it actually works, the Xbox is pretty fun. (plus it happens to be the only DVD player I have) So I will put up with some hassle to get one in working condition. And I’ve been kinda bored lately without it. Sure I’ve been fairly productive: looking for jobs, learning new software, reading books etc. But in order to relax sometimes I just wanna blow shit up, and normally that results in multiple felony charges…
I had one that lasted me 2.5 years. I traded it to someone on craigslist for a PS3. Loved that machine, it was just time to move on to new console-exclusive titles.
How do you store your unit - vertical or horizontal?
The first one I stored vertical, and that was the one that only lasted a few weeks. So I stored the second one horizontal and it lasted a few months. Guess horizontal is better then?
Ventilation should be fine - I have it elevated and there’s enough space/air around it. I think it just failed due to the hardware being a piece of shit. I’ve heard so many stories of 360s failing that I think you’re just an unusually lucky case to have one last for so long.
Six. Including one time where, after fixing a red ring of death, the returned console wouldn’t open its disc tray because they hadn’t properly secured a wire inside of it, and it was blocking the tray. The fourth time it failed, I gave up and just bought a new one, figuring that the first XBox was never going to be properly repaired. A few days later, I decided, “Fuck it” and sent it in for repair anyway, since it was still under warranty. So now I’ve got two 360s. The newer one hasn’t failed yet (knock on wood). I keep the other in the bedroom, in case I feel like watching a movie in bed. I use that one infrequently enough that it hasn’t had a chance to fail a fifth time.
Had my 360 since just after Thanksgiving last year, haven’t had any real problems yet knock wood
Never had a problem with my original X-box, and it’s from the time of the system launch. Those things were a lot better built than the 360.
My PS2 on the other hand… man, what a piece of shit. I really should just give in and buy a PStwo to replace it. I had to buy a PSone to replace my PSX, too.
The newer xboxes have a reputation for being extremely dependable. The older ones have a really bad “piece of shit” reputation, but not because of any of the problems you were mentioning.
I think you’ve had a bit of extremely bad luck. My first xbox lasted for 2 years before it had the hardware failure ring of death (the issue which gave xbox 360 a bad reputation). My replacement xbox has been working flawlessly since I got it.
MY first one lasted 7 months, my second one is a year old, but I barely touched it since I got it back. This whole RROD thingy has really put me off it. The last console I bought that wasn’t a complete technical or commercial failure was the Sega Mega Drive :smack:
Oh, man. I’ve been waiting for a thread like this.
That this machine is so flippin’ unreliable that it’s normal to have to get it fixed repeatedly was the absolute, stone cold, 100 megaton payload dealbreaker for me. In EVERY other aspect, it absolutely blows the PS3 out of the water. Much better variety of games? Check. Costs a lot less, both the system itself and the numerous periperhals? Check. Peripherals work with more games? Check. Accessories a lot easier to find? Check. More options, better replay value, more thriving network? Ohhh yeah.
I gotta ask, is it really that hard to build a gaming system that won’t break down? And even if it does cost a lot, isn’t it worth it? You’d think Microsoft, of all companies, would spare no expense.
By all reports, the new iteration of the box doesn’t really have any issues. So if you can be sure of getting a “Jasper” build (there’s an article on the subject on AnandTech) then you should be able to pretty much set your fears out to pasture.
