You can't really fault the Xbox 360 when it comes to software. Live is still the best online experience on a console, while achievements and gamerpoints (or their equivalent) will be on all consoles going forward. But, as any owner will tell you, the hardware is less impressive. And that's putting it mildly. I recently moved onto my fifth (!) Xbox 360 – not bad going for a console only released in 2005. RROD, display issues – I've had the lot. My PS3 and Wii are both still going strong, even if the latter is a little dusty these days. So the results of a recent survey that 60% of UK Xbox 360s have broken is not as surprising as it may sound. Yes, the survey is hardly scientific but judging by my experiences at least, the figures are probably not too far off.
Microsoft responded to the survey:
On July 5, 2007 Microsoft acknowledged an unacceptable number of repairs and took unprecedented steps to take care of all of our customers, providing a three year extended warranty on consoles experiencing the three flashing red lights error. We have continued to make improvements to the console and make customer service a top priority should someone require repair.
Again anecdotally, friends have reported that the repair service is much faster than it used to be. It took 18 months after launch but Microsoft did finally acknowledge they had hardware issues with the 360. The good news for Microsoft is that the 360 is selling well despite the problems. You can't help think that if the PS3 had suffered like this - at least in the early days when Sony's console was over priced and under-gamed - then gamers would be less forgiving.
So, Xbox 360 owners – how many broken consoles have you had? And do the 360 hardware problems make the PS3 more tempting? Or are friends lists, Live and those hard-earned gamerpoints just too much to give up?
