As we all know too well, the more powerful a console becomes the more things prone to going wrong can happen. And everybody knows what the "Red Ring of Death" means. But enough waxing.

My X-box 360 has died three times. What goes from being a First Gen model (a first release unit with a high failure rate), to being a repaired first gen which was finally replaced by Microsoft has now turned into an extended 3 year warrantee with an added bonus.

During my over the phone consultation with a living, breathing representative (not that automated Johnny Cab that answers the phone), my consultant inquired more into the power supply than anything despite the immediate fact of 3 red lights. As such the console was shipped back to them last friday

One week later (today), Microsoft has sent me a new box to replace my current problem ridden console however the box has some additional heft to it. To my surprise Microsoft included a brand new power supply, and even more to it, the cables are physically different as are the connection port to the transformer itself. The cord is thinner lower voltage line (defined by the lack of a ground fault in the plug end), and the connecting point to the Transformer is also adapted to the lower electrical draw. I'll add pictures later to help people distinguish this for themselves, but I believe this another means of addressing the console's life expectancy by changing its power supply's feed line.

I think this guy would disagree...just saw it today.

http://hawtymcbloggy.com/2008/02/28/anothe...d-by-microsoft/

If they cared that much they would've done some product testing in the first place, instead of rushing a defective console to market a year prior to their competitors. I've owned a lot of systems over the years, and I've never had a Nintendo, Sony, or Sega product crap out on me like that. My PS2's showing it's age, but it hasn't spontaneously combusted yet

Seriously. I would love to get a 360, but even if I had the cash I would be wary to get one, because it seems that all the consoles will brick at some point.

well my brother can tell you that this has been a random occurance, his is a second stock model and hasn't failed yet. Mine has just been the luck of over amping.

That is incorrect. Any X360 you'll find in stores that has an HDMI port(Except for the Elite model, which has always had an HDMI port. Check the manufacturing date on those. If it's before september/october, it's an RRD doomed unit) are using a new revision of the chipset which does not have the RRD syndrome. RRDs were being reported within the first days of the X360's release. I have not heard of a single RRD out of the new models. They've been in stores since september, IIRC, and MS does not make an X360 with the old chipset revision.

However, the fact is that MS shipped some 10 million X360s that will die. This is inexcusable. The fact that they are stepping up to rectify the problem is expected. If they hadn't, they would have basically killed the X360, and lost all credibility in gamers' eyes

Thanks for the clarification

IST, you are the most Outback person I know when it comes to next-gen console miscellanea, and I mean that as a compliment. I too would like to own a 360, but I honestly wouldn't have time to play it. The failure rate has also been a concern in the past, but I'm less worried now and I seem to have pretty good luck when it comes to these things.

My PS2's pretty long in the tooth, but it works almost as well as the day I got it, which is good because I mainly use it to play PS1 games and DVD's. From what I understand those are the first to go.

And yet my Wii, after one year and less than 100 hours of game time is suffering from the black dot syndrome...

My PS2 is going down the Blotter. Loading times are increasing very fast on PS2 games. It still plays DVDs. I use my PS1 to play PS1 games, so I dunno how well it plays those...

I must have the only launch date console that hasn't bricked up yet... the thing is I know if it goes RRD I'm screwed since my Limited edition Forza 2 my bonus cars are keyed to both the account and the console so when the console dies their goes all my games bonus content

Plenty of people still have launch 360s.

they are just on a timer that will go whenever.

My PS2 is nearly shot as well. It became my primary DVD player a few years ago, which (I'm guessing) fired mah lazer

That or the Sony drive in it is Powerglideing cheap ass.

The PS3 is a stellar media player, but the PS2's drive is just too frigging Blotty.