Xbox 360's red ring of death is dead
360 slim announces hardware faults with red dot instead
The so-called red ring of death, the infamous sign of a permanent hardware failure in an Xbox 360, is no more. Microsoft has elected not to include the warning feature in its new slimline version of the console.
No doubt Microsoft is hoping the 17% slimmer and cooler-running new model spells an end to the notorious fault that has seen thousands of Xbox 360s returned and replaced.
"Obviously if you look at the success rate of the original 360s, we're very proud of both the way the company stepped up to support the customers that we had as well as the success rate we have with the box today," said Microsoft Game Studios’ corporate VP Phil Spencer in an interview with IGN. "I think we've learned a lot. That learning has gone into the development of this new box.
"Now obviously, the box has a way to communicate to you if something has happened but yes, three red lights are not part of our sequence of telling somebody something is wrong."
However, while the three red lights are gone for good, the slim 360 does include a new failure notification. Gaming site Kotaku has established that the small green dot in the centre of the power button will turn, yes, red if the console encounters a fatal error.
"Obviously if you look at the success rate of the original 360s, we're very proud of the way the company stepped up to support the customers that we had"
That's an interesting way of spinning it. Didn't they deny there even was an issue for several months after launch, until leaks and the sheer scale of the problem forced them to extend their warranty period?
To be fair, their customer service and hardware quality have both improved markedly over the last few years, and the fact that their customers have been so loyal despite the early hardware issues shows the console has a lot going for it, but I wouldn't say their actions immediately following the Xbox 360's launch were anything to be proud of.
I appreciate games journalists don't want to bite the hands that feed them, but sometimes I wish they'd be more robust with their questioning when interviewees come out with blatant nonsense like this...
Edited 1 times. Last edit by John Bye on 18th June 2010 12:43pm
Posted:2 years ago