XBOX 360 - Black Screen of Death

quarryman

Seems the Wal-mart demo pods are overheating giving BSODs with an error message. Ah, just in time for the cold winter months ahead....



Xbox-scene article

kaisersose77

They have them on non-stop with no proper ventilation according to ppl working in walmart so its no suprise

Laguna

Argh, god!, well what do we expect with a machine running Windows!..:rolleyes:

aphex™

I had a mate who worked in a call center for Xbox when it first came out.

Naturally with anything new, the first models had a bunch of problems. Sure, an hour after the things were launched, in peoples homes, they were getting more milage then they ever did while under wraps and getting tested by Microsoft.

So problems were found. People had to wait a while to get fixes/replacements. Some alot longer than others.

But you know what? Thats what happens when you get something thats new [1st edition]. Happens with cars, consoles, cds everything.

My point is if you buy an Xbox on day one, chances are, its probably going to have problems. Its not going to be easy getting the thing fixed. You may be without your games/ console for a few weeks. So maybe, its not the best idea to get one on launch day.

Laguna

It's not always the case that something bought on day 1 is faulty, entirely depends on the ethics of the company.

I bought a Dreamcast (best console ever!) the day it came out in September '99, no problems.

I bought an N64 & Nintendo DS the days they came out, no problems.

I bought a PS2 and PSP the days they came out, nothing but problems.

Had no trouble with my Xbox so I'm hoping Microsoft understand the importance of keeping the new customers happy in the face of the PS3, that said though, look at the state they release every new operating system of theirs in.:(

KTRIC

I'm buying the Xb360 purely on the back of the Xbox, I had an Xbox for over a year and a half and I have to say out of all the gadgets I've ever bought (which has been alot) I got the best value for money and I never had any problems at all with it.

If the XB360 is anything like the Xbox then MS are on to a winner. And before I get any Fan-Boy remarks, I've owned a PS, PS2 and various Nintendo machines. Then only one I really had a complaint with was the PS2, my girlfreind was always complaining it was too noisey and she was right (for once !!).

aphex™

Laguna wrote:

It's not always the case that something bought on day 1 is faulty, entirely depends on the ethics of the company.

Maybe, but look at the statistics. Its almost 50/50 whether you're going to have probs or not. Nintendo had problems with the GBA when it came out.

And does microsoft have eithics? And people are going to bitch and moan and write to their TD when it comes out. And they should have known better.

And I'm not a fanboy or anyhting, it will be the same with the ps3. And I know why you're are buying a Xbox360 K-TRIC, i'm not saying the Xbox wasn't a good console. I'm saying if you buy one on launch day, it is more than likely to develop problems. Same as most things.

Wouldn't buy a new model car because its going to be in the garage half the time for the 1st six months. Whats the new Xbox going to be like?

Laguna

I can understand what you're saying Aphex, but I still stand by what I said.

When I found my PSP's screen was complete with 15 dead pixels, I rang the Sony hotline and they couldn't care less, couple that with the paragraph in the manual for the PSP that stated Sony don't regard dead pixels as faults. That smacks of a arrogant comapny to me, who know you're eager to buy their system regardless and are prepared to lower their quality control to fire out as many as possible (I eventually brought my faulty PSP back to the shop and after an immense row, I got a replacement, only to find MORE dead pixels). I won't even mention the state the PS2 was in when I bought it on launch day and the sheer doggedness of customer 'care' who would accept no responsibility (after my PSP fiasco coupled with my PS2 problems, I'll never buy another piece of Sony hardware again).

On the other hand, I've being buying Nintendo consoles since the NES, I've never had any problems with any of them and on the occasions I've had to ring up customer service, they were extremely pleasant and helpful (the Apple of the console word IMO)..

Microsoft, IMO, see the relevance of keeping a fan base happy with their new console, because if they fire out any old **** at the start, word of mouth will soon fly around, causing a negative image of a console they've just invested heavily into.

I know there's a risk anytime you buy anything new (i.e. first shipment), I'm just hoping Microsoft have got their act together like Nintendo have had theirs from the start..

aphex™

Laguna wrote:

Microsoft, IMO, see the relevance of keeping a fan base happy with their new console, because if they fire out any old **** at the start, word of mouth will soon fly around, causing a negative image of a console they've just invested heavily into.

I know there's a risk anytime you buy anything new (i.e. first shipment), I'm just hoping Microsoft have got their act together like Nintendo have had theirs from the start..

Nintendo always launches its consoles in other markets before they get here. By then, most big problems have been ironed out.

Its not about who is the nastiest company. Its about how much testing you can do before launch. If a million 360s are sold in the 1st week and played ten hours each, thats 10 million hours of testing, where problems could arise. Did microsoft do that much testing before Launch? They couldn't have, no matter how well meaning they were.

Launching accross the world at the same time is silly, because you' could have to spend €30 fixing every 360 in the world whereas you could just spend €30 on every one in N america if they were all broken (and they won't all have problems).

So there will be less money for free games to keep you happy if it breaks.

They might just say "from now on, every 360 sold is problem free", and could still be waiting for yours to be fixed. And i'd buy one then.

You're taking a risk with Microsoft. But you seem to be aware of the risk, which is good.

hutch

i'm all for reliability in my console and after having bought most consoles out since i was old enough to buy them i agree that nintendo have a great track record. wouldn't expect any problems with the revolution either. but i agree fully with laguna when he says that their is no worse company than sony to treat ya like a twat when you ring up with your inevitable psp,ps2 problem!!

take it from me lads(i work in a game shop). i get at least 1 or 2 people into my shop a day with their broken ps2. for every faulty xbox i get in i get about 20 - 30 faulty ps2's. no joke. i'm no fan of microsoft but they are very helpful if their is a problem with their xbox. should be the same with the 360 if they have problems....

projectmayhem

i had no issues with my ps2 for about 3-4 years and sony were great about fixing it up (even gave me a free game for my troubles). psp had dead pixels and that was replaced promptly (granted, by game, not sony). my xbox broke about 2 months after it was bought and microsoft were incredibly unwilling to help out. had to consult consumer affairs before they'd help

hutch

thats the first i've heard of anything like that projectmayhem. i don't know anyone thats had trouble with microsoft in relation to faulty xbox's..

aphex™

hutch wrote:

thats the first i've heard of anything like that projectmayhem. i don't know anyone thats had trouble with microsoft in relation to faulty xbox's..

Umm when they first came out there were tons of probs.. the same thing will probably happen again. History repeats.

steviec

This is going off topic but I also want to say that my PS2 gave trouble last Summer after many years of use and Sony were extremely helpful. They explained to me since it was out of warranty I could get it replaced for a nominal fee by going back to the shop I bought it in. So I went back to game, who told me that I was talking bollox and did nothing to help. Another call to Sony and they were very apologetic, and they got me a replacement by post.

Got a PSP on Japanese release, no problems. Got a DS on Japanese release, dead pixels, Nintendo refused to do anything. Nintendo's beloved 'good publicity' dead pixel policy only applies in America is what I was told.

Anyway off the point but it annoys me when people portray things based totally on their own experience when my own experience was the exact opposite. Maybe I'm the exception, but I can't say for sure. I'm not gonna say Nintendo don't have ethics just because they didn't help me with my one problem.

Back on topic, I'm assuming these display models aren't completely finalized firmware, and their also running 24/7 so it's probably not as bad as it seems. Can't say for sure till release though. If it's a widespread problem Microsoft will fix it as quickly as they can. Not because they have good ethics but because its bad business not to.

HomunQlus

quarryman wrote:

Seems the Wal-mart demo pods are overheating giving BSODs with an error message. Ah, just in time for the cold winter months ahead....



Xbox-scene article

Have you seen what's written directly under the screen?

"You're watching games in high-definition"

iregk

Its always the same though with any first batch. I usually wait a few months after a console release to get the 3rd or so gen with the bugs ironed out. You also get it cheaper!

Also, going back a good bit to the original PS days. I was working for IBM at the time and a mate of mine was on the helpdesk. He got a call from some guy with a playstation that was having troubles. When he told the guy it was IBM and nothing they could do he just said yeah no problem just thought i'd try you guys as you know about computers. Sony offered me even less help.

Great customer service that. Granted may well be a 1 off case, I have no personal experience of Sony customer service, or MS for that matter. My xbox has never faultered.

danniemcq

i want a blue screen dammit

projectmayhem

i want a linux penguin adorning the screen in hd dammit

lafors

quarryman wrote:

Seems the Wal-mart demo pods are overheating giving BSODs with an error message. Ah, just in time for the cold winter months ahead....



Xbox-scene article

No surprises there. The one I played was in a glass cabinet in a glass/plastic case, plus it was about a million degrees in there with all the electronic equipment going. Warm is an understatement!

aphex™

Lots of reports of crashes. linky

Bluehair

aphex&#8482 wrote:

Lots of reports of crashes. linky

Couldn't believe this :eek:

One guy even posted a video up of it happening to him while playing PGR3 (with his mate sarcastically in the background saying "didn't take long").

From a quick read of the linked forums it's not a few isolated cases either. Bloody MS :mad: I'd fully intended picking one up before Christmas but will now wait until the new year when they've sorted this out (and probably dropped the price...).

They really dropped the ball on this, a console crashing is unforgiveable..

projectmayhem

wonder what all the "bloody sony and their dead pixels" crowd will say.. crashing consoles is an awful lot worse

kaimera

overheating is looking like the cuplrit.

kaisersose77

projectmayhem you hate the xbox360/microsoft judging by previous posts, so why bother posting here? every post I have seen by you has being anti xbox pro sony but of course your not a sony fanboy.


Xbox-scene forums seem to be done atm, but theres a funny thread that probably sums up some of the americans with problems. One guy posted that smoke was coming from his xbox360 and his carpet was burned and that he was gonna ring microsoft ASAP to get them to replace it...............but he posted again a few hours later............he had a soldering iron plugged in beside his new xbox360 and forgot to turn it off..................

projectmayhem

kaisersose77 wrote:

projectmayhem you hate the xbox360/microsoft judging by previous posts, so why bother posting here? every post I have seen by you has being anti xbox pro sony but of course your not a sony fanboy.

wouldn't say i "hate xbox/microsoft", hell i gave them my money for an xbox... and will probably get a 360 at some stage.

and i never said i'm not a sony fanboy