Question to XBOX360 owners

I am looking to get one of these soon(maybe christmas) as I want to cover 360 gaming in my writing & with games like Fable 2 about.

Am just a bit concerned with the 'rings of death' - how many 360 owners here have had to replace their hardware?

I've had mine replaced once, nearly had the replacement model for a year now with no problems *touch wood*.

But I'm always on the alert because the three sodding rings of death could happen without caution, like it did with me last time.

Rest assured though, all XBox 360 models now come with a 3 year guarantee, when it breaks you contact Microsoft, and then they contact UPS, they're pretty quick with picking it up and it takes between 2 - 4 weeks for repaired or replacement console to arrive.

What I can say is that it's good value for money compaired to the PS3.  And look out for them exclusives! 

DM - I would have thought there would be more than enough on PS3 and PC for you to cover.  I wouldn't spread yourself too thin around the consoles.  I know from experience that trying to juggle too many pies ends up disastrously.

@JD - warning heeded

I only game on my PS3 now,as I don't get the same enjoyment from PC gaming as I did say 10 years ago.

I don't plan to go online with the 360 and only want it to cover exclusive titles like Gears of War & Fable 2 etc.

My main gaming will be PS3 gaming, have no doubt.

DM...........My lad has an X-box 360, and on Friday night it broke  he got these 'red lights' its not even a year old yet, (had it last Christmas) he's now using his old one again.

It has had an enormous amount of use, not that should make any difference.

I have found the receipt so am going to get in touch with the powers that be  pain in the arse though.

Apparently almost half of them have gone wrong.

It happened once with me, I sent it back and they replaced it. So I sold that one to get the Elite for a bigger HDD and HDMI. I think they made sure nothing was wrong with the Elites, someone correct me if I'm wrong though. Gears Of War 2 out on Friday

Firstly I have had 2 xbox 360's and touch wood neither have failed, positioning of the unit in a well ventilated area is the key, not on the floor of a bedroom as the carpet holds the heat and not in a video cabinet with lots of warm air from the Sky box and DVD player

The dreaded Red Ring of Death can be cured quite easily, the occurance is due to excessive heat in the processor due to bad design of the complete unit as there is no fan on the cpu or gpu so the unit relies on air passing through the many holes in the case. The new models all have a new processor which generates less heat.

Recently a Microsoft employee was sacked for releasing the actual failure rate inside the warranty period as 74% of units sold

The thermal paste on the cpu cracks and the clip holding the cpu in releases the pressure it was applying to the cpu, the heat then starts to deform the edges of the cpu and the pins pop out the motherboard. Its at this point you have a dead xbox.

The fix is available on the internet for a fee, (robbing b*s**r*s) however I have a document that explains how to complete the repair yourself should your machine be out of warranty and anyone who wants it can have a copy

All good stuff guys thanks for the insight. Will give it some more thought.

Im pretty sure the new 360s have updated motherboards which have ruled out the problem completely. Its worth the money for Fable 2 alone.

I've got the red ring of death twice now mate, my xbox is currently in Germany being repaired after finally getting through to Microsoft (who are the worse customer service people in the world!).

Your best off getting an elite mate (the black one) i hear theres not much problems with them and my old man has one and has had no problems yet...touch wood!

Decided to get the Elite 360 as a bundle deal with a new phone, I did this previously to gain a PS3.

Now all I have to do is decide how I'm going to fit it in with my other devices under TV ie PVR & PS3...

I believe that the replacement rate of xboxs is like 63% or something. With the new chips that are in the newer xboxs its meant to be about 10%. Still far too high though. I've replaced 1 so far.

Ive had my Xbox for about a year and havent had a ring of death.
Im thinking if you buy one now the newer models will have the problem sorted.

I've had mine three years not one problem. I use disc lens cleaner once a week and it is on top of my shelf.

Owner of a 360 now & have Left 4 Dead on preorder - fingers crossed I don't see any red rings!

Owner of a 360 now & have Left 4 Dead on preorder - fingers crossed I don't see any red rings!

An elite or Premium DM?

I suggest you invest in Gears 2 and Fable 2!

An elite or Premium DM?

I suggest you invest in Gears 2 and Fable 2!

Elite & yeah those 2 are also on my list

Elite & yeah those 2 are also on my list

You won't be disappointed

You won't be disappointed

Am impressed by the 360 so far, a friend lent me Gears of War until I get my first game(s). Added you as a friend paulrobbo.

Yeah Fable II is fantastic. Think my box is on the way out, its started crashing again and it ejects spinning discs aswell =(

Have had mine since Christmas, no problems, just keep it in a well ventilated area. My mate got the Rings of Death two weeks ago, but got a replacement within a week.
Once I get xboxlive, christmas hopefully, i might not be on here quite as much.

My lad is after a 360 for chrimbo and has asked can you play xbox games on the xbox360?

Simple answer is yes you can, there is a but though

but......only some titles work and the list which is still being added to can be found at the link below

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm


How cool I've just become Forum Barry Venison when posting a reply to Venison 86 (Scary Stuff, men in black and all that)