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[troushers]

Is it really that impressive that only 3.8% said they'd never buy another X Box becuase of unreliability? I can concieve of several reasons why that might be low - not least of all because you still have 1 or 2 console's worth of games and peripherals that you either sell at a loss, or suck it up and replace the machine.

I think it's presumption to suggest that such a low percentage means X Box owners are tolerant of such awful hardware failure.

Other than this, the survey size is only relevant if the survey sample itself is indicative of the population as a whole. If the sample is a relevant one, then it should be possible to demonstrate this by looking at the demographics that were sampled and comparing them to the gamng population as a whole. It looks like this wasn't done, so I'd say there was significant lack of certainty in the 54%. But I doubt it would reach the 3% suggested by reps.

Out of interest: how do hardware failure rates affect reported console sales figures? Is it true MS reports its figures as units shipped rather than sold?

 

[leng jai]

I must be really lucky. I've had a launch 20GB for 2.5 years and an Elite for 8 months and they both are still fine.

 

[LosDaddie]

54% sounds about right. Despite what some will claim, the new(er) X360 models are far more reliable and, thus, bring down the overall failure rate.

I'm on X360 #4, but I "only" paid for one warranty. MS has just keeps repairing my RROD'd units.

Still, I'm going to buy the next Xbox. (The X360 is my favorite, most-played (by far) console this gen.) Just not until I can walk into a Costco (or Best Buy) and pick one off the shelf. No day1-camping-out bullshit next gen.

 

[Ptaaty]

I am right at that rate. One of my 2 failed. Its replacement has been bulletproof though. And mine get used a TON. Between myself, my fiancee and her daughter, 1000+hours.

This week I left mine enclosed in a small space (forgot to open the door) for an entire movie. I was getting pissed because it was so damn loud. Yes it is always louder than I would like but the thing was hot to the touch when I realized it was loud because of the fans desperately trying to cool in a mini oven

Where MS dropped the ball IMO is not so much in the rush to market (they took a risk and I think it paid off). Yep they had the high failure rate on the initial run....but where they really screwed up is the half ass refurb system which caused those with one return to be very likely to get more of them. Of course it took them far too long to correct the issue in the design as well.

Still I will buy the next xbox, and if one of mine craps out and not in warranty I would buy another without hesitation. My Wii collects dust, the PS3 is used just a fraction.

 

[Dyno]

My launch 360 is still going strong and I've logged hundreds and hundreds of hours on it.

My launch PS3 conched out (though it got repaired quite easily.)

 

[Parl]

The absurdely large numbers are maybe heavily skewed because of the attributes of the participants of this survey. They're likely to be more 'dedicated' than the average user, and thus more likely to cause RRoD on their 360 down to playing their systems more than the average user.

The same applies across all systems, but the weaker the system, the quicker the percentages of broken systems rises among the pool surveyed. So this has a likely bias against the 360.

However, it seems widely accepted that the 360 failures are far more common than PS3 and Wii ones, though probably not by this much.

The actual breakdown rates for Wii and PS3 are probably lower too.

Also, the vocal minority affect may also cause some bias too. Similar to how some people often only rate a product on the internet if they've had a particularly unpleasant experience with it.

 

[Future PhaZe]

Is it really that impressive that only 3.8% said they'd never buy another X Box becuase of unreliability? I can concieve of several reasons why that might be low - not least of all because you still have 1 or 2 console's worth of games and peripherals that you either sell at a loss, or suck it up and replace the machine.

I think it's presumption to suggest that such a low percentage means X Box owners are tolerant of such awful hardware failure.

Considering that they pretty much always fix it for free its hard to tell them to fuck off and take a wad of money to get a PS3. Pretty much everyone hates it, but the console is great enough when working for everyone to pretty much have to bite their tongue about the situation. I also believe the number, these things are ticking timebombs.

 

[The Stig]

Too low, 100% failure on pre-jasper consoles.

That's right.

I've owned nearly every console since the Master System. I have never had ONE fail on me (yes even PS2!). I am a collector and treat my equipment like glass.

I'm on my 4th 360. My brother-in law is on his 3rd.

I also worked in a lcoal video game store up until recently.



Anything made before Jasper or Falcon (the new chipsets) always failed. Out customers would come back with them asking what to do. Luckily they're a call away from a replacement but it made us look bad. Screw Microsoft.

Anything made before those new chipsets operating in a room that isn't freezing will eventually fail. In my experience it is a guarantee.

 

[Markster]

The fact that out only one post in this entire thread has referenced the fact that this is a self-selected survey is very unfortunate.

No survey has any validity if the sample is self-selected.

Not to mention that a survey of gamer nerds is far more likely to be full of immature people who consider it fun to troll the survey by lying.

Pretty much the only conclusion that this survey can actually be determined to give is that the Xbox is probably more error prone than the other two, but that can't even be known for sure.

 

[Philthy]

Seriously this just shows how much certain people like being doormats. MS should consider themselves lucky they haven't been rebranded as producers of junk.

I'm going to have to say that the competition just isn't there, and this is why people feel this way. Yes, I own a PS3, but if my 360 died again, I would go buy another. All my friends are on the 360, I have a gamer score, and I obviously own enough games that I would still want to play. Not buying another 360 isn't going to magically teleport all my friends and progress I made on the 360 over to the PS3.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

I know the reliability issue is my #1 barrier to re-buying a 360. Two dead 360s, that was it for me.

 

[X26]

Had my first die on me, first time I've ever had a console die on me and found it ridiculous. If it wasn't for the fact that the first one was one I won free of charge, I wouldn't even have considered buying one to replace it.

 

[Gattsu25]

Welp, let's hope the next round of hardware is rock solid like the OG Xbox.

The Thompson DVD drive was a fucking mess and it could start damn fires

Had my first die on me, first time I've ever had a console die on me and found it ridiculous. If it wasn't for the fact that the first one was one I won free of charge, I wouldn't even have considered buying one to replace it.

ONLY because your first was a freeby will I let that slide. I honestly consider the people who buy another console to replace a defective one (they also paid for) to be idiots of the highest fucking order.

 

[charlequin]

That's insane, all of them are above the industry standard of 5%.

5% is only an "industry standard" failure rate in the dreams of electronics manufacturers. :lol This study, for example, suggests rates of 15%+ for almost all consumer electronics over a four-year window (i.e. less than the expected lifespan of a game console.)

Xbox 360 54% failure rate? No. Just no. Granted, I won't be getting a 360 due to its lack of reliability, but I know I would have better than 50% of getting one that worked.

Doesn't necessarily follow. The 3-year-horizon failure rate on launch units could easily be 90% or something, which would counterbalance the more normal failure rate of the current systems.

5000 people survey is pretty high, too. You would actually need way less people to achieve a representative result.

If you had a properly selected random sample, but since this is just a random shits-and-giggles reader survey of GI and not a poll intended to accurately measure something they instead had a self-selecting group that could have introduced selection bias in either direction on the numbers.

 

[Sonos]

I know the reliability issue is my #1 barrier to re-buying a 360. Two dead 360s, that was it for me.

why didnt you just get a new refurb for free?

 

[inner-G]

why didnt you just get a new refurb for free?

If you import or do something to void the warranty, that's not really an option.

 

[rpmurphy]

Regardless of 360 reliability, the survey is so shoddy on multiple levels. Kinda reflective of the quality of GI. :lol

 

[Sonos]

If you import or do something to void the warranty, that's not really an option.

right but it also against ms's TOS so its none of MS's concern. I'm sure they want to support modders but owait they dont.

 

[Choke on the Magic]

They must have specific days set up for console bashing. :lol

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/game-informer-over-half-of-xbox-360s-break/1344084

 

[Darkatomz]

If you're playing any console 3-5 hours/day, every day, it will break. Hell, my Wii broke in June since it was a launch purchase and I would play the shit out of it. I've had my 360 since Aug. 2007 and it still works perfectly. (knock on wood)

Launch 60gb PS3. During the school year, I leave it on Folding@Home for months at a time, straight (assuming I'm not playing something on it). Still works the same way it did when I first plugged it in. Pretty sure a lot of my friends went through a few 360's in the span that I've had this thing.

 

[Screaming Fist]

And a high 360 failure rate is news because.........? Everyone I know is on at LEAST a second 360. PoS =\

 

[mujun]

Launch 60gb PS3. During the school year, I leave it on Folding@Home for months at a time, straight (assuming I'm not playing something on it). Still works the same way it did when I first plugged it in. Pretty sure a lot of my friends went through a few 360's in the span that I've had this thing.

Anecdotal, sort of like the way I've got two 360s, both of which have only busted once each despite the fact they get 3-5 hours a day everyday whilst my PS3 which has spent most of it's life collecting dust has busted twice and unlike my 360 cost me $100 one time and was going to cost me $100 the other except I chewed the support people out and got it for free.

 

[Solsc]

This survey should be void. The survey size is big enough but the its not a random sample. Taking a survey from people that subscribe to Game Informer aka most likely hardcore gamers who play there console more then an average owner is not a random sample which is required for this kind of survey to work.

 

[Fox Mulder]

That was a problem with the cord, not the system. And it's "tendency" to catch fire was remarkably low.

No it wasn't. The power supply was the problem, at the AC connector where you plugged the cord into. It suffered from a well known MS pal, cheap solder. MS fixed it in later versions of the console, so they were aware of the problem.

And while it may have burst into flames only a few times, the actual threat was serious enough for MS to issue the recall for 14 million consoles. The replacement cords just tripped off the power so the only damage done was to the console, not your whole house burning down.