@Aellus: I also haven't had problems with mine in years of service. Squeaky wheels make more noise but there are plenty of us happy XBOXers.

The Lab

Really though? As an experienced overclocker, its not often that memory heat is the problem, its timing issues and running at too high of speeds that causes problems.

That being said though, sometimes other parts create weird ass heat dissipation into the pcb. If something else was heating the shit out of the memory chips, then I suppose it is a valid solution.

Log1c

@Aellus: now that you are out of the warranty period, it is sure to fail any day ;)

MrBlahBlah

DAMN IT. I just got my 360 for Christmas to. Why couldn't they release it then.

tekman94

@Aellus: Wow! Every friend of mine or family member that owns a 360 has had to send it in. You are so lucky.

Phate

I'm fortunate, I've had my original standard 360 since launch night with 0 problems, no errors, no RRoD, nothing wrong with it. This is what... almost 3 years now?

Clearly there are problems with the system, but its not all bad. There are some out there that work :)

Aellus

So if I have a 360 that I frikken hate cuz it gives me error E74 like two dozen times everytime I start it up (A/V Cable Error), and then I have to eject/reinsert GoW like a dozen times before the xbox will read it as a game instead of a DVD (I love the irony of the "Please insert this disk into an Xbox console" error message, farking M$!)

Which of the upcoming versions is going to be most stable, I really don't care about how fast it is so long as it will play the games adequately and not give me three dozen errors every time I try to start it up...

Fortunately no full blown RRoD...

bpapa9013

Well, it only took 3 years to get it right. I'm on my 3rd 360; RROD got me twice. When the 2nd box died, I started counting pennies to buy a PS3. Kinda ironic too since the whole reason I bought the original xbox was because my PS2's kept getting disc errors.

v0ice

I just got a refurbished one back after my forth broken 360. Any word on if they are giving out better 360s as refurbished ones yet?

Phate

Wonder why it took Microsoft so long to implement a "documented" problem...?
Anyway, nice find Ben Heck! And cheers for finally fixing it Microsoft!

Tony C

I hope this does help lower the failure rates. But I am continually baffled by the number of people who said they've had multiple failures. I've had the same 360 since two months after launch and the damn thing is a workhorse (no issues at all - and I use it all the time).

Are there other environmental factors at play? Seems everyone online who says they have multiple failures also says everyone they know has had multiple failures. My real-life experience is I don't personally know anyone who's had a RROD experience. They're like jackalopes to me.

I've got to give credit to Sony, b/c my PS3 is a very nice piece of hardware and you hear very few reports of them going tits up. I honestly can't tell you if my Wii still works as I've not turned the stupid thing on in about 6 months.

THLinTX

I've fixed a large number of RROD boxes for people, it only costs me about $2 and 1 1/2 hours. Some have been fixed for over 18 months now. Not once did I tamper with the memory chips, but instead with the xclamps. SO it boggles the brain to see them still using these xclamps on the newer models. But at the same time, I guess it will help to guarantee me future business. Thanks Microsoft!

faabshaam

@Aellus: Totally jinxed yourself, dude.

jibbly

So when is the actual one-chip solution supposed to show up? Do analysts think its part of the current line of Xbox360s?

Or will it be more like the PS2-Slim, a cost reduced version at the tail end of the life cycle?

dogcow

I have one of the original 360s which i bought use from a friend.. Still working. modded and fine. I hope it stays like this. My friend bought a modded one of craiglist and in 2 months it finally does RRoD....
His will work for a few minute but then give him the RRoD then he has to turn off.. but he can turn on later and it work again.. for a few minutes.. anybody have good solution? beside wrapping it in a tower and bake it..

johnyeros

They do test them now. Every 360 keeps a log file that tells them for sure if the 3 lights have ever gone off. When you call now they tell you they will test them also. I just did it.

Phate

I'm still waiting for the newer, smaller manufacturing process. But by then they'll probably have announced a new console :P

As a side note...
One day I was playing on my 360 and all of a sudden the display got corrupted. I could still hear sound, and all of my controls were still working. I called up Microsoft and they said I was out of the warranty period... so I just told them I was "intermittently getting the 3 red rings". They ended up fixing the thing for me for free, although it took like a month.

I had only gotten the RROD once or twice and it went away... but I told them it was kind of random when I got it and they fixed it anyway, even though they had no way to test it. If you tell them that I'm sure any of you that have problems that are not the RROD can just send it in and get it fixed like I did.

Brian

KStrike155

Does this unit's DVD drive still sound like a lawnmower? None of my AV components makes a noise EXCEPT the 360.

SigmundTheSeaMonster

My launch console finally kicked off. 2 years and 8 months of solid service. Its replacement is already on its way back. The only real wait in service is with UPS transit.

Messer

My 360 had a RRoD once. I was ready to send it back but realized I left a game in it... so I hooked it back up, turned it on to take the game out and it didn't red ring. It has worked fine ever since. I'm always a little scared that when I turn it back on it's gonna red ring, but so far it hasn't. This was about 6 months ago.

falandil

@Aellus: Same here, and only one person I know who has bought one in the last 3 years has had to send it back (out of somewhere around 20 consoles). In fact, I know of more people who have had problems with PS3s than 360, about 20% of PS3 owners I know have had issues with controllers or firmware updates (3 of which can't use their console because of a botched update)

Posavoie

Of all the people that I personally know who have a 360, all but one (who bought his this year) has RRoD'd. I know 1 person that had a Blu-ray drive reading problem on his PS3, and he's sending his back today. I know of one other person who had "overheating" problems with his PS3, but he bought one of those intercoolers for it, and I frankly think he 's an idiot anyway, and I believe he got a new one fo' free. Also, I don't know of anyone personally whose PS3 was bricked by a firmware update, I've somehow managed to come out unscathed with getting the updates as soon as they are available (not the brightest thing, I know, but I was a victim of timing).

Pander

After my fourth 360 in less than a year, I gave up and sold it on Craigslist. The problem was once you send in your unit, they would send you a different refurbished unit, with more problems than the first one. One even came inoperable out of the box. Loved the game, but I couldn't take the failure rate.

Spideyrex

After my first 360 died from RRoD, I got a second one sent to me. It hasn't RRoD yet, but I do get a lot of "disc unreadable" errors. Highly annoying.

Shabbis

Still amazed that people would get a new xbox instead of spending $2 or $3 to fix the old one. If you visit this page often, chances are good that you could handle replacing some thermal paste and some kraptastic xclamps.

faabshaam

So it took Microsoft 3 years to figure out that there was a problem in their hardware design? Guess that goes to show what that piece of crap is worth.

somebody-else

@faabshaam: So... what's the $2 fix?

unspellable

@THLinTX: that must be it! no one I know has had a RROD and I haven't gotten it either. Maybe the RROD is contagious! Stay away you other Xbox people!!!

poorGeek

It kinda sucks that people have to choose consoles based on reliability..

I never heard of someone whose Super Nintendo, N64, or even Playstation 1 or 2 was broken by such a common issue. Hope the generation of consoles after this does a much better job.

aR-Tard

@v0ice: The original playstation and PS2 both had problems with the disk reader I thought Sony even admitted it with the original but the disk readers burn out after a few years

I WAS Totally happy with my 360...until today just got the RRoD...it is rather depressing. The Cumstomer Support rep sounded like a giggly little school girl but she was extremely helpful. But now I'm laid up in bed from surgery with nothing to do...

GhandeezWarPath

@THLinTX:

Me too. I have had mine since launch, not one problem..except it is LOUD!

I have several friends that have Xboxs and their kids abuse them and not ONE SINGLE problem?

Yet all I read is...I've had 17 Xbox 360s and my friends have RROD 14 times each also so many times it is like the boy that cried wolf.

I would venture to guess that 90% of the issues are USER caused.(putting it in a unventilated/poorly space)

Issues? Sure, as bad as the squeeky wheels (sorry not buying it)

Serioulsy my friend had to return 7 iPhones when they first came out...I had to return mine after 4 months. Still love the phone, but I don't go on every message board spouting off about the RROD on iPhones.

It is just the MS haters....Sony/Apple fanboys.(I hope they have lots of stock?) I don't get it.

@aR-Tard:

UUUhh you never heard of PS1 or PS2 problems? Seriously?

max11221

got mine at launch and I have never had a single problem with it.

taftsearlobe33

@unspellable: It's called the X-Clamp fix for the 360 RROD problems. Google it my friend.

iCanhasLs2plz

@jibbly:
Funny you should mention that. I have an original 360 as well. I started getting freezing with GTIV (release week), and was saying how I never got the RROD, and right after I completed GTIV, my 360 died... RROD of course - which MS fixed free, but it took about 3 weeks for the unit to get back to me. Oddly enough, that started me on an unbroken string of PS3 purchases, and I haven't bought a 360 game since then.

Geraldo

I'm just waiting for my 3rd 360, after another RROD. The courier worker told me she sees 50 returns a week.

MonroeFazules