Im afraid to invest in my XBox360

[ReaXan]

I have never been a heavy collector of games but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express.

Ok sorry for the bad joke,but I need some serious input on what I should do.

I just got back my friends xbox360 for him and he traded it to me for an older computer of mine, The console itself has been kept in good condition exept for the original hard drive going out and having to be replaced.The console's born on date is 4-14-06 and still has the silver disk drive open button unlike the white newer one.

I am really afraid to invest in it because i hear so much about overheating and that their is a 3 year warranty now on it.I dont wanna invest in alot of games and it go dead in like 4 or 5 months.

My question is,My friend doesnt have the original reciete and didnt buy a warranty, but can I still purchase a warranty on it?. It hasnt been opened or modded at all,so its still xbox live friendly.Should I buy those fans you see at gamestop to keep it cool?

[gepeto]

Get the games enjoy the system you have 2yrs left on the warranty. Don't deprive yourself. After 2 yrs the price will probably be dropped to where you can get another on. A revised model no less. I didn't have a receipt. The date I believe covers that.

[ReaXan]

I didn't have a receipt. The date I believe covers that.

so If the Ring of Death comes up they will fix it for free?

[pookninja]

so If the Ring of Death comes up they will fix it for free?

yep,and you dont need the receipt.i just had to get my 360 repaired,got a fixed system back in three weeks.

[ReaXan]

yep,and you dont need the receipt.i just had to get my 360 repaired,got a fixed system back in three weeks.

ok I dont have a warranty either,does that matter and can you purchase one after the fact

[heybtbm]

ok I dont have a warranty either,does that matter and can you purchase one after the fact

The Microsoft "warranty" is 1 year. It covers everything that could go wrong with the 360.

The warranty for the RRoD (which is what most 360's eventually succumb to) is automatically 3 years from the purchase date. They don't need a receipt or proof of purchase. They can determine the manufactured date by the 360's serial number. If the console gets the three red rings, just call up MS and have them send you a box. It couldn't be any easier.

You can even check on the status of your repair at xbox.com.

I should add that Microsoft has stopped repairing 360's that you send and simply sending you a refurbished unit. They give you an additional 1 year warranty. It sucks to be without your console for 3 weeks, but they do go out of their way to make things right.

[smork]

Life's too short to worry about your 360. Get some great games, enjoy it while you can. If it lasts, great. If not, deal with it then.

It's like a girlfriend. You can't worry about what might happen in the future, just enjoy the present and hope for the best.

[Oobgarm]

Avoid the fan thing you were talking about. It can kill your machine.

Don't let the stories you've heard scare you. There have been more people without a problem than those who've had problems. And you're covered.

So go nuts.

[blissfulnoise]

Had mine since launch. Zero issues. Enjoy it; there are some fantastic games out there.

What's the alternative? Let it sit on a shelf?

[FAMOUS]

Have had mine a month after launch, no problems, except amazing graphics... oh well ill deal with it..

[geneshifter]

Don't worry about it. Personally, I had an elite but the thing started to freeze up on me and I knew it was just a matter of time so I sold it. I'm waiting for the revised hardware coming between now and Q1 2008. After that, I'll feel comfortable buying a 360 again.

You can also just buy one now as long as you know that it WILL die within 2 years and you'll have to trade it up. The good news is that you'll trade up and likely get the new hardware.

My feeling is that MS did the 3-year warranty for precisely this reason: many people with existing machines will be fixed as they send in their boxes for the new hardware. I guess they assume that after 3 years, everyone should be fixed up. Of course, by then, a new xbox will be on the horizon probably. This is why you shouldn't worry about it. Just get one and enjoy it if you're willing to deal with MS customer support in the near future.

[Oobgarm]

I love it when I make a posting mistake.

[UniHamachi]

So... if you think some of these replies and rationalizations are just NUTS, you are a flammer. So, call me what you will, but I have to respond:

I just gotta say -- some of the responses boggle my mind. Selling off knowingly defective goods to recoup costs? Planning on having a temporary (2 year) gaming system for $350? MS ships out a run of consoles where 1 in 3 die, but they will "do you right by you" when then brick? They knew at launch that this was an extensive issue. If they wanted to do right by the consumer, they should have recalled the units and replced them. Period, end of sentence.

I would NEVER buy a console with this kind of track record, especially in light of the insane failure rate. But then again, I must be a Nintendo or Sony Fanboy, right?

Crazy.

[YoshiM]

I just gotta say -- some of the responses boggle my mind. Selling off knowingly defective goods to recoup costs?

If it's already defective and you trade it in to a Gamestop, you're right, I can't believe people can sleep at night when they do that. Even worse SELLING the unit outright to some poor schmuck.

Planning on having a temporary (2 year) gaming system for $350? MS ships out a run of consoles where 1 in 3 die, but they will "do you right by you" when then brick? They knew at launch that this was an extensive issue. If they wanted to do right by the consumer, they should have recalled the units and replced them. Period, end of sentence.

Well, this is where things get a bit different. Yes there's the POSSIBILITY of your system dying. That's the chance you take with a piece of consumer electronics. That's why there are warranties. It sucks all the 360s sold at launch will get the RROD but the purchaser kinda has to weigh in the value-how many hours of fun did they have? And if it does get the ring, Microsoft will replace your system, so you lose some next gen fun for a while. Other than that possible lost time, how does the purchaser lose?

As for the recall comment-recalls are generally reserved for health/safety concerns. It would be financial suicide for a company to recall ALL of the 360's, even for Microsoft. Not to mention the repair nightmare it would be at the MS service centers. But in this case they extend the warranty for this problem, fix what they get and move on. It's more financially sound, people get their machines back in a somewhat reasonable amount of time, and we move on.

I would NEVER buy a console with this kind of track record, especially in light of the insane failure rate. But then again, I must be a Nintendo or Sony Fanboy, right?

Well there are people like that. Wade through the dreck that is the IGN boards and you'll see. It's understandable why you wouldn't buy one, and that's your choice. As long as you aren't calling out the Xbox owners and calling them idiots or something.

[Anthony1]

I just bought a guys dead 360 for $185. It included the hard drive, wireless controller, HD cables and power supply. The guy just didn't want to send it to Microsoft again. Apparently, he already had a 3RROD, and had shipped his console to MS, and then they shipped this one back. He said it worked for one week, then 3RROD again. I had no problem buying it, cause I can easily wait the 4 or 5 weeks for Microsoft to fix it and get it back to me.

The great thing with Microsoft and the 360, is that they don't require the receipt, and the warranties are totally transferable, unlike Sony. Buying a used PS3 is risky business, cause if anything goes wrong, you are screwed. The warranties aren't transferable, and you also need to have the receipt. Microsoft has such a ridiculous failure rate, that they just aren't in a position to require the receipt, and require that you be the original owner. They know that people will buy them used off Ebay and Craigslist, and those people will get the 3RROD, and if they don't take care of those customers, then they will have a public relations nightmare, so they gotta cover em. Sony's failure rate is dramatcially less, and they can be more demanding about original ownership, and requesting a copy of the receipt.


The great thing about this $185 360 that I bought, is that I don't need the power supply. I already had 2 extra power supplies from before (cause I would move my original 360 from room to room all the time). So, I sold the power supply for $40. So, really, I only paid $145 for this 360. I also don't need the High Def cable, so I'm gong to sell that for $12 as well. Then I will be down to a cost of $133 for the 360. I needed an extra controller (only had 1 before), so that's a value of about $20 for me. So, really, it's like I only paid $113 for this 360. That's less than a brand new slim PS2. Can't beat that.

[carlcarlson]

so it sounds like I can buy a used 360 off of ebay and I'll still be covered, no matter what? is that true? if that's the case then I'll jump on the 360 bandwagon right now, because that's been the only thing holding me back.

[UniHamachi]

It would be financial suicide for a company to recall ALL of the 360's

The thing is, if they dealt with this at launch, they could have used the $1.1 bil set aside to fix 2.5 mil consoles and make sure the stuff going out the door wasn't failing. Instead, they pretended like it was within the acceptable 2%-3% until it just got out of hand. That head in the sand approach is always going screw the consumer.

At this point, I wonder how much of that $1.1 bil reserve they've blown through. If they set aside for 2.5 mil console repairs and the actual amount of defective consoles is more like 3.5 mil, then no wonder they're starting cheap out with the hasty refurbs.

Can't even clean the fans? Shee-it.

[Anthony1]

so it sounds like I can buy a used 360 off of ebay and I'll still be covered, no matter what? is that true? if that's the case then I'll jump on the 360 bandwagon right now, because that's been the only thing holding me back.

Actually, this isn't true. You could get one that has a problem other than the 3RROD. To be honest, it's better to buy one that you know for sure has a legit 3RROD, than to get a misc. working 360. Cause with the 3RROD, when you send it to MS to get repaired, when you get it back, it also comes with a general 1 year warranty.

Another thing to remember, the only exceptions that Microsoft has with their warranty, is if the console has ever been tampered with. So if it's been modded, or opened, and the security seal is broken, then MS won't touch it. So you just have to make sure the guy never modded it, or opened it, or anything like that.

Again, buying one that already has the 3RROD, is a good idea, if you can wait for the repair. I already have a working 360, so this is just an extra one, I can definitely wait for the repair. If it was my only 360, then it would suck alot more to be without it for a 3 to 5 week period of time.

[Rob2600]

I just bought a guys dead 360...I only paid $113

I've never encountered a person who bragged about spending $113 on a broken toy before.

Seriously though, if you end up with a properly refurbished Xbox 360, then that's a good deal.

[Anthony1]

I've never encountered a person who bragged about spending $113 on a broken toy before.

Seriously though, if you end up with a properly refurbished Xbox 360, then that's a good deal.

Of course, I'll end up with a properly refurbished Xbox 360. Why wouldn't I?