Flubber! Although that may not be the the F-word screamed by many Xbox 360 owners who have had their console break down, it is the name of a bad Robin Williams movie - and who really likes that either? Better things are on the horizon, however, as Microsoft has recently announced that it will offer free repairs for its Xbox 360 owners (conditions apply).
When the Xbox 360 console launched in November of 2005, thousands of hardcore Microsoft fans lined up in all kinds of weather to pick up the new machine. This writer waited outside Future Shop on a cold winter morning for his white beauty, and was lucky enough that it only locked up once. Yes, that’s right, the system I paid five hundred big ones for locked just once, and though it scared the bejeezus out of me, it resumed working after I shut it down and restarted.
For many though, no such luck. Although Microsoft has assured consumers that the problems with its system are no more significant than any other console launch (and the numbers generally support this), the issues that have surfaced have received a lot of coverage, to say the least. That's been one of the quirks in Microsoft’s otherwise excellent system, and perhaps a side-effect of releasing the 360 a year ahead of the competition from Nintendo and Sony.
Ohmygosh, though! In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft, often considered to be the tech world’s “evil empire”, is offering free repairs for many of those faulty consoles. Unfortunately, as with anything, there are limits. For one, only those systems made before January 1st, 2006 are being fixed. This means that most of the consoles on the market still aren’t being given the green light to enter the garage by Microsoft.
Hey, I’m happy. I got my 360 on that chilly November morning with all of the other freaks, which means if my console dies, I’m covered. But, for how long?
Unsurprisingly, not many answers are coming from Microsoft. The company undoubtedly wants to keep the existence of faulty machines, and their admission that they exist, on the low-down down-low. However, there certainly is a recognition of guilt - and though you won’t find it on Microsoft’s official Xbox.com site, you can get it here, from your Gizmo providers.
In the world of corporate America, this is about as close to “We stunk it up and we admit it,” that you can get.
Microsoft stated, “Upon further investigation, it was further discovered that the bulk of the units were isolated to a group that was part of the initial manufacturing run of the console.” No really, say “further” again.
So, there’s your explanation as to why only the earliest consoles will be repaired. For the rest of you, it will depend on the number of reports of faulty machines, so if you do experience problems, let us know! We can make it known that Microsoft needs to offer unconditional support to all of their customers, no matter when they bought their 360.
Power to the people.
