CNET UK's games console reliability survey: 60 per cent of Xbox 360s have broken

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Sixty per cent of Xbox 360s have kicked the red-ringed bucket, compared to 16 per cent of PS3s and just 6 per cent of Wiis, according to our survey on the reliability of games consoles in the UK.

CNET UK commissioned the survey last month -- and the results don't reflect well on the Microsoft console. Some 1,128 UK-based console owners responded, of whom 562 owned Xbox 360s, 473 owned PS3s and 591 had Wiis (some owned more than one).

Of those Xbox owners who have bought their Xbox since January 2008, 34 per cent report that their Xboxes have broken -- still double the lifetime failure rate of the PS3. Microsoft introduced new components in late 2007 and early 2008, when Bill Gates boasted of the Xbox's newfound "incredible reliability". Our survey shows that while the console has improved, it's still far from reaching Gates' goal of being the "most reliable video game box out there".

Only 25 per cent of disappointed 360 owners had owned the console for more than 18 months before it broke, with 47 per cent reporting a failure inside a year. Seventy two per cent returned their Xbox to Microsoft, who extended the 360's warranty to three years after the console's problems became widely known. Fifteen per cent sought their own solution, such as repairing it themselves or giving up and throwing it under a bed. One miserable gamer reported, "I can't afford to get (the Xbox 360) fixed as it is out of warranty, so it sits in the spare room all lonely."

Many 360 owners report the console breaking more than once. Of those whose console has broken at least once, 32 per cent say it has broken twice, and 19 per cent say it has broken three times or more. One person said their 360 "was repaired six times before (being) refunded by Microsoft".

Of those who have bought a 360 in the last two years, only for it to break, 29 per cent say it has broken more than once.

This was a self-selecting survey, so it doesn't represent a random sample of console owners. It's likely that people whose consoles have had problems are more motivated to fill out the survey, but the results are still interesting when you compare the Xbox 360 to its competitors.

The console makers are not in the habit of releasing such information, so this kind of survey is the best guess we have. We think the sample size and spread of console ownership do give it some credence, however, and it tallies with the anecdotal experience of many gamers we've heard from.

The survey did not distinguish between the Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite versions, which are very similar, or the PS3 and PS3 Slim, which has only just been introduced.

A spokesman for Microsoft said, "The vast majority of Xbox 360 owners are having an outstanding experience with their Xbox 360, and they invest in our platform more than any other.

"On July 5, 2007 Microsoft acknowledged an unacceptable number of repairs and took unprecedented steps to take care of all of our customers, providing a three year extended warranty on consoles experiencing the three flashing red lights error. We have continued to make improvements to the console and make customer service a top priority should someone require repair."

Has your console broken? How did you get it fixed -- or is it pining away on top of a wardrobe? Did you receive good customer service? Tell us your experiences in the comments.
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CNET UK's games console reliability survey: 60 per cent of Xbox 360s have broken - Crave at CNET UK
 
they're a crock of shite. got some good exclusive games on it unfortunately.
 
Jesus that seems alot. I know this means nothing at all on the wider scale, but from personal experience four people including myself bought them at the end of 2007 when we finished school, and of those four the only one who has had the RRoD was the one that took his apart and modded it.
 
When you think about it, it seems realistic though. Out of the people i know with an xbox, including mine, 60 percent of those breaking down would be about right, maybe even more.

The annoying thing is, mine was replaced with another console, i assume which was brand new (well it was nice and clean anyway.) Yet, i am still quite confident it'll break down once again at some point in the near future.
 
I am having a slight problem with my PS3 atm on the other hand. I have a problem where the screen flickers off and on now and again. It can get quite annoying tbh. I'd like to say it's my HDMI lead or the port in the TV, but since i've bought the HDMI lead, it literally hasn't been moved, it's been plugged into the same TV, in the same position since the day i got it.
 
360's are a bag of shit. Even if it does have live and some good exclusives.
 
WeasteDevil said:
For those that have a large collection of games, say maybe 20+, and they paid 40 pound per pop, it's a bit too much to just chuck them into the bin and start again. So, Microsoft have you by the short and curlies.
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I understand that and I guess it would depend on the budget and/or patience of the customer, but if I was on my 4th replacement console then my patience would run dry and I would sell up and look for alternatives.
 
Woodzy said:
I am having a slight problem with my PS3 atm on the other hand. I have a problem where the screen flickers off and on now and again. It can get quite annoying tbh. I'd like to say it's my HDMI lead or the port in the TV, but since i've bought the HDMI lead, it literally hasn't been moved, it's been plugged into the same TV, in the same position since the day i got it.
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If I remember correctly, this was in the main something to do with the HDCP syncing/handshaking between the TV and PS3. If there is no handshake, the PS3 doesn't output anything.

What type of flickering is it? The screen going black and then coming back on again?
 
WeasteDevil said:
If I remember correctly, this was in the main something to do with the HDCP syncing/handshaking between the TV and PS3. If there is no handshake, the PS3 doesn't output anything.

What type of flickering is it? The screen going black and then coming back on again?
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Yes this. It's different sometimes though, when i was playing Arkham Asylum a few weeks back, it used to display the port number on the top of the TV, when playing Uncharted it simply just flicked to black and back on again. When watching a film yesterday there were red dots being scattered about over the picture and it would occasionally flick to black.

It seems entirely random, as i had a session on Uncharted last night for about 2 hours and it was fine, as well playing the majority of Arkham Asylum all the way through with it only happening now and again.
 
I think that it's something to do with the HDCP handshake over HDMI rather than the innards of the PS3 frying. How to fix it is a different matter. Have you got any PS2 component cables hanging around to check exactly what this could be?
 
I have the cables that come with the PS3 when i bought it, i assume they would be okay? I do have the PS2 ones also though. Come to think of it, the HDMI cable may have been 3rd party because i bought it separately.
 
Yes, HDMI cables don't come in the PS3 box. It's just to check that the GPU isn't doing it, and that it is an HDMI issue. If you use the cables that come with the PS3 (it's a composite cable with red, white, and yellow RCA jacks - a component is red, white, red, green, blue - the PS2 one of those will work no problem as well), you'll lose HD with composite though, but it will tell you that it's not a problem with RSX.
 
Woodzy, in all seriousness have you tried reseating the cable first? It may just have come loose enough that one of the connectors is not making proper contact. This would be enough to give you screen flickering, bad colours etc.

When I worked in support it was amazing how many 'problems' were solved by reseating some cables. Despite the fact that "i havent moved it since the day i plugged it in"
 
You could be right. There's like a cover on the back of the TV with all the cables plugged underneath it. Basically so it doesn't look messy and ugly i assume. Anyway, i got rid of the cover and the cable is a bit more slack now, i played for the last hour without a problem, but that may just be a bit of luck. I plan on having a longer go later today, so i will experiment then and try weaste's suggestion as well. Although i don't if i could handle Uncharted without HD, it's too good to waste.
 
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