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Today Show Warns Consumers To Stay Away From Xbox 360

July 27, 2007 in News comments 40

On the Today Show, a "tech guru" told consumers to stay away from the Xbox 360 due to all it's hardware problems. He told everyone about the 1 billion dollar warranty extension and said that everyone should stay away from the console until the end of the year. Then, he said that he recommends a PS3 and Wii for high reliability, letting everyone know that the PS3 is a much stronger machine than the Xbox 360 and to get it with it's $100 price drop. He then moved on to the Nintendo Wii and said that the Wii's motion controls are great and even though in high demand, it's still around. What impact will this have on the 360?

The interesting part of the segment is that their “tech guru” told consumers to stay away from the Xbox 360 because of the massive hardware problems. He let everyone know that Microsoft issued a 3 year warranty extension amounting to $1 billion. The “tech guru” indicated that is is the same as a recall without the legal issues surrounding an actual recall. Microsoft would not confirm to him what is causing the hardware problems, but he advised all consumers to not buy an Xbox 360 until at least the end of the year.

Along with this, he strongly recommended the PS3 and Wii for their very high reliability and technological prowess. Letting everyone know the PS3 is a much stronger machine than the Xbox 360 and it’s recent $100 price drop, the “tech guru” encouraged users to grab one. He also talked up the Wii’s motion controls and innovative games, and also informed consumers of the high demand that’s still around.
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  • 0
    Supernouva Jul 27, 07
    Really, enough with these articles, it's BS.
  • 1
    Cdemon Jul 27, 07
    Cdemon says don't watch the today show because it's full of faulty newscasting.

    SWIDT?
  • 1
    Storm Jul 27, 07
    But Microsoft putting off that billion was to help us, the consumers. An extended, not one, not two, but three year warranty. And now to await the Sony fans who will - this post, and talk about how horrible Microsoft is...maybe even praise Sony.
  • 0
    Cdemon Jul 27, 07
    Microsoft wouldn't have extended the warranty to three years if they didn't think they had a fix for the RRoD.
  • 0
    Storm Jul 27, 07
    Well yeah, but at least we have a back-up if and when we get the RRoD...and it gives Microsoft time to really fix the problem.
  • 0
    Synergized Jul 27, 07
    I wonder if this guy's a fanboy? /sarcastic.
  • 3
    Supernouva Jul 27, 07
    Warranty or no warranty, Microsoft really needs to work on finding a solution to remedy the RRoD.
    • 0
      Cdemon Jul 27, 07
      "Microsoft wouldn't have extended the warranty to three years if they didn't think they had a fix for the RRoD."
  • 0
    Storm Jul 27, 07
    Sure hope so. Because I really don't want to go through more than one 360 console in a lifetime But at least they admitted to their console being faulty.

    I just want to give Microsoft some recognition...because they get so much hate around here.
    • 1
      Synergized Jul 27, 07
      True, but really, they're getting the hate due to their mistakes. Nonetheless, I feel sorry for them even if it is their fault
    • 0
      Final Blade Jul 28, 07
      They only admitted it recently though, and even then were still seeing problems, i can't really give them any recognition cause the problems are still here.
      I think the articles ust tells us that if you want a console that doesn't have problems Choose the ps3 and wii, and stay away from the xbox. Cdemon MS wouldn't have extended the warranty to 3 years if this problem wasn't so Epidemic. I mean everyone says Sony has problems but you don't see them doing stuff like this.
  • 3
    bbb7002004 Jul 27, 07
    I would think most of Xbox360's target audience already knows about the problem, and have made their own decision. I guess this is informing parents who would buy their teenager a 360 for Christmas, but the Today Show just doesn't seem like a place where news like this would impact many viewers.

    However, I don't blame them for reporting. I'm actually surprised that more outlets, especially video game related ones, haven't been harping on the 360's failure rate more. To be honest, I don't know how anyone would be willing to shell out $400 for a system that has a 1:3 chance of dying, I know I'm certainly not interested in buying one this year.
    • 0
      FRoGBuster Jul 28, 07
      ditto that.
      I'm surprised how few people are aware of this problem. In these kind of communities, it's almost common knowledge, but I went to a Game Crazy yesterday and talked to a guy who had an XBOX360, and joked about how he's lucky his still works. And he was totally clueless.."There have been that many that broke down!?"
    • 0
      Final Blade Jul 28, 07
      Ditto as well, why do you think i haven't bought one yet, its cause of problems.
  • 0
    Storm Jul 27, 07
    I understand where you're both coming from. It is indeed their fault. I suppose these outlets are selling them because they believe that the newer batches of 360's have lesser problems.
  • 0
    Play ISDF Jul 28, 07
    Stop with these crappy articles, sure the 360 SEEMS to be touchy, but if so, why is it that over the years I've had a 360...its never broken? Fanboy "tech guru", yeah right, sure. And as far as the PS3 goes, maybe if they dropped the freaking price here in Australia I'd think better of it, but hey, Sony always has been a money whoring bitchy company and does whats best to get cash, I mean with the PS3 at $900 and of course the games themselves costing a small fortune, so I can't expect them to drop it anytime soon, least Microsoft is trying to fix these "problems" with the 360.
    • 0
      Existenz Jul 28, 07
      Just because yours hasn't broken doesn't mean the fact that the Xbox 360 has an absurdly high fail rate.
      • 0
        neto_360 Jul 28, 07
        If owners of 360s know this then they should just take better care of it.
      • 0
        Cdemon Jul 28, 07
        I could give two squirts of piss about the failure rate if mine is perfectly fine. It's nice to know, though, that I'm pretty much covered if something were to happen.

        3 year warranty > 90 day warranty
        • 2
          Daimob Jul 28, 07
          What console has a 90 day warranty? that would just be totally pathetic

          I have a 3 year warranty on my ps3. didn't even pay for it because one of my co-workers conveniently "forgot" to make me pay for it
        • -1
          Cdemon Jul 29, 07
          The PS3 and Wii both have a standard, 90-day warranty. Usually every electronic device has that.
  • 0
    volacide Jul 28, 07
    Everyone needs to start replying to individual replies if you're going to be directly responding to them. Come on people, it's called organization.
    • 0
      Storm Jul 28, 07
      There's a limit to the replying to replies if you didn't know.
  • 1
    weskraudaon Jul 28, 07
    Play ISDF. Then what is Microsoft then. A Non-money looking bitchy people company. They should fix this. And who cares if yours hasn't broke. Doesn't mean its the most durable.
    • 0
      Play ISDF Jul 31, 07
      True, Microsoft aren't much better, but ffs, they are spending a ton trying to work out problems and such, and they aren't charging a *bleep*ing fortune for some console. The point I was making about mine not breaking is that if people learn to take extra special care with their 360, then there wont BE a problem. I've seen how people take care of their discs, their consoles, everything, and I can say I am not pleased when they blame Microsoft for their errors.
  • 0
    Unforgiven Jul 28, 07
    This 'tech guru's is very suspicious. Ok, he can say 'Xbox sucks', but when he urges people to buy PS3 or Wii it's just spurious.
  • 0
    Theory of Chaos Jul 28, 07
    These people tend to know very little, but people listen to them because they know less. If only more people were nerds...
  • -1
    Final Blade Jul 28, 07
    Unfortunately he does make strong points, but i don't think he forcing anyone of you to get a Wii or ps3. All he is saying as i said above, Is if you want a more reliable Game system don't go near xbox cause they haven't fixed the problem.
    • -1
      Cdemon Jul 30, 07
      Why would they extend the warranty to three years if they haven't fixed the problem?
      • 0
        Final Blade Jul 30, 07
        That makes no sense, so your saying they did this caus they had no problems. Like i said b4 they extended the warranty cause of the problems was so epidemic.

        And from what i read its not working as well as they hoped. and there is still problems.
  • 0
    joshthegreat Jul 28, 07
    Regarding the impact this will have on the 360... not much.
  • 0
    Gary Jul 28, 07
    It definitely has issues(though personally I don't know anyone with a broken one) but this also seems like highly biased news casting.
    • 2
      iLLmatic Jul 28, 07
      Use your heads for a minute. This guy is not a fanboy, he's just a tech critic. I'm sure all of you have access to the internet, so you have to know how these critics are; they're very CRITICAL/picky. What, do you all think he has some alliance with Sony AND Nintendo? He's just being what he is, a critic speaking in general terms. What I find more fanboyish than this dude is all the same people who make a career of jumping on Sony for their "lies" do nothing but praise Microsoft for the warranty move, after lying about it for 1 1/2 years. They rushed the system, they *bleep*ed up, its a fact. Now, a console is only as good as its game, so is the 360 a good console? Of course it is, but you can't deny the fact that they screwed up. They got this new warranty because they HAD to. It doesn't mean anything is fixed and this tech guy is definitely going to affect sales of people who shop based on influence, I.e mostly parents for their kids.
      • 0
        Final Blade Jul 29, 07
        Thats what i was saying for awhile now.
  • 1
    Tom Jul 28, 07
    I have always said this and I will always say this. I know that Microsoft probably paid millions for research in the gaming industry, but this isn't their territory because they come into the gaming industry slap bang into a highly advanced stage, whilst companies such as Sony and Nintendo have years of experience from the very early stages of gaming and no what they're doing a lot better than Microsoft do.
    • 1
      iLLmatic Jul 28, 07
      I don't think it even has so much to do with entering into a gaming battle. Its just that Microsoft has always been a software company, not hardware. Sony and Nintendo have been building their own hardware for years. Regardless, they made an engineering mistake, period. Experience was probably only a fraction of the issue.
      • 0
        bbb7002004 Jul 29, 07
        Every company has to get there start somewhere. Sony came in with Nintendo and SEGA as the dominant forces of gaming, beat the pants off the N64 and knocked SEGA out of the console business. Microsoft just had steeper competition when it first came to market.

        Also, its not like Microsoft just got a bunch of random Window's programmers to build the Xbox. They hired people with experience in building computers to build their systems, just like they hired game programmers to create their games. The Xbox360 was rushed to get a head start on the competition, and it shows in design flaws in the system.
  • 0
    tidus04 Jul 29, 07
    Indeed it dose, I do think this will have some effect but more on the view of parents that I am guessing watch the show more. Maybe this might boost some Ps3 sales.
  • 0
    dcbake Jul 29, 07
    Even though the Xbox 360 has an array of problem's I still wouldn't just have a PS3 or just have a 360. There both great consoles with a nice array of games... more over to the 360. Hopefully soon to change.
  • 0
    Evanster Aug 3, 07
    Microsoft=owned. Gates is a peasant in a year or so

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