Giant Bomb Video Game News

Video Game News, Stories and Updates for the PS3, XBOX 360, PC, PSP, Wii, and DS

Added by Jeff Gerstmann on Sept. 5, 2008

"Go outside and play."
"Go outside and play."
VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi, author of The Xbox 360 Uncloaked: The Real Story Behind Microsoft’s Next-Generation Video Game Console, has an interesting six-pager up that takes a long, hard look at the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death phenomenon. While the topic has been beat to death over the last couple of years, Dean's piece definitely brings some new insight to the story, and also serves as a great primer for anyone wondering how, exactly, Microsoft has let this issue get so huge.

Check it out here if you're looking for a sizable Friday morning read, and take some time out to answer these questions for me. Do you still worry about the Red Ring? Do you feel that Microsoft has done enough to fix the issues? It's gotten to a point where we don't really hear much about the red rings anymore, but is that because it isn't happening as often, or because everyone is sick of hearing about it?

Would it sound like bragging for me to admit that the Xbox 360 I got back at launch still works just fine?

Filed under : Red Ring of Death, Xbox 360

73 Comments

Colonel0Crunkenstein
on Sept. 5, 2008
I never got the Red Ring, My disc drive just stopped working.

Afroman269
on Sept. 5, 2008
I must say that your lucky Jeff but I am gonna get a new 360 elite because my disc tray has major problems. I'm gonna get the longest warranty because I had 2 consoles break on me and no matter what they say I still think that there is a chance that I could break.

Ryvvn
on Sept. 5, 2008
I don't worry about the RRoD anymore but that's mainly because I no longer own a 360. I bought one at launch and it lasted all the way up until about April or so of this year. It was out of warranty but not out of the extended RRoD warranty but I've heard rumblings that the turnover time had gotten pretty bad, so I was able to have a friend at a local gaming store switch it out for a brand new one with HDMI which my original did not have. I kept that for a couple of months but ended up selling it off for non gaming related reasons. I keep thinking about possibly repurchasing a 360 at some point but I'm fine with my PS3 for now and I may just wait for whatever Microsoft decides to roll out next, I think they handled the RRoD problem very poorly but I also believe they have learned thier lesson. I think they should have bit the bullet and recalled all 360's when the problem first cropped up instead of trying to pass it off and play coy for so long. That coupled with so many hardware iterations and the addition of HDMI later in the lifespan has just made this console cycle a failed experiment in my eyes. Sony isn't doing much better in the multi-sku department either though. Hopefully next generation will see us return to one sku per system, standard HDD in every console, up to spec with the standards of video and audio technology, and maybe even a pack in game with each. One can hope right.

MasterSplinter
on Sept. 5, 2008
I had the red ring only once and got it repaired under warranty. Too bad the console still scratches my discs on a more than acceptable basis. Maybe I just play too much? I don't know. I just hate the fact that I need to constantly keep a watchful eye on how long I am playing the console.

Milkman
on Sept. 5, 2008
I never got a red ring though my 360 has broke by other means (disc tray). Though it seems that most of these problems have been fixed now, so I don't think many people will need to worry about the RROD anymore.

BournePrime79
on Sept. 5, 2008
I had a launch 360 that just died last week right after I picked up Too Human.  A valkyrie dropped out of my ceiling, picked it up, and floated back up to my ceiling.

Major
on Sept. 5, 2008
How does he have a pic of himself as his gamerpic?

KingHippp0
on Sept. 5, 2008
Mine just Rrod'd last week. I'm currently playing NES and Original Xbox. 
Maybe I'll dust off the Wii this weekend.

FYI, mine was a new 65 nm Falcon board, created on 11/2007, so I don't think they've solved this problem yet. 

DarthGreedo
on Sept. 5, 2008
My 360 has broken twice in the 2 years I've owned it.  I do see this as a problem because it is frustrating and ridiculous that a device that costs 300-400 dollars doesn't work correctly, but I wasn't surprised.  I got my PS2  at launch way back in the day and i had to send it in for repairs 5 times in the first 3 years I owned it.  Call me cynical because of that, but I kind of expected problems with this generation...

Did anyone else experience this same problem with the PS2's or original xbox's?  I've always wondered why the RROD became such a big deal when the problems I and some other people I knew experianced, back when the PS2 came out never did.  Perhaps it is just the growth of the market, now that Videogames are so huge, and the internet is even bigger, this issue got more coverage.  Has anyone else asked these same questions?  Just curious...  maybe my friend and I were the only people to get broken PS2's..... haha,  you never know!

abe
on Sept. 5, 2008
Having a launch xbox360 that still works certaintly gives you bragging rights.

CaleShepard
on Sept. 5, 2008
i still occasionally will get the "temporary" red rings.... even though all you have to do is restart it, it still gives me a scare

DukeTogo
on Sept. 5, 2008
My console got the precursor to the RR by stuttering and locking up on every game I played, so MS said send it in anyway because it's only a matter of time.  A year later I got a nasty video card glitch that basically was tied to the RR in some way.  That was around the time GTA IV came out (naturally) and it's been fine since.  This recent price drop is making the Elite look awfully tempting, since I know that this unit is on borrowed time.


Relys
on Sept. 5, 2008
My graphics card just melted a week ago, and it's in for repairs. I love the system, but the xbox 360's hardware is a peice of shit.

TheGreatGuero
on Sept. 5, 2008
I am still deathly afraid of the red ring. I actually got red ringed once, however, it was only 1 red light, instead of 3. The extended 3-year warranty only applies to 3 red lights. Luckily, the warranty covers anything if you've had it less than a year. So I got lucky there. But then the replacement 360 I've gotten seems like it's not in very great shape. For one, you have to push the eject button surprisingly hard for the disc tray to open. Also, with some games, it freezes kind of often, to the point where if it gets any worse, I think I'm gonna have to have a word with Microsoft.

chuckimus
on Sept. 5, 2008
I was RRoD last week.  I thought I had "made it out of the woods" because it was a launch day system.  If you just ask for a shipping label in lieu of a shipping coffin, that will expedite things.  I mailed mine off on Aug 29th and yesterday (Sep 4) a "new" 360 was shipped out to me.  
My question now is it "NEW" or just "NEW TO ME"?  

SleepyDoughnut
on Sept. 5, 2008
Yeah well my 360 from christmas 2006 red ringed 2 weeks ago so yeah its still a problem

ddensel
on Sept. 5, 2008
Good Read, though hardware failure is not rare. My Xbox One had a bad DVD drive, my 1st Dreamcast can't read games and I even had to send my launch Gamecube back to Nintendo for repairs ($90 in 2003, I remember testing out my games to see if they were the problem at a friends house on the day of the Huge '03 North-Eastern U.S. Blackout)

The ill will towards Microsoft over the RROD is tangible, I don't own any of the current-gen systems and I'm tempted to buy the $199 Arcade and a copy of Bioshock, but I'm still weary over the hardware, that and over priced perheprials like $100 hard drives and wireless adapters and $50 headsets and controllers...

VoodooTerror
on Sept. 5, 2008
as of august 07 all 360s have been fitted with the new, less overheat chips,  that have drasticly reduced the fail rates of the 360

deadgopher
on Sept. 5, 2008
I've got a console that red rings 1 out of every 20 times it boots up. It never crashes mid-game. I haven't called it in because, honestly, 1 out of 20? I feel lucky.

Though I'm really pissed about not having HDMI and want to call them and bitch about my 3rd RROD console and beg for an HDMI replacement.

Vigorousjammer
on Sept. 5, 2008
I have only got the red ring once. I sent it back and my new one worked good for a while... until it stopped reading discs...

My old 360 read discs fine, but now my new one only reads them about 75% of the time... which isn't bad, but 25% not being read? thats a hassle sometimes, when i just have to keep ejecting my discs from the console, and putting them back in until it works.
kind... of... ANNOYING!


  • You must enter the following information to sign up and leave a comment.
  • Type the words above including the space. Get new words?
Errors will go here

Post Reply

Processing....
Pandemic Shutdown Leads to Office Space Tribute
If there was a TV channel called "men beating office equipment," I'd DVR every minute.
EA Announces The Next Mercenaries Game
"Mercs Inc." to continue Pandemic's legacy of explosions and open-world-type stuff.
Hands-On: Ridin' Zelda's Spirit Tracks
A few minutes with Nintendo's next DS Zelda installment.
Most Popular Achievements (11/14 - 11/20)
As the year winds down, it's clear that one game will stand alone... well, for the next few weeks, anyway.
Five Years In The World Of Warcraft
A bit of reminiscence about Blizzard's little juggernaut from a few of the developers who have been there.
Play The Zelda Trivia Challenge, Part Two
Five more questions to tease your brain and maybe net you some cool stuff.
Pandemic Shutdown Leads to Office Space Tribute
If there was a TV channel called "men beating office equipment," I'd DVR every minute.
EA Announces The Next Mercenaries Game
"Mercs Inc." to continue Pandemic's legacy of explosions and open-world-type stuff.
Hands-On: Ridin' Zelda's Spirit Tracks
A few minutes with Nintendo's next DS Zelda installment.
Play The Zelda Trivia Challenge, Part Two
Five more questions to tease your brain and maybe net you some cool stuff.
Five Years In The World Of Warcraft
A bit of reminiscence about Blizzard's little juggernaut from a few of the developers who have been there.
Most Popular Achievements (11/14 - 11/20)
As the year winds down, it's clear that one game will stand alone... well, for the next few weeks, anyway.
Tekken 6
PSP - Nov. 24, 2009
PC Release
PC - Nov. 24, 2009
Twin Sector
PC - Nov. 25, 2009
Your Shape
WII - Nov. 24, 2009
Gravity Crash
PSN - Nov. 24, 2009
Hello Kitty Party
DS - Nov. 24, 2009
Scene It? Twilight
WII - Nov. 24, 2009
Karaoke Revolution
WII | PS3 | X360 - Nov. 24, 2009
Revenge of the Wounded Dragons
PSN - Nov. 24, 2009