Red Ring of Death...again

This image is the single scariest sight for all gamers today. It is a picture of the Xbox 360 power button and yes, it is not supposed to look like that. When you see this appear on the front of your Xbox, it means a critical error has occurred and your video game system has just turned into a very expensive paperweight. It is more commonly known as the "Red Ring of Death" and last week ago was the third time I've experienced it.As I currently write this blog, I'm patiently waiting for my fourth Xbox to be sent to me from Microsoft. My first three all found the same fate, the Red Ring of Death. If you think this sounds ridiculous, it's because it is. My Xbox broke because I had the sheer audacity to use it. Microsoft should be ashamed, because they could have prevented it.

This all started three years ago. The Xbox 360 was released a full year before it's competitors, PS3 and Wii. In Microsoft's rush to production they obviously made some major mistakes in the design of the Xbox 360, specifically in regards to cooling the system down. Inside the Xbox is a very critical chip that needs to remain cool at all times. Any any owner of the 360 will tell you that keeping an Xbox cool is easier said than done. And sure enough, after a long enough time that critical chip will overheat and just stop working. When that happens you will see the image above.

Now Microsoft quickly realized this problem and could have called for a complete recall. But in the high profile, highly competitive market of video games this could have killed the system. So they decided to extend the warranty of the product for this issue throughout the life of the system. So if, and more like when, this happens to your Xbox, all you have to do is call Xbox customer service and they will provide you with a UPS shipping label. Go to your local Mail Boxes Etc or UPS Store and send your piece of junk to Microsoft and they will take care of the rest. Last week when I went to the UPS store the guy behind the counter laughed and said, "Oh yeah, we get like three of these a week." Nice Microsoft. Nice.

So far, everyone that I know who has a Xbox 360 has had this error happen to them at one point or another. That includes my little 12 year old nephew. It's heart breaking to look at him in the eye and tell him that his most prize possession is broken and he won't be able to play it again for another 4-6 weeks.

In a week or so, I'll receive my Xbox and I'll be back shooting zombies in the face or scoring overtime goals for the Boston Bruins and I'll long forget about this heartache. In the meantime I'll be reuniting with my Nintendo Wii so in the grand scheme of things there are bigger crimes. But shame on you Microsoft for such shoddy workmanship. It's no wonder to me why your operating systems suck so much. You are one of the biggest companies in the world and you are run by the richest man in the world. People trust your company and your products. You have a fiduciary responsibility to your customers to make your products as reliable as possible.

Simply put, you are better than this Microsoft, start acting like it.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer