Microsoft “on purpose” holding Xbox supplies back?

Sorry, Robert, but I respectfully disagree. While they may have seemed harsh to you, I think my comments were completely fair, given Microsoft’s track record.

Take the original X-box, for instance. Early this year there was a fire hazard problem with these. The root cause of the problem was clearly inside the console, as illustrated here: http://forums.xbox-scene.com/lofiversion/index.php/t361537.html
Microsoft issued a free replacement (external) power cord to address this problem, which was apparently designed to detect surges caused by the defective console and cut off the power, reducing the risk of fire. While this *might* be somewhat helpful in reducing fire risk (as an electronic technician I have doubts that it would be anywhere near 100% effective), it does nothing at all to restore the value the customer paid for. You guys are always losing focus on the customer!

Getting back to your response:
I said “Seems *some* of them have been crashing like mad”
You responded with “Sam, that’s unfair. Not *every* box is crashing.”
(emphasis added)
Who is being unfair? I didn’t say every box was crashing, in fact I was taking care to be accurate by choosing the word “some” rather than “most” or “a bunch” or something else that would have been misleading. Perhaps “a few” would have been more fair, but please don’t try to put words in my mouth that I didn’t say!

I’ll concede that my comment “pictures of crashed boxes all over the web on day 2″ may have been a little over-the-top. Pictures of crashed x-box’s don’t seem to be as widespread this time around, so far. Perhaps it’s just not as funny the second time.

But this, from you: “Hardware and software is complex. Things go wrong. Heck, my son’s iPod has crashed twice (that I know about) and that’s a very simplistic device compared to a multi-processor Xbox.” just sounds a little lame. Let’s not compare apples (ipod) to oranges (game consoles). Where are all the pictures of crashed PS2′s or PSP’s (complex multi-processor boxes)? I’ve never seen one. My PS2 has not crashed once in years of use, nor have I known any of my friends’ or relatives’ PS2′s to crash. The only thing I’ve *ever* seen go wrong with one of these is read errors when the laser pickup gets dirty. Same with PlayStation version 1. You guys have *alot* more experience doing “complex” software than Sony, no? To be “fair”, I should say that the link in my first comment did not show (software) BSOD crashes like the original x-box crash pictures did, and the initial evaluations by customers who may or may not be qualified to evaluate such things seemed to suggest a hardware overheating failure, and the pictures of the crashed machines would seem to reinforce that theory. And Sony certainly does have more experience building complex electronic hardware.

But I stand by the theme of my original comment: “Looks like you guys should be holding back the supply more, until you have a chance to fix the problems.” I think the rush to beat Sony to market before Christmas had the predictable result of reliability problems (I hope you do a better job of restoring lost value to the customers who end up with defective hardware than you reportedly did with version 1). I’m sure Sony could have rushed out the PS3 before Christmas too. There’s a good reason why they didn’t, effectively forfeiting the Christmas rush to Microsoft (unless you want to count the PSP, which has been out for months). They understand the consumer better than Microsoft does. The fact that they have consistently delivered rock-solid performance since version 1 and will not release new versions until they can live up to that track record shows it.

-sam

Each morning I wake up I pray that one day I will be as perfect as Christopher Coulter. Whoever the heck he is, he’s obviously brilliant at everything he does and thinks. Chris, is it stressful being so faultless?

Just a quick comment while booting up my 360 (friends & I have been playing it pretty much solid for 30 hours and we haven’t been set on fire yet)

Fix? Maybe?

Lordy, lordy. My friend said this worked. Power supply overheating, causing the crashes, I think, whew…maybe not the console itself. What is it with MFST and power supplys? So this one gonna burn down houses too? And before you get smug, Gavin, 2 confirmed Xbox house fires, by fire dept’s. at least.

My 360 was crashing a lot (like once every 20 minutes). So I took the power supply off the ground and suspended it in the air with some string. I have been playing for about 3 hours straight and no crashes so far!

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=23998153&page=0

Power supply? Another opinion…

http://www.theikew.co.uk/2005/11/the_360_in_xbox.html

My prediction: Microsoft will recall the XBox 360 power brick. According to Microsoft, there are no endemic problems with the XBox 360. The mystery picture shows an Xbox power supply. Click on the thumbnail, for the mystery to be exposed as a way of stopping your XBox 360 from crashing. The reason you can’t find any hard evidence for failures in the XBox 360, in short, is that there’s nothing wrong with the console. But the power brick, huge though it is, overheats, and then the power wavers, and induces faults which, of course, can’t be pinned down to a problem in the console itself.

In Equal Opportunity Snarkiness, looks like the PS3 price was NOT actually announced.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13184

Comments published in a CNN article yesterday purporting to be from Sony CEO Howard Stringer regarding the planned pricing for PlayStation 3 have been removed after it emerged that he had not said anything on the question.

The internet does seem to make the tiniest issues into world war 3. Forget death/destruction/poverty… A games console launch has upset some people ;o)

A couple of thoughts:

For those suggesting that Amazon and others should have stopped taking orders (and my Amazon order has been in since August) – I’m sure there would have been even more uproar if people couldn’t even order the system until the new year. “How come they have it, and I can’t even order it !!!”.

Regarding the problesm – I’m sure there are some, as there is with any large product launch. But to accuse the power supply as being completely faulty *in all cases*, when there are little facts regarding just where people are even putting them (yeah – on the carpet, under the cushions…), and many many people (did I see 700,000 quoted) seem to be fine with no problems, is a bit of a stretch.

Get a grip people. It’s a £300 games console, that makes *no* difference to your survival. It’s a luxury item (albeit a very nice one) and if you don’t have one for a few months – you’ll live.

Scoble – Thanks for all the effort in providing whatever feedback you can. It’s obviously a hugely busy time right now for anyone linked with the project, and so any source of info is great.

Xbox 360: You receive a “System Error” message in multiple languages

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/906937

Ok final final, but time for some humor.

We didn’t start the fire (the Xbox did). It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.

http://www.theregister.com/2005/11/24/rotting_dog_blog/

Xbox madness
Both Uncle Tom Cobbley’s Hardware blog and Bob Berserker’s TechnoKrunch are buzzing with the news that the Xbox 360 is flakier than a barful of Russell Crowe clones. Norlene Streetfighter says on Xboxapocalypse that if her console crashes one more time she’s going to drink lye and shoot herself with her pa’s 45. We’ve all been there, Norlene. Try to stay focused and positive until a certified Microsoft technician can get out to you. You’ll be in all our prayers tonight.

Scoble the ZZZZZ is a manufacturer. We just got in a drop order 2 days ago from a large customer on a part they have not order in 2 years. We did not have any of the material and the setups where moved into storage. But we are bringing in workers on Friday and maybe Saturday to get the order out by Tuesday to meet their needs. The reasons you have listed should be not issues.
MS if i’m not mistaken is still using Flextronics to make the Xbox and Xbox360 and letting them call the shots on manufacturing which is one of your big Mistakes. Flextronics is by far one of worst manufactures in the busniess We Deal with these morons every day. One problems with Flex is they can’t manage raw materials. We get drop in orders all the time because they run short of this or that.

Shipping the Xbox360 around the world is a not issuse. Every frieght company in the world has extra capacity

Christopher – you da man! where is your blog, I wanna comment on your perfect thoughts dude

Whoever thinks demand can be met on the first few weeks of a hot product doesn’t know what ramping up production means. Whoever thinks a few crash boxes will hurt the Xbox 360 has forgotten the lesson from the nano scratch complaints.

Definitly some good points Alfredo. Personally I’m waiting for the revolution

Looks like they had ample warning…

http://joystiq.com/entry/1234000480066825/

Friday morning, black Friday. Not a single major retailer in silcon valley received any additional Xbox 360 shipments. Kind of blows that theory about a smooth ongoing supply.

And then as a result coining new words, “3 Flashing Red Lights”…

At least here, the conspiracy theory can’t be that they are all Sony fanboys…

http://forums.xbox.com/530545/ShowPost.aspx
http://forums.xbox.com/552599/ShowPost.aspx
http://forums.xbox.com/536098/ShowPost.aspx

We Three Red Lights

We three red lights are;
Bearing destruction, we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder Ring of Light.

O red light of wonder, red of light,
Red ever so bright,
Westward venturing, not proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect green light.

Born on the pre-order plain
Games I bring to it again,
Power forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to play.

Fans to offer have I;
String owns a power supply high;
Frustration and pleading, voices raising,
Cursing on high.

Three red lights flashing mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes death of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Glorious before, now behold it not arise;
Toil and sacrifice;
Anguish, Anguish,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

Ohmigosh, this this too funny for words.

Sony adds support for Xbox 360

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2005/11/26/sony-adds-support-for-xbox-360/

Earlier this week Sony showed up in force for Microsoft’s launch party, and now our industrious readers have found another way for Sony to support the Xbox 360. Literally. As has been reported, many of the heating issues related to the Xbox 360 have centered around the console’s gianormous power supply getting too hot when placed on the floor. The solution was to suspend it by string or to rest it on the sides of a box in such a way that air could circulate around it unobstructed. Well, guess what box seems to be custom made to help the Xbox 360′s power block stay cool? That’s right: Sony’s PSP box. It is an absolute 100% perfect fit.

Quote-> ” The Xbox 360 launch has gone fairly smoothly. The biggest fly in the ointment is that there aren’t enough units

Paul Jackson, Forrester Research”

this is from

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4491804.stm

slightly laughable due to the increasing posts on variuous websites about X-Box crashes due to the power supply units?
Don’t you just love that phrase……fairly smoothly, i just wish they`d define it better. ( i wonder if he means all the posts appearing from people complaining of ‘crashes’ )

Just thought i would add another comment, I think they should change their adverts to say……” supplied with every x-box, an overheating powersupply!!! just think, you can use it this winter when it snows!, *doubles as a handwarmer!*

Well I was out in the stores this weekend – after doing my usual online shopping.

I would not be surprised if Sony PS2 sales exceed Xbox 360 sales this season.

I got my Premium XBOX 360 today at Costco, bundled with extra wireless controller, play and charge kit and PGR3. They ahve the fairest bundle for sure.

Microsucks rushed another product to market before its time. It wasn’t ready and the didn’t have enough supply. I spoke with a buyer at Best Buy and he tells me that Microsoft have made very few units available to them. They are defective anyway, they overheat and break.

Microsoft is being sued (class action lawsuit) for knowing distributed DEFECTIVE XBOXES.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/12/05/xboxsuit/index.php

Save your money kids, PS3 blows away Microsucks product. Xbox may have more impressive tech specs but it all comes down to the games and how they play on the machine and here Playstation 3 clearly blows Xbox out of the water