Five is the loneliest number .. or "How Microsoft is slowly turning a neutral gamer into a Sony fanboy."

Before you ask, yes, this is my obligatory Red Ring of Death post. Today, Xbox 360 number 5 decided to take a shit on me. The repair process isn't that bad living in Texas, mainly because their repair center is located in McAllen, Texas. However, getting my gaming console back up to par with the previous one is always a long and tedious process. Seeing that this will be my sixth console, and obviously the fifth time that I've had to go through the process of restoring my 360 to normal.



The first time my Xbox 360 died, I wasn't too upset with the prospect of sending it off for repair. I had little-to-no DLC on my 360 at the time, and I was just ecstatic that they had just extended the warranty for the RROD. The wait-time was pretty excruciating, but I had a pretty satisfying experience. They even returned my original xbox with what I assume was a new heatsink/processor combo.

However, that console broke within the next 3 months, and thus started a vicious cycle of poor customer service and extreme frustration. The average lifespan of the refurbished consoles became so short, that I actually purchased two of my five previous consoles out of pocket to save time and frustration. The funny thing is whenever I would spend my own money to buy a new system, I would run into a boatload of DRM issues with Mircrosoft. One time it took me 2 1/2 months to get the DRM transferred from my old xbox to one that I had bought. Here are just a few of the nagging problems that I have with Microsoft at this point in time.

1. The three-year RROD warranty doesn't reset every time you have to send in your console (every three months!). Therefore, when MS sends you a console that has a manufacturing date older than your last console, you are screwed out of the warranty difference between consoles.

2. I'm certainly not alone in saying that Microsoft's DRM issues are the work of Satan himself. I am a social gamer, and I like to bring my 360 with me to my friends' houses for parties and whatnot. It is extremely frustrating to be told that I can't access over 300 dollars worth of overpriced downloadable content, especially when that wait extends past the quoted 2 weeks. No one should have to wait more than a month for their DLC to be accessible again.

3. Microsoft's customer service department (Indian and American) is filled with the biggest bunch of incompetent assholes this side of the universe. They pretend that they understand what you are going through, but haven't the slightest clue how to fix any of your issues in a timely manner. No, I'm not upset that this console is broken, but I AM upset that I've spent over two grand on consoles that have a three month lifespan. I even cut down my playing time on my latest 360 elite to about 5 hours a week. The customer service department can't even guarantee me that I won't get a console that effectively shortens my warranty.



Needless to say, I am through with Microsoft's shoddy customer service, ridiculously long DRM transfer waits, and sub par console manufacturing. I'm going to get my new xbox 360 in the mail, and immediately sell it (along with the ~300 dollars of DLC on the hard drive) to someone in my neighborhood. Once an admitted Microsoft fanboy (as you can tell by the amount of money I've spent on consoles and content....~2000 dollars not including disc-based games) this gamer is considering greener pastures with other consoles.

The Playstation 3 not only has better functionality as a media center, but you can also load Linux on it. The Playstation Network is rapidly improving with the addition in-game XMB, and the quality of the overall experience server-wise has improved vastly since release. Sure I'll miss some great games coming from Microsoft's console (Tales of Vesperia and Star Ocean 4 anyone?) , but I've neglected the need to "cut-and-run" for far too long. Hell... I might even play the Nintendo Wii that has been collecting dust in my entertainment center for the past year.


..until Sony screws me over.

My question to the rest of the 360 owners on this site is, "How long are you going to put up with a company that clearly doesn't have your best interest in mind?". Microsoft can blow all the PR smoke up your ass by telling you that they have an unprecedented 3 year warranty on their consoles, but they wouldn't have even offered it if they weren't facing multiple class-action lawsuits at the time.

I'm done with Microsoft until they can restore my faith in their company, and honestly, you should be too.