We all know that Microsoft deliberately rushed the Xbox 360 and then hoped nobody would notice when their consoles stopped working, but if a new lawsuit is correct, Microsoft's ignorance runs much deeper than that. It is alleged that MS knew about the 360's tendency to chew up game discs, and did nothing about it.
"This is ... information that we as a team, optical disc drive team, knew about," claims Hiroo Umeno, an MS programming manager, in a declaration. "When we first discovered the problem in September or October (2005), when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what's causing the problem."
According to the allegations, Microsoft investigated the 360 after launch and realized that if the machine was tilted while a disc was in play, the disc would become "unchucked" and meet with the optical pickup unit, carving a nice groove into the plastic and ruining the game. MS had three possible solutions to this issue, but it is claimed the company rejected every single one.
Microsoft has warned consumers not to tilt their 360s while a game is running, but this has not stopped more than 55,000 discs from being gouged to bits. This, coupled with the knowledge that MS already knew about the red ring problems, confirms that Microsoft has never once cared about putting out a robust and reliable gaming system. Very much like those annoying people you find in comment threads, it only cared about being "first."
Contest:
10:54 AM on 12.16.2008
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Despite the problems I'll probably be one of the first in line for the next Xbox system - the games and XBL have made up for all the dead systems for me.
How is there fault for moving tilting or whatever. We've had portable cd players now for years walkman anybody and they don't scratch disks hell you can even go out jogging with the damn things these days. YES IT IS MICROCRAPS FAULT for releasing a POS.
You are obviously not a parent. Your ignorance is showing.
personally, i have the opposite reaction to the situation that agentMOO expressed. i can't bring myself to buy a system that has so many problems inherent. your games are great 360, but your system is shitty.
But, my warranty runs out in May 2009, and MS told me that if the console breaks after that I will have to pay some ridiculous amount of money in the $100 to $200 range to fix it. If it comes to that, then I may decide to drop MS consoles from my life completely. We'll see.
And it certainly shouldn't scratch disks... tip your pc on its side whilst it's playing a CD/DVD... go on, it won't mess it up.
You can argue that the victims were idiots for moving it, though you can't argue MS were right for making it that way.
Microsoft puts out shitty hardware, Sony can't decide what the hell it wants to do anymore, and Nintendo just walks around with its hands covering its ears screaming LALALALALALALA while the Wii and DS prints them money.
I guess it's finally official then. We've officially become junkies and we're willing to let developers and console makers sell us giant piles of crap just as long as we get that next gaming "fix".
srs bro, go try it.
In any case, of course M$ knew about it. They just didn't care. Just like they knew about the RRoD and didn't care either. There's a pattern of behavior here that xbox fanboys don't seem to get. Let me spell it out for you: M$ doesn't care about selling you a quality product. They just want your money.
Isn't it possible that microsoft just made a shitty system that they knew would break down hoping that when it happened they could just pass the blame onto the consumer cuz they are super big company that is never wrong? I'm sure the first few people who got the red ring issue were told that it was their fault too.
it's almost like being on probation, with it 85% fail rate, it makes peoples pay monthly for the service and they know most people will fail it, making more court costs, being pulled back into the system making it harder to leave. my advice is just due the time and don't accept probation. now you translate that into a console mentality and you keep making money off the same people.
Any credibility in your comment is lost by your substitution of the letter 'S' with a '$' symbol.
Unfortunate considering you probably aren't wrong.
:(
you are going to compare it scratching disc like tilted to a disc getting the shaft if you KNOCKED THE CONSOLE OVER while playing. Comon man that's ridiculous and an issue from a previous generation an issue which all game developers should have learned from not just sony. My only annoyance is that i cannot blame microsoft for putting out an inferior console quickly just to be "first" as it seems to have worked in spades and perhaps thats just how this industry works. PS2 did beat out the 360 larger by just being the first one out (well established fan base helped too of course).
The rate the 360 is raking in cash, you really think that Microsoft cares about potentially losing 55,000 customers over this issue? Its the same as the other big two, as long as sales are good and profits high, these things get swept under the ever-lumpier rug.
If I'm spending 200 dollars on a machine, it better work.
If the PS3 ever did this to me, I would be so pissed I would be cursing the crap out of Sony until they sent me a fixed console that wouldn't do such a thing. Such shitty hardware.
but its ok, Microsoft will continue on making money of their messed up products with you who says "meh its ok" :D
Lol!
Ford Pintos are shitty!!! Friestone Tires are shitty!!! Lawn darts are shitty!!! PS2's are shitty!!!
If the 360 had a "normal" failure rate and all that jazz with manufacturing I would own one right now, I can't knowing buy something that has such a bad failure rate.
Will a 2.5 wreck the disc?
Is it safe to have a 360 in California yet?
"I guess it's finally official then. We've officially become junkies and we're willing to let developers and console makers sell us giant piles of crap just as long as we get that next gaming "fix"."
I couldn't have put it better myself.
Time to use the recall equation from fight club. I'm guessing the proper way to fix them wasn't cost feasible and they took the easy way out. The easy way out for them, a pain in the ass for everyone else.
Where do you keep your PS3? Infront of the front door? Jeez i've had mine for a year and its never been moved once (plus i may put my back out moving it).
"Where do you keep your PS3? Infront of the front door?"
I think this is the first time I've ever cracked anything even remotely resembling a smile while reading Destructoid.
lets not forget the Kassa investigation of 2006 & 2007 either. It found the same results & European Commission (Consumer Protection division) threatened MS w/ suit if they didn't implement a free disc replacement program. MS continued to deny the problem ever existed & i can only assume the EU Commission thought it would be more trouble than its worth to pursue legal actions; since nothing ever came of it after the deadline passed.
BTW is this an ongoing problem in the newer consoles...I have a newer, HDMI one....am I better off?
Also how can you compare a walkman something that has been designed to be moved around and shaken with a games console that is supposed to stay still and play games. Be pissed off that is scratches disks even if the console isn't being moved and the console is lying flat.