XBox 360 - Don't buy one until 2008.

Paul Michael — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 02:48:54 +0000

I know several people with an XBox 360. Six in fact. Three of those six have had no end of problems, and to me a 50% chance of buying a crappy product is just not good enough. But that's just my experience, surely the overall market would be a little better, right?

Well, after looking around the forums and reading the big news sites, I've come to the conclusion that the current XBox 360 is plagued with too many problems to be a reliable purchase anytime soon. XBox 360 users are recounting stories of the "red lights of death" which basically happens when the entire machine goes bye-bye. It's a hardware meltdown. Geeks have even written books about it.

The recent Microsoft announcement extending 360 owners' 1-year warranty to a 3-year warranty is proof enough that things are not exactly looking rosey for current XBox 360 customers. In fact, a tech-guru from the Today Show said that this extended warranty is simply a cheaper and more media-friendly way of issuing a complete recall. The story is also in Wired . Ouch. With Apple already taking a bite out of Microsoft's profit margin, a recall of that magnitude would be a disaster.

With some people predicting that Sony's PS3 would lose the console war, this news may be a much-needed boost to the flagging new Playstation model. What's more, the $100 price-drop of the console will further help bolster its sales in light of the XBox 360's rotten press.

After speaking to some hardcore gamers and chatting in the forums, I've decided that the XBox 360 is off my shopping list until 2008. And unless something significant happens to the design, I'll probably never buy one. Sorry 360 fans.

Nintendo Wii

I'm seriously looking into the Wii, which at first seemed like a dumb idea but now looks more and more appetizing. Perhaps it's the blend of fun and quirkiness.

PlayStation 3 (60GB)

But with the PS3 becoming way more affordable and offering the highly delectable Blu-Ray technology, it's a tough call.

One thing's for certain though. Microsoft has a lot of work to do before I even think of going near an XBox 360. And if you haven't bought one yet, but are thinking of adding one to your home entertainment collection, please think twice. You could very well end up with an expensive bookend.

Written by Paul Michael and published on Wise Bread. Read more articles from Wise Bread.