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ort888 · Jul 5, 2007, 05:55 PM

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm

Open Letter From Peter Moore

To our Xbox Community:

You’ve spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we’ve not been doing a good enough job.

Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console.

The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it’s something I take very seriously.

We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.

We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.

As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge -- including shipping -- for three years from the console’s purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.

If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.

This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I’ve posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we’ll update it over the next few days.

I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty.

ort888 · Jul 5, 2007, 05:59 PM

Microsoft plans over $1 bln charge for Xbox warranty | Reuters

It's going to end up costing them... wait for it...

One... Billion... Dollars...

highstakes · Jul 5, 2007, 09:51 PM

Thank god...this was needed. Good news for those people who did'nt want to get a 360 yet due to its reliability...3 years, thats just as good as if you purchased an extended warranty!

rickey939 · Jul 5, 2007, 11:07 PM

Excellent!

KisforKennedy · 02:31 AM

Sweet. This makes me want to buy Xboxs, ruin them somehow, and keep returning them. I'd love to do my part to empty their pockets.

PS: Extends. Not extendes. Unless you're Spanish.

Chuckit · Jul 6, 2007, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by KisforKennedy

Sweet. This makes me want to buy Xboxs, ruin them somehow

It apparently doesn't take very much effort.

Dakarʒ · Jul 6, 2007, 02:27 PM

MS keeps talkin' me into the 360.

Anyone here about that PS3 price drop rumored to be coming?

macintologist · Jul 6, 2007, 02:44 PM

Ugh, who in their right mind would spend 600 dollars on a console?

I love my Gamecube.

Chuckit · Jul 6, 2007, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by macintologist

Ugh, who in their right mind would spend 600 dollars on a console?

Not very many people, evidently.

highstakes · Jul 6, 2007, 05:14 PM

a $100 price drop may convince me to buy the PS3.

Chuckit · Jul 6, 2007, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by highstakes

a $100 price drop may convince me to buy the PS3.

A $200 price drop and some games that are actually superior to what I could get on the Xbox 360 or the Wii might convince me to buy a PS3.

highstakes · Jul 6, 2007, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

A $200 price drop and some games that are actually superior to what I could get on the Xbox 360 or the Wii might convince me to buy a PS3.

PGR3 pretty much got me sold on the Xbox 360, Warhawk/Folklore is doing the same for PS3 for me...so far.

Chuckit · Jul 6, 2007, 11:59 PM

Yeah, I'm kind of interested in Warhawk. I'm a big fan of Incognito. But the PS3 is still monstrously expensive, especially just basically for one game. Now, if it were a Twisted Metal, that might be worth only a $100 price drop…

PhotoBug · Jul 7, 2007, 12:38 AM

well a lot of people on MacNN seem to be able to Drop 2G's for a new computer every year, why not 600 for a sweet gaming system? i would have to say i'm content with the Wii.

highstakes · Jul 7, 2007, 01:51 AM

TM1, TM2 was one my fav. games of all time; always wondered why they didn't make a Warhawk for the PS2.

mutelight · Jul 7, 2007, 05:10 AM

Great news as we seem to fly through 360s in my house. One of them has been replaced 3 times now, awaiting the arrival of the 4th and the other one which is (was) no longer under warranty is beginning to kick out.

Originally Posted by highstakes

a $100 price drop may convince me to buy the PS3.

Around E3 time they are dropping the price by $100.

KisforKennedy · Jul 16, 2007, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

A $200 price drop and some games that are actually superior to what I could get on the Xbox 360 or the Wii might convince me to buy a PS3.

Grand. Theft. Auto. IV. It will be a richer better experience on the PS3.

the_glassman · Jul 16, 2007, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by KisforKennedy

Grand. Theft. Auto. IV. It will be a richer better experience on the PS3.

Doubtful GTA4 episodes only available for Xbox

exca1ibur · Jul 16, 2007, 01:36 AM

Originally Posted by KisforKennedy

Grand. Theft. Auto. IV. It will be a richer better experience on the PS3.

Microsoft paid 50 Million to make sure that doesn't happen, however if you are a Gran Turismo fan this would be a good reason...

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue screens

KisforKennedy · Jul 16, 2007, 01:50 AM

Originally Posted by the_glassman

Doubtful GTA4 episodes only available for Xbox

So? Which one do you think will look better? The more powerful PS3? Or the weaker 360?

PS: I might 'rent' a 360 from walmart for this game, then return it.

the_glassman · Jul 16, 2007, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by KisforKennedy

So? Which one do you think will look better? The more powerful PS3? Or the weaker 360?

PS: I might 'rent' a 360 from walmart for this game, then return it.

Seeing as at this point every single cross platform game thus far with the possible exception Oblivion looks way better on the "weaker" 360 than the almighty and powerful PS3. I'm willing to bet it will look better on the horribly underpowered 360. Look at all the upcoming EA Sports games that will be running at 60 FPS on the Xbox but will only be able to muster 30 FPS on the PS3. You call that power?

KisforKennedy · Jul 16, 2007, 11:35 AM

I call that bad coding. I haven't seen a 360 game that's impressed me yet, visually. GT5, on the other hand, looks insane. There isn't a game out yet that is actually pushing the PS3 yet.

exca1ibur · Jul 16, 2007, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by KisforKennedy

I call that bad coding. I haven't seen a 360 game that's impressed me yet, visually. GT5, on the other hand, looks insane. There isn't a game out yet that is actually pushing the PS3 yet.

Inexperience, is also a factor. However, they have already confirmed to have Madden at 60, NCAA isn't at the moment.

GamersCreed - Anything, Everything Gaming - Madden 08 Dev - PS3 Version will run at 60 fps.

There are several great games on the 360, at the least. Gears of War was the one for me that gave me a wow factor. Fantastic game, just short. The 360 by no means is a 'weak' system. Since developers are more comfortable with it so they are able to do more with it right now.
Crappy ports and inexperience are the biggest problem for the PS3 with multi-platform games at the moment. (i.e. See anything by Ubisoft, for example, I hear Rainbow Six: Vegas was a huge improvement over their last few ports though).

highstakes · Jul 16, 2007, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by the_glassman

Seeing as at this point every single cross platform game thus far with the possible exception Oblivion looks way better on the "weaker" 360 than the almighty and powerful PS3. I'm willing to bet it will look better on the horribly underpowered 360. Look at all the upcoming EA Sports games that will be running at 60 FPS on the Xbox but will only be able to muster 30 FPS on the PS3. You call that power?

This is 360's 2nd year, so obviously developers are gonna be able to pull off things like 60fps for football games...360 games looked fairly crappy for a "next-gen" system for almost a whole year (oh right, then GoW, which took 2 years to make, was released then all of a sudden 360 has better graphics than newly launched PS3).

By no means the 360 is weak, I think we have seen the best on the 360 with GoW, may be it can do a little better than that...but when you have a console like 10-year planned PS3, the best games probably will not show up until the late 3rd gen games. The best looking game for both of these games will not be from a 3rd party developer, it will be a first party publisher.