[RANT] Ridiculous Hype over XBOX 360

[Ranger REG]

I'm sorry. Maybe I'm not a console fandoof, but what is it about this gotta-have obsession over XBOX 360?

The first shipment of the XBOX 360 is plagued with defects. Those wanting to exchange their defective product will have to wait since they all sold out the remaining first shipment and the manufacturing plant have to assemble the second shipment.

But one of the primary turn-offs: It's from Microsoft!

Oh, and what is this about having two different hardware systems? Is one a Celeron version?

RIDICULOUS!!!

Yeah, have a merry friggin' chrismukkah and kwanzadan to you.

 

[CarlZog]

Being the first of the next-gen consoles buys you huge latitude in customer tolerance for defects.

Me, I only bought my Xbox a year and half ago. It'll definitely be a while before I upgrade.

Carl

 

[TwistedBishop]

The first shipment of the XBOX 360 is plagued with defects.

This is incorrect. What defects do you believe it's plagued with? There are exactly two problems people have reported with the 360: the power supply overheating if it's not given proper ventilation, and discs scratching if you change orientation of the console while it's spinning the disc. Neither are inherent defects. The power supply has twin cooling fans for a reason; anyone who has used a PC should know about providing decent airflow to high-powered electronics. The latter is specifically warned against in the manual, and infact the same exact thing could happen with the larger PS2.

Those wanting to exchange their defective product will have to wait since they all sold out the remaining first shipment and the manufacturing plant have to assemble the second shipment.

This is *very* incorrect. You know what happens if your 360 has a legitimate problem? You call 1-800-4MY-XBOX, they send you a pre-paid mailing box, and you have a fixed or new console within 5 business days.

Please, investigate your opinion before slinging mud around.

 

[Tewligan]

Oh, and what is this about having two different hardware systems? Is one a Celeron version?

Different hardware systems? Do you mean the two packages? There's the core system sold by itself, or the more expensive package that comes with the core system along with an HD and a few other things. They're not different systems - one package just comes with more stuff.

 

[trancejeremy]

I don't think defects are all that common. The worst seems to be the scratched discs, and that seems to be from people moving it from vertical to horizontal while it's spinning.

But yeah, I've never understood having to get a console as soon as it comes out. Usually the launch games are rushed, and only really offer slightly better graphics than on the previous generation.

I think the point in having 2 was so that MS could say the 360 was "only" $300, not $400.

Still, if you have the money, have a big HD TV, I can see why you would want one.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Wow. I was expecting to read a somewhat reasonable rant... Oh well next thread.

 

[Zappo]

The "must have" feeling is because it's currently the most powerful console available, by a wide margin. For a lot of people, that's enough reason to buy. Me, I'm waiting for PS3 (and when it's out, I'll wait for a month or two - no first shipments for me).

The defects issue isn't nearly as bad as some people say, but it isn't as peachy as TwistedBishop says either. It is true that anyone turning a high-speed CD drive while it has a CD in deserves what he gets (really, ever heard of gyroscopes?). It is also true that proper air flow must be provided. However, some people had to put their Xbox360s in the middle of the table, with raised blocks at the corners, so that it has plenty of air on every side of the box - that's not "proper ventilation", that's a defective unit. Others encountered firmware problems, which I heard were fixed through the Live service, but what about people without broadband? All things considered, the 360 launch reinforced my belief that early adopters should know what they're getting into.

The two systems have the same hardware, of course; you can't make a console in two versions, it would be the kiss of death for the platform. The difference is that the "pro" version comes with a bunch of optionals, including the hard-drive.

 

[Ranger REG]

Wow. I was expecting to read a somewhat reasonable rant... Oh well next thread.

And "must have XBOX 360" is reasonable?

You're better off spending your $300 on pen-n-paper RPGs.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

And "must have XBOX 360" is reasonable?

You're better off spending your $300 on pen-n-paper RPGs.

And I'd rather blow my money on my GF and RPGs rather than a brank spankin' new console.

 

[KenM]

Its the "hot" item this holiday. I did hear they had some backwards comatablity problems with the last backwards update. It cause Halo 1 and 2 to no longer work on the 360. Microspft pulled that update, fast.
I do think that Microsoft did hold back on the number of 360's avaible to make hype. I have a feeling after xmas, we will see more of them.