BBC: Microsoft’s Kinect causing critical Xbox 360 hardware problem
According to reports, Microsoft’s latest hands-free gaming device Kinect may be causing Xbox 360 units to permanently fail. The failure is known as the “Red Ring of Death,” usually resulting in three flashing red lights.
The Red Ring of Death (RRoD) phenomenon came about back in 2007 after Microsoft finally recognized the problem after a growing number of consumers complained about the permanent system failure. The failure rate was estimated to be as high as 40 percent. Microsoft reportedly spent over a billion attempting to rectify the issue with a three-year warranty from purchase date.
According to the BBC, consumers have reported problems with their Xbox 360s failing after connecting the Kinect accessory to the console. Ten-year old Adam Winnifrith told BBC Radio program that he only used his Xbox 360 with Kinect only a couple of times before it experienced RRoD.
“We plugged it in the day we got it but only played it a few times before we got the red lights. The next day when we tried it again we still had the red rings of death and haven’t been able to use it since.”
Adam’s father James stated:
It’s very disappointing. We were planning to have a big New Year’s Day party with karaoke microphones and a Take That competition. But now the Xbox is just sitting idle.
BBC reports that online forums have been buzzing with reports of RRoD after connecting the Kinect to the Xbox 360. One poster stated:
I have never had a single issue with my Xbox. I got Kinect for Christmas and the screen starting freezing randomly. Then on New Year’s eve… BAM I got the red ring. Very sad.
Microsoft has responded by stating that there is no correlation between the RRoD and Kinect. The company also asserted that the device was made to be compatible with all Xbox 360 units.
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January 7th, 2011
Hahaha serves those losers right. I don’t even have compassion for anyone who has purchased a new 360. It is THEIR job to do the research on products. Consumers need a wake up call to investigate problems of products before hand. The original RROD should have thrown up a red flag to Americans.. erm consumers.
I’d have to say that I am one of the fortunate ones to not experience the rrod issue. Unlike foolish consumers I keep my 360 clean and in stable condition. When it’s running hot I give it a break. So there’s no excuse for people to complain about “Ah my 360 broked down over the holidays…my kinect has the rrod”.
Well why would someone purchase a console that previously had a 40% failure rate!?? I’m sticking with Microsoft on this…consumers are just to narrow-minded these days..
Tough luck, they should have bought a damn PS3…
January 8th, 2011
but the point is that these are the old 360s that might be affected, not the new ones, so i someone goes out and buys a 360 the RROD isn’t an issue (plus they ditched the red lights, so it couldn’t RROD even if it wanted to!)
January 8th, 2011
the RROD issue comes up with every major release for the 360, each being blamed on whatever title has been released at the time, whether it is gears of war or modern warfare or now kinect. The problem is and will always be the shoddy design of the original 360s and suspect the RROD issue will continue to crop up until every first gen 360 has gone up in smoke. The rest is just coincidence. With 8 millon kinects out there, even if the RROD rate was less than 0.1% that would still be 8000 potential failiures.
January 8th, 2011
I’m glad I bought the Halo Edition 360! I’m already on my 2nd PS3 but my 360 better not FUCK up. I paid over 2 grand for these babies :D
Ps: Hello Rimmer! Nice to see a fellow member from gamerblorge. As you can tell I’m no longer a part of that category. My presence there has expired (ermm…meaning I’ve been banned…AGAIN.) Happy New Year mate :-)
January 11th, 2011
the problem is with the original xbox 360 models. the new models dont even have a red ring of death error code, so once again we have people yapping about the garbage in their heads. and just a note, my friend is on his third crappy ps3.
January 20th, 2011
“so once again we have people yapping about the garbage in their heads.”
I own a 360 fuck shit.
August 25th, 2011
It is unlikely that the new controller caused the failure.
In electronics there is a famous diagram called the “Bathtub curve” which shows failure rate versus time. It starts off high and then declines to near zero where it continues along until the device wears out and rises again. The amount of time for real devices varies from months to decades depending on many factors. One of the most important factors is temperature and there is no doubt that the XBox 360′s Graphics processor runs hot comparted to other similar devices.
Observing empirical data suggests that the 360 will wear out within five or six years with light use and sooner if used more heavily. In other words nearly 100% of the machines will fail within six years.
The Kinect probably does not affect this.
September 9th, 2011
Kinect has already been causing problems with my friends new Xbox, and she’s only played it.. 4 times? I know it’s the kinect, because whenever she unplugs the damned thing, her xbox works a little better then it had before. In certain games it will not let her do certain stuff unless the kinect is unplugged. Her mother forces her to keep it plugged in, since she does have younger siblings, so they play the kinect. Her mother has also blamed the xbox for harming her television. The xbox only helped. I know for a fact that the kinect has issues, because I’ve had my Elite for a good two years now; hasn’t done anything wrong (except when I try to play New Vegas), but then when my friend has only played hers a grand total of four times, and it’s managed to almost destroy a tv, and sounds almost like kinect is eating the poor thing from the inside.
Moral of the story, don’t buy Kinect until they actually decide to fix the damn thing.