The released of Microsoft�s Xbox 360 is not necessarily an easy and painless launch. One could not help but wonder if Microsoft, in its haste to beat the competition in the console race actually released a product that has not been extensively tested. I mean, why else would so many people complain of getting periodic system crashes and the dreaded �red lights of death� where you can effectively say goodbye to your console and your hard earned cash because it is effectively dead. Imagine, all those hassles when all you want to do is to plunk down on your sofa and play those HD games that Microsoft is boasting of.Now Microsoft is finally owning up to the glitches owners are experiencing with their units as they announced that it will compensate Xbox 360 owners who have broken consoles if they were purchased before January 1, 2006.
Microsoft is claiming that it was able to isolate a pattern of defective / broken systems before January 1, 2006. The company said that as part of their continuing process of �analyzing repair data�, it will compensate owners with an out of warranty repair that is free of charge if the unit was bought before the said date. Xbox 360 owners who have broken consoles but bought them after January 1, 2006 will not be eligible for the free compensation.
I am happy to see that Microsoft is finally owning up to the high incidence of returns and failures for their units. A few months back the company was claiming repeatedly that their return rate was only a negligible 3 to 5 per cent � a standard rate for all consumer electronics . They even went as much to say that the broken units were flukes.