Xbox 360 Questions

the XBOX 360 is weird. I just made my PAL50only Conker play fine at 60Hz , but it refuses to do so over a VGA cable or an express user selection of 60hz (only auto).

Also, I was able to pull-off 1080i on my 17''CRT, but that's the marvels of CRT, not the XBOX i guess they do have infinite horizontal lines hehe

 

Just for a laugh I decided to test my 360 last year. I placed it inside a sealed cabinet with glass doors and tight wooden shelves. I put a DVD into it and let it run through an entire film. Whilst the temperature did rise alarmingly within the cabinet and you could have cooked an egg on top of the console, it did not fail. Eventually I got concerned that the heat would cause real damage and switched the 360 off.

I've never owned a console that could generate the amount of heat displayed before, the cabinet had it's doors removed and I took out one wooden shelf. The 360 gets more air than anything else and I place nothing around it, on top of it or behind it. The PSU is seperated by the full length of the cable so avoid any additional heat.

Frankly, thus far no problems despite doing my best to piss my 360 off.

More worrying however were comments made by my local independent console retailer (they are a good, honest, reliable bunch). Apparently 20-22% of all 360 units they sell are returned as faulty. That does not take into consideration the units which fail outwith the UK 14day money back guarantee or the 30day return for replacement guarantee. Anything outside that would fall into Microsofts hands.

They described the 360 as the least rigid unit they have ever sold, which was of concern to me as I used to purchase NES carts off them 18 years ago....... they are long established and know their sh*t!

That said, I love the 360, it's a great unit and has some fantastic games now so I don't mind having road tested the console out for over a year - I just hope I can still enjoy the unit is 18 years time - like my NES, which still works folks!

<Before anyone jumps in, yes I realise the technology is very different!> ;-)

 

i was recently also annoyed by the fact of the noise the 360 makes while running a 360 game. Too loud

 

Ah well. It's one drawback, but not a huge deal breaker.
Remember that the DC's GDROM drive makes obnoxiously loud noises when it reads a disc, but that hasn't done much to sour many people's opinion of the system in general.

 

Seems clear that the XBox 360 hardware design was pushed to market. Hopefully the next revision will iron out the reliability issues!

Edit: Not only was the drive noisy on a DC, the fan was VERY loud indeed!

 

I doubt it's the design, it's the execution. I think the theory that cheap chinese manufacturing resulting in faulty units makes alot of sense. And the lead free solder requiring different calibration supports that I believe. If you have a newer unit you should be ok I would think.

 

yes indeed the console was rushed in order to end the XBOX 1 contracts and limit the losses of microsoft arising out of its (now broken) contracts with NVIDIA and (i dont know about the status of this contract) ATI.

it wasn't even for establishing the product really, as the first units were hugely problematic compared to any launch before it by any console.

 

Almost all consumer electronics are made in china. To blame that for the XB360 faults is unfair, I feel.

 

Total Boll*x!

 

A point raised: the XBox was dropped like a brick when the XB360 launched. I wonder how long Microsoft are going to support the XB360 when sees a younger brother or sister enter the family?

 

I think it'll be a bit different with the Xbox360 when a successor comes along.
Mainly because they own IP rights to just about all the chips, etc inside the box. No more royalties and yearly contracts to uphold with Intel and Nvidia (though I think they still pay them a license due to the bc emulation process)...MS can consolidate and tweak the 360 internals to their liking, unlike with the original Xbox.

 

I honestly cant see anything more than a 360, the 360 will last perhaps 6 more years, after that i imagine will have some sort of set yop box for all our needs

 

Is there any doubt regarding microsoft's urgency in wanting to conclude manufacturing of XBOX asap? I ll need some proof to be convinced otherwise, judging by their extremely early RnD and console release.

just for your peace of mind by the way, I first read this from an RnD diary/interview somewhere at XBOX.com, about 4-5 months ago, and it does make sense to me at least

(I m in no way biased, I do own a 360 and I like the console very much, but I m also aware of the cost of contracts and commercial practice )

 

The original xbox was merly a foot in the door of console gaming, the 360 is MS true system


Now back to live i go

Ryan