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The History Of The Defective Xbox 360 [Microsoft]
Kotaku —
... insight into how ill-conceived certain aspects of the first-to-launch console were. For example, VB writes that in August of 2005, just prior to launch, some 68% of consoles coming off the assembly line just didn't work. It's a fascinating read, from the console's early engineering gaffes and compromises, to Microsoft's reluctant admission of defective hardware. Some of it may be familiar territory, but it's a comprehensive look at the console's history, if nothing else. Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes [Venture Beat] ...
Report: Xbox 360 Failure Rate Was as High as 68%
GameDaily BIZ Features Feed —
... and its decision to extend the 360's warranty not only cost the corporation well over a billion dollars, but it undoubtedly had a large impact on the 360's current standing in the console wars. While some analysts believe the Xbox 360 will manage to retain a second place finish behind the Wii, Sony's been coming on strong this year. Microsoft had a year's head start and the company essentially shot itself in the foot. Worse yet, however, according to a new in-depth report on VentureBeat.com from veteran journalist Dean Takahashi, author of Opening the Xbox and more ...
Dean Takahashi details the RROD problem
Gaming Nexus —
... NEWS - Dean Takahashi has published a long, in depth article that details the reasons behind the RROD problem that caused so many Xbox 360's to fail. It's a long read (6 pages) but it's worth it just to get a look inside what went on and why there are so many defects. There's some new information but the core reason of why the device failed was because Microsoft rushed it to market to beat Sony, even though they knew there were problems with the Xbox 360 when it shipped. ...
Report: Xbox 360 defects caused by pre-launch rush
GamePro.com —
Report: Xbox 360 defects caused by pre-launch rush New analysis on Microsoft's development of the Xbox 360 points to improper testing and rushed manufacturing behind nearly two million defective consoles. A scathing analysis by journalist Dean Takahashi contends that Microsoft was fully aware of defects in its Xbox 360 console before launch. Prior to the console's November 2005 release, Microsoft knowingly pushed manufacturing ahead despite glaring test failures. The drive to beat rivals Sony and Nintendo to market were behind the decision to ship the console in light of the ...
GameSetLinks: The N+ Amiga Green Stuff
GameSetWatch —
... that consumer game journalism is collapsing as a career (but game writing is more vibrant than ever, oddly enough).
Cloanto Releases Amiga Forever 2008 "RP2"
Good to see from a preservation perspective: 'Cloanto released this week Amiga Forever 2008 "RP2", the latest version of the award-winning Amiga preservation, emulation and support suite for Windows and other platforms, and a first batch of 10 games in the new RP2 format.'
Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes » VentureBeat ...
Xbox 360 RRODs Explained
Blue's News —
Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes on VentureBeat is a look at hardware problems on the Xbox 360 that result in the notorious "red rings of death" in an extremely in-depth article by Dean Takahashi. The article offers a pretty scathing look at Microsoft's approach to the situation, saying they were well aware of hardware issues before launch, but were too intent on beating the competition to the market to address them properly, instead counting on their ability to improve upon the design as they went along, but failing to allocate enough ...
Inside Detailings of the RROD Debacle
Aeropause Games —
... yields, warehouses filled with unusable consoles as well as a desire to fit a five year design cycle into four.
Also, Dean talks with several Xbox 360 owners that became famous for the number of consoles they had to send in for repair. It is a bit long, but is well worth checking out due to the wealth of information as well as the intrigue of what goes through a company’s mind when they are so focused on a goal, they skip prudent QA steps.
Check ou the article here
Dean Takahashi's Investigative Report on the Red Rings of Death
GamePolitics News —
... Since the RROD story broke, Dean has moved on to VentureBeat, where he has penned the definitive story to date on the Xbox 360 fiasco. It's a must-read, as he details how a rushed and very flawed manufacturing process left consumers with a machine dealing with an incredibly high failure rate (GP: Personally, I've had three go RROD on me). Here's a brief excerpt: ...
Writer details the debacle of Microsoft's Xbox 360 breakdowns
Fidgit Atom Feed —
... This was Microsoft's response to San Jose Mercury News writer Dean Takahashi when he contacted them to fact-check a story about the failure rate of the Xbox 360. Note that Microsoft didn't refute any of the 35 facts Takahashi was checking. ...
Dean Takahashi completes chronicles of Xbox 360 red ring of death
Engadget —
... By now we have all heard of (or experienced) the infamous Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, and we also pretty much know what causes it. Heck, we've even seen ways to avoid it by spending more money on fixes instead of going through Microsoft's replace / ...
Shining Light on the Red Ring
Edge Online - Interactive Entertainment Today —
Just when Microsoft thought the "Red Ring of Death" Xbox 360 failure fiasco was completely in the rearview, a new report from Xbox guru and journalist Dean Takahashi has detailed what led to the infamous "RROD." Takahashi, who also wrote the book "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked" and currently writes for VentureBeat.com, said there were several precursors to unacceptable hardware failure rates prior to Xbox 360's November 2005 launch. An anonymous Microsoft engineer reportedly insisted in August 2005 that Xbox 360 manufacturers shut down their lines in order to address yields that ...
A Detailed History Of The Red Ring Of Death
The Escapist : Latest News —
... its production. Even though Microsoft's leaders knew their quality wasn't top notch, they did not ensure that resources were in place to handle returns and quickly debug bad consoles. There were plenty of warning signs, but the company chose to ignore them." Dean Takahashi's painstaking history of the Red Ring of Death, covering the pre-launch days of the Xbox 360 through to the ultimate repercussions of the failures that Microsoft is still dealing with today, can be read in full at VentureBeat . via: ...
Takahashi's Red Ring Report
Cathode Tan —
I can't recommend Dean Takahashi's Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft’s video game console woes enough. It's an excellent overview of what is, I don't mean this in any sensational manner - Dean comes to the same conclusion, one of the biggest hardware blunders in gaming history. ...
Rumor: Xbox 360's defect rate was as high as 68%
Joystiq [Xbox] —
Filed under: News, RumorsAccording to VentureBeat's own Dean Takahashi and his numerous insider sources, 68% of all the early manufactured Xbox 360 consoles were defective and Microsoft knew it. Takahashi does mention that it's common industry knowledge that "early yields on electronic goods are almost always lousy", but in the case of the 360, the problem was never fixed and production of the defective consoles went as planned. Because, you know, Microsoft had launch plans to stick to. Again, this is all rumor seeing that ...
Red Ring Of Death More Common Than Chicken Pox
GayGamer.net —
... when my system breaks and I get a replacement sent to me, chance are I'll be going through the same thing a few months later (though from number two to number three only three weeks had passed).
Read the full article and decide if this has been blown out of proportion, or if the 360 truly was a victim of Microsoft's desire to be first. Will we see a backlash against future systems or is their remarkable library of software making up for the hardware hiccup?
Xbox 360 defects: an inside history of Microsoft's video game console woes [VentureBeat] ...
Dean Takahashi habla: MS conocía los problemas de la Xbox 360 antes del lanzamiento
Engadget en español —
... Si tienes una Xbox 360, las posibilidades de que hayas contemplado el anillo de la muerte clavando su único ojo en tu mirada son bastante elevadas. Sabemos dónde está la causa (hardware chapucero), conocemos algún que otro remedio ...
Console Post of the Week: Microsoft's Shame
Dubious Quality —
"Shame" may sound like an unreasonable word, but keep reading. After years of speculation, Dean Takahashi (whose reputation is unquestioned) has finally published a definitive article on what went wrong with the Microsoft 360. Have you always wondered why the launch machines (and consoles manufactured over the next 18 months) had such disastrously high failure rates? Now we know. Takahashi has documented it all. Before we take a look at some of the particulars in the article, let's look at Microsoft's official response: I asked Microsoft to confirm or ...
Episode #160 - Exclusive Podcast Interview with Dean Takahashi & Termanology
Gamertag Radio The Union of Music & Gaming - Xbox 360, PS3 & Wii —
... Listen The show On any phone: (312) 224-2946 Voicemail: (206) 338-2708 It's so cold in the D! Are you one of the Xbox 360 owners that had a Red Ring Of Death experience? This week Dean Takahashi a well known journalist & blogger working for VentureBeat joins us for this EXCLUSIVE podcast interview to talk about his recent article " the Truth about the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death ". I wonder what Microsoft have to say about this article. Also joining us Hip Hop rising star Termanology for an EXCLUSIVE podcast interview. He gave us the 411 about his new album called ...
360 failure whistleblower fired by Microsoft
Destructoid —
... In the original article (a very long but excellent read), Delaware suggests that Microsoft's failure to divulge information to the testers working to identify bugs likely resulted in the prolonged existence of many of the hardware errors present in the console. He specifically names a bug present in NBA 2k6 which caused consistent hardware failure and even the Red Ring of Death, as well as issues resulting from the practice of including dashboard updates on retail discs. ...
Microsoft Employee Fired For 360 Expose'
G4 TV - TheFeed —
... On September 5, Venture Beat ran an article exposing the internal corporate influences behind the Xbox 360 console's notorious "red ring of death" defects. The writer, Dean Takahashi, seeked the help of Robert Delaware, who was a temporary game tester, to unravel the mystery behind the series of customer complaints. ...
Microsoft fires game tester for going on record
That VideoGame Blog —
... Recently VentureBeat did an exhaustive exposé on Microsoft’s console crashing woes, talking with several employees about the RRoD and other issues the system had had. While they spoke with a decent number of Microsoft employees and insiders only one went on the record, a game tester named Robert Delaware. Delaware has now been fired from his contract based position at Microsoft over the article, ...
Microsoft fires tester for speaking out about red rings
Joystiq —
... When tester Robert Delaware spoke with VentureBeat about problems with the 360 hardware, he said he did so because he "believes passionately in his work ... and in the Xbox 360 gamer community." Now, Delaware has been rewarded for that passion by being ...
Red Ring Of Death Whisteblower Gets Canned
The Escapist : Latest News —
... contract employee who spoke on record in Dean Takahashi's in-depth look at the red ring of death fiasco has, shockingly, been fired. Robert Delaware was a game and hardware tester at VMC, a Microsoft contractor. In 2006, he found a crash bug that could be duplicated on every game he tested. "If you coordinated the music player with the dashboard, you could get almost every 360 to lock up," he said in the VentureBeat report. "I did it first on a combo DVD/audio disk. With ...
Microsoft’s Sticky Fingered Repairmen
chewing pixels —
[image] Perhaps the word that best defines the current generation of console hardware is ‘unreliable’. After the most recent PlayStation 3 Firmware update one of my Dualshock controllers simply stopped working. Then, of course, there’s the fact that I’m now on my fifth Xbox 360, four previous models having fallen to Microsoft’s $1.15 billion three red ring defect . My most recent machine died in dramatic form, refusing to even power up again after blinked its last. This meant I had no way of removing the Rock Band disc from the tray (I’ve since been informed it is possible to ...
Console Gamers, Take Off Your Blinders
PWNING 9-5 —
... Ugh, there's no space to re-hash the history of the RROD issue here, but the fact is that millions and millions of XBOX360's have failed since launch, scores of people have had to deal with 3, 4, 5 bad systems in a row, and the whole thing has so far cost Microsoft over $1B. Field failure rates soared over 16.5% earlier this year. Further, Wikipedia has a whole page dedicated to ...
The Top 25 Game Industry Heroes for 2008
Edge Online - Interactive Entertainment Today —
... Rolando falls into the later category (PocketGamer scored it a maximum ten) offering a fresh take on the LocoRoco style of fun puzzlers. Guys like Simon are showing the way forward for iPhone, which remains a tremendously interesting platform. 23. Robert Delaware Game Tester Speaking up against incompetence and short-sighted cost-cutting. [image] He was brave enough to talk on the record about the hash that Microsoft had made of its Xbox 360 faulty issues. In September, the tester spoke to VentureBeat ...
