Cooling Consoles Down Or Heating Gamers Up? - Page 3 of 3

Cooling Consoles Down Or Heating Gamers Up?

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Within two months of putting the Intercooler onto my 360, my console died. One evening, with no forewarning, the red ring of death heralded the demise of my system. I did own a launch console, and Microsoft recently announced that there was a problem with the early runs, so I figured that this was nothing to get worked up about and replaced the system at the store where I purchased it (going through the retailer warranty rather than Microsoft’s tech support, as this was prior to their decision to repair launch consoles free of charge).

My next console started making funny noises as soon as it was out of the box, so that also went back. The third 360 worked for about a month, and then that replacement’s disc tray refused to open one evening. This led me to get my fourth 360 console. The Intercooler was only on this replacement for a couple of days before the information I got from Microsoft’s Customer Care representatives convinced me to remove the peripheral. Since then I have had no issues at all with my 360 console.

During this same time period, most of my friends also had to replace their 360s. The symptoms varied, but the end result was the same. We all had Intercoolers on our consoles, and we all ended up having to exchange broken systems. Once we took the Intercoolers off, there have been no more issues. While hardly a wide focus group from which to draw information (we’re talking about 6 people), all of those that attached Intercoolers had problems. There was also one person who went through a couple of the Intercoolers themselves trying to get one that would even work at all.

Granted, given the wide range of problems that arose with our 360 consoles, this could all be chalked up to a bad string of luck. With the knowledge gained from talking to Microsoft’s employees, though, it makes one wonder if there is a distinct correlation between the addition of the Intercooler and the subsequent console malfunctions.

I contacted Nyko via e-mail, commenting that I had purchased an Intercooler and that my 360 died soon after. I stated that Microsoft had basically told me that the Intercooler itself had caused the system failure. Nyko’s response: “As with most new products on the market, the Intercooler has an extremely small defective rate and is a very reliable product. We would like to assure you that Nyko stands by its products one-hundred percent, and will provide customer service and support for the Intercooler for the entirety of your ownership.”

This is a fairly standard customer service response, which honestly was to be expected. However, this all leaves us with more questions than answers. Is the Intercooler in fact bad for the console? Are Microsoft’s representatives pointing out a known problem with an unlicensed third party accessory, or are they using the device as a scapegoat for console malfunctions? Hopefully Microsoft and / or Nyko can offer some answers soon.

Opinion piece by Aaron Cohen.
Oct 26, 2006

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