Microsoft: 360 Failure Rate Still A Secret

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In an interview with Mercury News, the VP of Gaming and Xbox dodged questions about the high failure rate of the Xbox 360 console.


In case you haven't read this interview yet, I won't spoil it for you except to say that Todd Holmdahl is great at avoiding important questions and putting a positive spin on things. Here's a few excerpts from the interview:

"Q: Do you still say that is a normal return rate for the console?

A: We continue to say the vast majority of the people are really happy with it.

Q: I’ve heard varying accounts of what is considered a normal return rate. Some people say that 2 percent is normal. Sometimes 3 percent to 5 percent is considered normal. Back to that question, can you address whether you are within those rates or within a normal rate.

A: We don’t disclose the actual number.

Q: Normal compared to the Xbox?

A: We don’t comment on that."

Then, later in the interview, Holmdahl completely denies that there is a systemic issue with the Xbox 360:

"Q: Your returns as a category. Is there any No. 1 reason for a return?

A:  There are no systematic issues."

As a last ditch effort, the interviewer gives Todd one last chance to fess up to the ongoing hardware issues, to which he completely changes the subject.

"Q: At this moment, I consider this to be your critical issue for this whole generation. What can you say about that.

A: My job is to make sure the customer is happy. This is certainly part of making sure the customer is happy."

Shortly after this question, the interview ends. The response to this interview by readers has been astounding, with many readers telling stories about how many Xbox 360s have failed on them. One man wrote:

"Out of the 12 Xbox 360s I own as part of my business, 9 have failed."

Jun 18, 2007

News by Richard Manley.

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