Consumerist.com Writes: Reader Kevin's XBOX 360 suffered the usual Red Ring of Death, so he sent it in to be repaired. He got back a different XBOX 360 with a different serial number. That would be no big deal, except Kevin has purchased a bunch of content through XBOX Live... content that is no longer fully functional due to Microsoft's broken DRM.
Here's a quick summary:
November 2007: Kevin's XBOX 360 is replaced, causing his content to lose full functionality. He calls Microsoft.
Microsoft keeps Kevin on the phone for an hour trying different methods of restoring functionality to his content. Nothing works. They say they will call him back in two weeks. They do not call him back, so he calls them. Microsoft makes him repeat the steps he tried the first time he called. They tell him they will call him back in two weeks. This cycle repeats twice more before Kevin gets a call from Frank at XBOX escalations. It's now the second week of January. Kevin periodically speaks to Frank. Frank has no answers for him.
February 7, 2008: Frank tells Kevin that there's nothing more he can do and, when Kevin asks when he can expect a resolution, Frank says "hopefully sometime in 2008."
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I thought the general rule of thumb for 360 owners were to simply go out and buy another system every time theirs broke. I have seen them all post here time and time again doing just that. So just go and re-buy your downloads again. Problem solved.
or,
You could INVEST in a system that is NOT fundamentally FLAWED which in turn flaws every other facet of the system. Short answer, go buy a PS3 and enjoy gaming.
You can redown load the content for free as soon as you import your live user name... Geesh, i thought this was the Non fanboy zone?
It isn't a lie. I am on my 4th 360 and I don't buy anything anymore. That isn't the way the DRM works. His isn't the first case either.
http://my.imaginationispowe...
http://blogs.computerworld....
I should call them up just to give them something to do by answering the phone. Have no idea what the number is though.
Just have them issue you free points to redownload everything with another account the same thing happenened to me a year ago. It took a while for them to do it but they gave me codes to put in my system so I could redownload evrything again. the codes gave me free points.the only thing is you have to make another account make it a gold account that gives you the month free trial then download everything again using the new account.then your games would work fine like when you first bough them.I don't understand why they didn't offer it to you they did to me.but I did give them hell when i talked to them.
I have my forth being repaired or replaced at this time. Ever since I upgraded from the pro to the elite I have had DRM problems. Been 10 months now and still have DRM issues. Would I give up my Xbox 360 because of this, NO! It will get worked out in the end, just going to take some time though.
@natural0721 - they don't do that anymore, they did that for me the first time but shortly after that they stopped giving points.
I sent my 1st 360 in and it was repaired everything worked, when it failed AGAIN a year later they lost it and game me a rebuilt system but I have an Elite too so I use the old HD on the Elite anyway.
When I was having issues with my HDMI and PS3 I called up the support line. I'm just gunna say right now that they're idiots. All they did was tell me to call my TV's manufacturer. So I called Vizio and talked to some guy who helped me set up my PS3. It wasn't the TV at all.
God help us all if our PS3s start red ringing or something.
I've got a refurb after an RRoD and you merely go thru your download history (far left tab), and re-download the purchased content. You don't have to pay again. Most of the info is already on your HDD so it usually only takes 5sec for each item to get I'm guessing the "copy-rights" coding. It's annoying if you've downloaded tons o' crap like me...but what isn't regarding the death of these consoles. This info should be an insert in all replacement consoles but it is not.
How did MS fall so far so fast? I bought an Xbox last time around and, truth be told, played it more than my PS2. How the heck did they F it up so bad? And to be so cold to the consumers is crazy. Easy fix for this guy, send him a new console and credit him for every dime he spent on Xbox live.
I have to respectfully disagree with you as well. Given this is both only are opinions as we both enjoy different games. The part I'm disagreeing with is the part where you said COD4 has a better multiplayer. If you would have said single player I would have agreed but not MP. My main reason being that you can make videos and clips. Yes with certain tools you can do the same with COD4 but what would be the point. The deaths in COD4 don't even begin to touch Halo's with sticks, vehicles, needlers, beatdowns. So many crazy things happening at once. I loved COD4's MP at first but started to feel like I was just shooting at people until they died. Getting 7 kills with a single airstrike can only make you chuckle for so long. And where is the CO-OP? But everyone needs a break from Halo no matter how much you love it and it's great to see a game on par with it come out at the same time. And everyones argument now is PS3 will own 08, but IMHO that doesn't make Bioshock, Halo, and Mass Effect disapear. When people buy a new system this late in the consoles life they look for used games first and that's what Metal Gear will be going up against not Too Human or Fable, but then again that is just my opinion.
"but IMHO that doesn't make Bioshock, Halo, and Mass Effect disapear"...
but PS3 and xbox 360 08 games will make 07 games outdated and lame.... (I try not to be a fanboy)
This whole thing with the 360 is a 'total nightmare'. My second 360 is now faulty 6 days after the warranty expired. I've now got to pay £65 ($130) to have it repaired and the repair only comes with a 3 month warrantly. I read on another website about one guy has paid £65 3 times. How Microsoft have got away with this is a total mystery. I read in Edge magazine today that Microsoft rushed out the 360 and that it hadn't been tested properly before it was released. All in all though, consumer law in the UK doesn't seem to protect the consumer enough. All 360s should be recalled. I just know it's going to happen soon as more and more of them are becoming faulty (more than the quoted 40%). Microsoft have surprised me with their ignorance...
bubble for you. I stated my opinion then you stated yours and disagreed without being a tool or spewing fanboy garbage. This is how discussions should go on this site.
Bill Gates knows whats going on he approved the org. launch the 360 is a flawed machine and the people who buy them and XBOX LIVE are losing money for nothing. If u own a 360 it will die someday and MS will replace it witha refurb. anf all your marketplace purchases will be lost, I think its a shame the way MS has treated their faithful consumers I feel bad for all of them.
I may not always agree with you but that was funny. Patriot27 it was a joking reference to the story on here recently about the kid that emailed Billy directly and got his problem solved FAST, then MS came out with a fluff story that ended with a definite comment to not email Billy. Yes anyone with brains knows that Billy didn't see the email himself, it was a funny comment though Sak.
It happens to ALL 360 owners that have purchased DLC on Live.
I think I'm going to pull my PS3 harddrive from the unit and give it a hug as well as the PS3 itself.
+1 for the PSN
I had a RROD about 5 months ago, got a new one back, and all of my stuff plays just fine (games, couple TV shows, some videos, etc). I've never once had an issue. I'm always connected to Live, though, so maybe that's it.
the problems is occuring when you purchase XBL content with one system and a certain account...the DRM for XBL works by being attatched to your account AND your system (not just the HDD, something internally is coined to it as well)...
the RROD issue leaves everyone up in the air until they get their system back...because the RROD thing is 'so complex', and MS won't tell people exactly what causes it (apparently there are over 70 things that commonly occur in a 360 to make it pop)...you don't know what system you are getting back...
so...if your DLC works (and this is the purchased stuff...not demos or any free stuff)...you got the same 360 back...they fixed whatever was wrong internally, and sent the same system back...if it doesn't work, as in the case of this article, you were given a different 360 than what you owned before...because some RROD issues allow the system's internals to be repaird; you sometimes get your original equipment back...but some RROD problems result in a pile of absolute garbage...and in it goes...resulting in you getting a brand new, or refurbished 360 of equal specs...
and that is where the problems occur...DLC is then gimped because, even though its already on your HDD and you are using the same account, its not coined to the correct system...that is what all this is about, and its been going on for months now...It is utterly ridiculous that some are claiming this to be a lie...that is the very definition of a blind fanboy...
what MS did was made a closed service that is very good at keeping people from steeling anything...it just so happens their system pops so much that their paying customers are the people getting fired at...It is a shame, I have never seen screwing at this scale in the electronics industry...possibly ever...
Sheesh.. this is even worse that most of us thought. I thought they could just refund you points, and you could repurchase. But I guess then some would misuse the system and just send the console back to get the same points back and just buy something else, send it back, get refunded, buy something else etc etc.
Difficult one to fix if the DRM depends on code in the XB360 itself. Removing dependency on the console itself would mean the content can get swapped - for example - I buy ten items, you buy ten items, and after a month we just swap hard disks and we both get double the value.
Now they are linked to the actual console - but with the RRoD you don't get the same console - hence the keys won't work.
This problem is a biggie - as MS has a simple painful choice. Give you points, and risk you doing the same thing and getting free replacement over a period of three years, getting new content every time. Or breaking the DRM. Both options suck. For them anyway. Just shows you - get things ready before you start selling it.
I honestly appreciated your explination of the situation. A bubble for you.
Perhaps they could get your live ID, and your current DRM, and then have a system which would reprogram (if you will) your DLC so that it will work on your NEW DRM.
Also, does anyone know if PS3 could potentially have the same problem? What is my PS3 MAC address changes?
Here's an answer for your PS3.
Most of the games for PS3 downloadable on PSN is available up to 5consoles...so if you have a friend got a game, use his username and password, download it online...here you go, you get the game on your PS3 too. It also solves any potential problem relates to hardware key code.
For the more expensive game like Warhawk, i believe it is not the same case, but if it does happen, since it is not a widespread problem like the xbox360 does(<1% vs >10% failure hardware), and i believe most of the cases for the <1% is going to fix your console instead of recycling refurbished consoles. Thus, there won't be a problem for it as well.
I hope this answers your questions =)
`
IE i have two PS3s i download warhawk on both, if use warhawk on PS3 A i have to wait 24 before I can use it on PS3 B. that is how sony protects their DLC.
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/...
I love US media.
Do you ever watch G4TV. Their shows are so pro-MS it's not funny.
I mean didnt they have a 72 hour Halo-thon or something the day when Halo3 came out. I'm sure that wasn't paid for by anyone over at MS
And I also agree that G4TV sucks.
being American only points to the fact that they are up for the highest bidder...not that they are tired of a Japanese brand destroying the competition generation after generation...
it feels like i'm going back in time
BREAKING NEWS:
PS3 has NO BACKWARDS COMPATABILITY CHIP ANYMORE!
Wii has only 512 MB memory!
anyways the 360 is cheap what did you expect..its poorly design and the more people who that goes through broken 360s the better chance of them getting a ps3..
ya know things break..
peter moore...
and you can get BC in the 60gb and 80gb models of the POS3 and the 40gb works with PS1 games
but who cares when the Wii offers so much fun and value
Surely you are sick and tired of being treated like doormats by the satanic Nazisoft? If so, I will consider welcoming you into the PlayStation family.
But only if you beg and grovel for forgiveness first!
MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!
people want Mario and Zelda
people want the Wii
you lost Kaz
@Kaz below
your POS3 has nothing that can match the fun and quality of Super Smash Brothers Brawl- which has already sold 1mil copies
and No More Heroes is incredible too
who has sold 20mil world-wide???
I'm sorry, Reginald, but you will have to try harder than that! Nothing can stand against the might of Solid Snake, Kratos, Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, Heihachi Mishima and Emperor Kutaragi!
MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!
I almost never use the PS3 because every game that is multi is BETTER on the 360 period. I play Fall of man, my son likes R&C I thought Unfarted was ok (VERY short) and UT3 is weak. I own a total of 6 ps3 game and have owned over 100 360 games.
Yeah, you're right. The lagbox plzfixme is definitely the best game system out there.
That was it guys, party time is over, move to the winning/better side before it's too late and you give up gaming and come back working at McDonalds.
You're pathetic and you said you had a son, man how old are you? You totally act like immature and their absolutely no logical explanation why x-box 360 is the best, so you saying the machine only sell FPS the most is the best, how about something dynamic, something casualties, something like Wii and the PS3 that offers. BTW owning a console that you never used it sound a bit fishy if not, then its sound stupid cause why waste money on system that you never used, so can you please don't make up things since you never even buy it, we ALL KNOWS YOU"RE AN XBOT only say whatever good to it and only defense no matter if you got 7 RROD in a week still doesn't change your mind and your loyalty toward it
Hardware failures have nothing to do with the quality of games on the 360, and neither do the future games that will be released sometime in 2008 on the PS3. As it stands, the xbox has the best CURRENT games. Period.
you make me laugh
sony defence force battle fleet
wot a joke omg i will never join gaystaion 3rd
I would be totally Pssssssst
You wouldnt?
Im on my 4th 360 now, this is the last one, if it dies, fu*k it and Microsoft to hell, despite all the money ive spent on their products, 120gb hdd, xbox live, numerous games, wifi adaptor etc they still think they can just treat me like dirt, well fu*k them. my ps3 and wii is more than enough to keep me happy.
rant over :)
Thats why i am still waiting to buy an x360.
Buy a PS3 now. I did a 40GB then I bought 160GB 2.5 SATA hard drive for $89.99 replaced it. The PS3 will format your new hard drive in about 25sec. The PS3 is the best system around it has the best BLU-RAY movie player 2.0 and can be upgraded with firmware uodates. There are great games right now and more coming, I use to own a 360 but got tried of hardware failures and poor CS from MS.
Sounds like someone's on comission from Sony...
(Sorry couldn't resist;)
I got shot in the face but it is okay because i got a new face free and they gave me a pair of sun glasses, also the guy who shot me brings me to work now.
This guy must have a unique problem where his online gamer proflie stored on the M$ network has somehow lost track of everything he purchased ? Very unusual. I know 3 or 4 guys who had RROD & recovered everything just as I did.
Either way, sucks for him.... craptastic customer service for M$.
Apparently, when you redownload the stuff you can only play it while logged into Live (because the DRM requires the original serial number or the login information). To my way of thinking, this is a simple matter - simply reassociate the DRM with the new serial number and delete the old serial number from the system. Don't know why it is such a big deal.
Anyway - the moral of the story is that if you are going to link your hardware to DRM - the hardware better be rock solid or there are going to be a lot of pissed people.
MS is not the only one doing this - a number of people have purchased subscriptions to music services only to find the service go away - leaving them without music. That is why I prefer to buy CDs and burn them myself. Still, DRM continues to be a major pain in the butt for everyone involved. You can blame all the crackers that would rather make an illegal copy (which is bad) and then use the copy to sell other copies (stealing sales).
Disconnect your new Xbox from the internet and try running those XBLA games you bought and re-downloaded from Live.
You may find they have all reverted back to Demo status. Reconnect to internet and they'll magically reappear as full purchased games again...
The problem isn't re-downloading it's being able to use them while disconnected from Live, or under a different profile on the same Xbox.
amazed the m$ service guys can even talk english lol
360 + waste of time and money unless your lucky or smart enough to mad it so that it wont overheat.... then ofcourse they ban you from live for running a modded box.......
These very actions gives even more documented proof to Dark Sniper's claims of the Microsoft Tyranny and their slave driving ethics. Microsoft is well aware that they made their console a defective piece of dumpster juice when it was released on 11/22/05. Even more so, Microsoft brought in people from outside countries to absorb the wrath of millions of customers across the globe. These very people who speak little to no English are getting paid a minimum wage amount for taking the backlash of over 5 million people worldwide. This is modern day slavery.
But for every problem there is a solution. PLAYSTATION® 3 offers consumers an easy to use and intuitive online interface with our Playstation® Network services. Unlike Xbox live, when you purchase an item from the Playstation® store, you are able to make payments in solid dollar amounts and you never will be forced to purchase more points than you need for one item.
More importantly in relevance to this topic. If the rare occassion occurs that your PLAYSTATION® 3 is in need for repairs, you can always re-download all of your content that you have purchased on your brand new PLAYSTATION® 3 at no charge. You are able to perform this function up to a limit of 5 downloads.
Thank you Sony Computer Entertainment for provided your customers with an online friendly infastructure which at no charge gives you less hassle than the garbage premium services of XBOX Live.
The choice is yours to make. Dark Sniper's heart is with PLAYSTATION® 3. What about yours?
$niper
Shall we deprive this Nintendo GOOSE of his bubbles? Like the PIGS, he clearly cannot comprehend the majesty of the PerfectionStation 3!
MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!
the Wii is much cheaper than the other two pieces of crap, the games are cheaper and better
the Wii is the future, you cannot fight it
the Wii is much cheaper than the other two pieces of crap, the games are cheaper and better
the Wii is the future, you cannot fight it"
Hatchetforce is a moron because hes stating the truth that the PS3 web browser kicks the wii browsers ass?
Lol the wii is cheaper...you get what you pay for.
Wii is the future? nice graphics ya got there...reminds me of my N64
Cannot fight it? Wii has no violent games so i dont know why youre talking about fighting
i understand those three games (good games that is) on your wii are really fun and what not. but please tell me how your HD movies are looking?
don't worry i have time, i can wait.
"Wii has no violent games so i dont know why youre talking about fighting"
he just called you a poser son!!!!
you have to defend yourself....nerd!! ...lol
Reggie must be the first ever Wii fanboy I've ever seen in this area.
*awes*
then poured gasoline on it and lit it, then he spit on it and told it how much it sucks
and bought a ps3 the next day
Its just a revenge post probably dug up because of the PS3 posts that seem negitive.
The topic is a duplicate story but I guess looking for and finding every experiance with the issue is not.
you cant even spell negative properly
the Wii and DS can educate you young one
and a scratched up screen to write on with n64 graphic's cause the past is the bestest, and technology is meant to lag far behind
if you wanna play every game ever with a gun con, cause its soo easy to use, its the future......
so the wii 2 will have xbox graphics and, the ds 2 will have dreamcast graphics, .......with a squishy ball and a old nike shoe as controllers....MUST BUY!!! :)
mario: toilet troubles, mario whip:rims edition, zelda:the girlish boy
metroid: alien space fighter ultimate rocket hand edition,
super murder bro's: Cage match ,
im bored, ima go play call of duty 4, See ya
that feature with checking in with your playstation eye , is only possible if you buy one of those screensavers,....otherwise you cant
i used to be able before firmware 2.10 but i guess sony fixed it
anyways the screen savers only $2 ,to check in on your cheating wife, and catch her when she wants to divorce you and take half your money , and having proof she sucks to show the judge
PRICELESS
Thats why i did join, i got confused by the non fanboy secction that is certainly a total lie...seems that this place is still full of insults and childish comments oh Well...pretty informative website...is there any moderator or something here..seems like not...
This is a wierd story. Sucks to be that kid, that's all I can say about it. Doesn't make much sense otherwise
You all pay $50 dollars a year for your subscription, what if they used that $50 or some of it as an insurance policy, so if this thing happens they can give you back the amount of money needed to repurchase the Live content. I don't know just a thought.
but i'm lying they do have a answer its called~ No Comment
I really wish my 3rd 360 didnt die.. it ALMOST lasted long enough to play Mass Effect.. I really wanted that.. With all the problems tho.. Its like buying a 360 is asking for trouble.. You feel good you got a new one, but know your time is limited.. When it broke the final time i was a sad man as i sold my gears and Halo 3.. If they ever fix the hardware (hopefully before gears 2) OC ShockValue will make his Grand Return to XBOX LIVE
Two possible explanations;
1) You're all liars.
2) Microsoft are liars.
Well, the first one is obviously the likeliest... wait, hang on a minute...
Yeah for like the 1000000th time hahahahahaha.
I guess blu ray is not enough for u maybe u need some games or lives. because u have all ruined this gaming site with ur stupid internet lingo like the XBOT term lol ur the robots. and the only thing u can talk shlT about xbox is of it system problems which are fixed and yes ms did rushed it out to get the head start. WHY CARE ABOUT SELLS. JUST PLAY SOME FREAKING GAMES!!
i cant belive people still pay for online gaming,lol.PLAY B3YOND!!