Today Show talk about Xbox 360 hardware problems

Loot Ninja had the Today Show on this morning, for God only knows what reason. They had a segment on about video games, again, who knows why.

The interesting part of the segment is that their "tech guru" warned consumers that Xbox 360 had massive hardware problems. He let everyone know that Microsoft issued a 3 year warranty extension amounting to $1 billion. The "tech guru" indicated that is is the same as a recall without the legal issues surrounding an actual recall. Microsoft would not confirm to him what is causing the hardware problems.

[fiercescuba]

The day that the Today show will have any kind of decision making process in my life will be a sad, sad one.

[jromao]

That guy speak the truth, it hurts ? Consumers have the right to get correctly informed about any issue.

[sonarus]

daily show won't affect the desicions you make in your life but think about the unaware gaming population. I still believe msoft needs to go for a recall. Yes it will hurt them bad but it really is the right thing to do.

[gapzi11a]

This article says it all:

"Sony, NBC strike deal: NBC is exclusive vendor for range of products and systems integration through 2009."

http://findarticles.com/p/a...

[THE_JUDGE]

They are in cahoots? You mean that Universal (which owns NBC and the Today show) that supports HD-DVD exclusively is in an agreement to promote the Blu-ray using PS3? What the guy said was correct of the Today show, the X360 was made faulty, get over it. Sony made the deal your refering to to show of the PS3 in some shows i.e. Hero's, not to bad mouth the XBOX 360, tool.

[Qayin]

How many parents who buy systems for kids watch and will be affected by the comments made on this nationally televised show?! And not to mention the statements made were true. As consumers a 30% failure rate is not acceptable of videogames or anything else!

[Umbrella Corp]

my 360 is from launch and it never broke down.i take care of it coo it properly and play games till i get tired.The today show should check the facts "Every Console Breaks Down"(No fanboyism)

[sticky doja]

just saw the video and nowhere does it mention to stay away from the 360, it actually says they have the best and upcomming best games.

[WilliamRLBaker]

The consumer isn't getting correct info, the 360 wasn't built wrong and we all know it, if it was the us government would force a recall....the today shows tech guru is a retard if any of you watched the today show ud know this.

[BLACKJACK VII]

Yes, the Truth Hurts ! It hurts so bad the title of this post had to be altered because it was A LIE ! Watch the video please B4 you speak !!!

[BLACKJACK VII]

This article is both FALSE & MISLEADING.

Drunk Panda did not even watch the video B4 submitting this crap & neither did N4G when it was approved ! Nothing was ever said about "...don't buy a 360" - In fact, the guy says the 360 HAS THE BEST GAMES !!! Watch the video for yourself:

http://www.n4g.com/NewsCom-...

[D_U_I]

And what does this prove.... someones opinion. lol. Buy what ever console you want, you are the one taking the risk.

[drunkpandas]

Yeah, but do you know how many mainstream consumers this affects? Millions of people watch the Today Show every morning and take what they say to heart. If you didn't know anything about video games and were going to buy one for a family member, friend, or yourself and had heard this, you would definitely think twice about getting a 360

[OutLaw]

You're correct about how many people probably watches that show. I know here in NYC a lot of people do. So this could hurt MS a little.

[achira]

nice tip: buy a ps3.

[drunkpandas]

I think they pushed the PS3 and Wii equally on their strong suits. The PS3 they praised as giving the best graphics for games and HD (not necessarily true, but that's what they said) and the Wii had the most innovative games to get you off the couch

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

No he was pushing the PS3 because what he said about the Wii was that it was more or less fun for the kiddies.

[taz8080]

It is an interesting thing to say on the morning show as this can directly affect those parents that have no clue about gaming but are planning to get heir kid a console for xmas. They will go to the sotre and then say "wait a second didnt rosie say she hated xbox, lets get a PS3" LOL. I hear parents at video games stores ask dumb questions all the itme and then I watch the even worse workers steer them in all kinds of bad directions. It liiek a tragic comedy.

[drunkpandas]

This is exactly the audience that this type of news story is going to affect. Maybe not even directly. Say someone at work mentions getting their kid a 360. The person who saw this on the Today Show might bring it up and let everyone else know.

[ash_divine]

so if they're not getting a 360 they've been steered in a bad direction? That's a bit biased don't you thing?

[StateofMind]

Well it's not like they lied. I know more than I'd like to admit about the gaming industry and I'm afraid to purchase a 360 because of its reliability. I'd like to play Mass Effect too, but there is a completely legitimate reason to "stay away" from the 360 right now.

[dale1]

sound advice if theres problems with a product as big as the xbox avoid like the plague
microsoft still have not said whats up with them yet now that really scares the consumer

[kewlkat007]

a tech segment?

Who has time to watch that show, hell I rather the "Price is right" then the today show. I'm usually at work so I wonder who watches the darn show.

When do we get to see "Babara Walters" on "The View" saying stay clear of MS?...hehe

Hey if somebody misinterprets a Product can't a company Sue?

[tethered]

****Hey if somebody misinterprets a Product can't a company Sue?****

If they state facts, no.
There is enough wrong with the 360 that I don't think they need to worry about it.

When MS extends their warranty to 3 years, there is most likely a real problem.

[Armyless]

In fact, I almost returned my television to the store after watching her for the first time. Execs who thought she was fit for broadcast are also responsible for these goofy tech guru spots. I didn't watch the show but I can GUARANTEE you this is exactly how it went...

They start at the left end of a table/counter with smaller gadgets, he picks them up and shows them off and moves his way down the line to the right. Some of the items work some don't. The person holding the microphone to his face makes stupid comments and an occasional joke that everyone laughs at. They run out of time and skip over some of the stuff. Then it ends and everyone watching is dumber afterwards.

[TLSBill]

Good advice from the tech guy, but he could have mentioned that they are comming out with the "Falcon" 360 to fix the problems. (That's what I'm waiting for).

I agree that this could affect the parent-factor in game buying. IF a machine breaks on a kid, who has to call for the RMA and deal with shipping? The parent, not the kid. They'll think about that.

[drunkpandas]

I'm thinking the reason he said to wait was for the "Falcon" chipset. These are supposed to going into production towards the end of this year which will provide greater stability and such.

[taz8080]

That is really true, parents dont want to be bothered by returning their kids toys.

You know their tech has no clue about the falcon chip, most of these tech segments know the bare minimum abd then pass themselves off as knowing somehting.

I have to say I have seen some of the worst tech reps at Best Buy, the place where they should know everyhting tech, LOL

[tehcellownu]

He let everyone know that Microsoft issued a 3 year warranty extension amounting to $1 billion. The “tech guru” indicated that is is the same as a recall without the legal issues surrounding an actual recall.

This is so true!!!

[DrRage77]

um, a recall and warranty extension are NOT the same thing...

so then according to you, and to the Today Show, EVERY General Motors car has basically a "recall" issued for it since GM extended the warranties on ALL of their cars from 3 years to 10 years, including the existing 2007 models??? that makes ZERO sense saying that extending the warranty on something is "basically a recall".....

[mighty_douche]

the xbox was release with a single years warrenty, after the fault become known to the public microsoft extended the warrenties to save having to do a recall due to all the bad press this would get them. The fault is the ONLY reason they extended it for fear of law suits. i find it amazing hpw people still stand by MS over this, if you were release something as future proof tech then at least make it be able to survive through its warrenty! its all beginning to fall apart for poor old Bill...(poor?? i think not...)

[TLSBill]

GM tells you UP FRONT, your warranty is 10 years for all 2007 models. The 2006's did not get "extended" the 2007 came with better warranties.

The Xbox came with 1 year or so and because they kept blowing up, they "extended" the warranty. This in effect is the same as a recall, but without calling everyone back to the service center immediatley for replacement parts.

[AngryTypingGuy]

@mighty douche: The reason that people still stand by Microsoft is because most people have a great experience with the 360. Unless I personally have massive problems and I end up unsatisfied with a lack of quality and customer support, then I'll stand by MS. I strongly believe that as of right now or the unforeseeable future, Microsoft will offer the superior gaming experience. There's just too many great games I'd miss out on or would have missed out on if I'd have gotten a PS3 instead. And it feels good to know that I'm protected with such a long warranty if I get the dreaded red light of death.

[otherZinc]

This is why people that dont know $#!+ should STFU! Id like to ask MR. JACK ASS what company would stand by its product and offer a 3 year warranty at no charge.

He is a SUPER ASS and so is the TODAY SHOW for showing this booash!+. Now they need to let a smart person rebut his crap!

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

your SUPER angry.

If you think MS is giving you a 3 year warranty because they like you, your wrong. they HAVE to or they`ll get SUED.

[devi8i]

The three year warranty ONLY covers RRoD issues. And, the launch consoles came with a 90 day warranty, which was extended to a year after the initial RRoD problems started appearing. And, now MS has extended the warranty again to 3 years for only these issues. There is a problem. MS knows there is a problem; however they understand it is cheaper to fix only the units that fail through their extended warranty rather than fix all units that may potentially fail through a recall. Now the question is what will keep their current and future customers happy? Do you feel comforted that your console has a fair chance of experiencing a malfunction requiring refurbishing/replacement but MS will fix it for you at no cost (except your time) or would you feel better if MS initiated a replacement/retrofit solution now before you have a problem and thus preventing a problem from arising?

[clownfacemcgee]

They're getting sued right now anyways. But they would be a lot more likely to lose if they hadn't done the extended warranty. The extended warranty kind of protects them.

[cityofgod]

with a 3 year warranty they are saying that their product is going to
f(u)k up at some point so they are just coveiring their azz, so when something does go wrong with the console, they dont look as bad as w/o havin the warranty

[AngryTypingGuy]

Microsoft isn't doing the warranty just so they won't get sued. I'm sure it's a large part of it and maybe the main reason, but they also want to genuinely put confidence in the consumer's investment. And in this ultra-competitive industry, it's very important. All of the companies know that if their customers aren't satisfied with their console for this generation, they could easily jump ship when the new generation of consoles come out.

[paracardium]

It's funny cause its true. A smart person would say the same thing why waste money on something that's going to have a high chance of melting. I would have to say kids that spend their parents money would argue this fact.

[Odion]

while this does hurt a bit, I am not certian that mom who watches the daily show is customer they are going after yet. They want more casual people but i think they want the Madden crowd not the Wii crowd, not yet anyways

[ASSASSYN 36o]

Who watches the today show? The today show demographic does not consists of hardcore gamers just little billy's mommy. I look at it this way less kids in Halo 3.

[drunkpandas]

Hardcore gamers are very much in the minority of the demographic of everyone who buys games and consoles. The casual gamer who plays Madden and GTA are who really buy the majority of consoles and games. And these are the people (and their parents) who watch the Today Show. These are the people who are affected by these news stories.

[Premonition]

You know who watches this show, the same people that have gobbled up the wii's in which turned them into having millions apon millions sold world wide, these are the consumers that watch this show, the people who really dont play games but still follow the crowd, and ask many questions while instore picking up an item. The hardcore audiance can only be so much, but I think the causal people make up more then the hardcore gamers when it comes to sales.

[kingjkv]

OH boy, this is gonna affect the Xbox quite a bit. The people that watch these shows are stay at home moms, or people who work night or afternoon shifts. That's not a good thing for the holidays. As kids will be forced to get a PS3 or a Wii, or both.

[N4GayFanturds]

I couldn't have said it better myself! Bubbles to both of y'all.

[DiLeCtioN]

ill soon buy a 360 maybe an elite if the UK price is lowered.
on subject its true the 360 has had problems but it doesnt give them the right to tell consumers to stay away from a console, we are all gamers and we all have our choices.

EDIT: disagrees yes maybe i am wrong but not every 360 is faulty.

[StateofMind]

They don't have the right to inform consumers of faulty hardware? They're not going to take anyone's 360 away, they're only letting their viewers know the probable consequences of buying a 360 right now. Not only do they have a right to do this, they should do it.

[RadientFlux]

I love how mainstream media likes to mis-state the facts.

[TLSBill]

What fact was mis-stated? Sounded dead on to me.

[devi8i]

how casual observers make blanket statements about mis-stating facts while not providing facts to support their own statements. If you believe their story to be filled with erroneous statements or facts then provide the evidence.

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

This isn`t the today shows fault or lootninja`s.
This is MS`s problem.
They created this, they`ll have to deal w/ it.
If you didn`t think this was going to happen. YOUR CRAZY.
This is probaly just the start once the media gets a hold of this story.....MAN.
NOT GOOD MS, NOT GOOD.

[mighty_douche]

everything that was said is COMPLETELY true (maybe not the graphics bit), the xbox has a fault which microsoft has admitting knowing since launch and havent bothered fixing, a recall would give the so much bad press that they use their spin doctor to make it sound like microsoft 'cares' for its customers by extending warrenty, if this was true they would have recalled the product on day one, fixed any issues and then re-release with a 3 year warrenty!

its not irticales and shows like this that are pushing people away from the xbox and towards the ps3/wii, its microsofts! i guess MS have had a good run of things for the last few years, but everything comes to an end.....

[RadientFlux]

I disagree I have more respect for Microsoft since they admitted the problem then for Sony who just ignored the problems with the PS2.

The only difference is the media let Sony get away with it (I guess no slow news days). I still remember bringing back my launch PS2 and having EB not even questioning me about the defect after hearing it was a launch PS2. Then giving me a refurb and having it break a year later.

[sonarus]

well i doubt they have as much power as oprah but this has got to hurt xbox sales. I know if my mom or my girlfriend wanted to buy me a game she wouldnt buy me a 360 after listening to that. Msoft needs to get their act together. I really don't see their plan to roll out the 65nm chips considering they are still manufacturing faulty 360's to date under the disguise of a 3 yr warranty. I hate dealing with customer service and i hate to have my sh1t break on me. Don't want to be sending my 360 in for repairs on a regular basis just because i have a 3 yr warranty. I hope Msoft has a significant plan because i doubt that will work out for most ppl. Word of mouth travels fast and no one is willing to buy a faulty console.

[taz8080]

Exactly, this afects the population that does not know much about games. Gamers that read reviews and know what hte history is are fully aware and like most have said probbaly arent even up wathcing this but it is all the soccer moms of the world that are listening and thinking aobut buying Lil Timmy a video game, that htis will affect.

The Wii as a system sucks but it has hit a large audience becasue it went mainstream with crappy party type games, PS3 and Xbox are geared for real gamers that want good AI, graphics, gore, not cutesy party games. Unfortunately Nintendo has capitalized on this soccer mom demographic and cashed it all the way to the bank!

[Daz]

if ms the 360 fails, welcome to alot of half arsed games accept ones made by the company them selfs, happy gaming.

[DaEnforcer]

Buddy MS should have globaly recalled the 360 and replaced it. Truth is you can still see ROD after 3 years and that because of the known hardware flaw. As of now every 360 has it, every 360 can potentially drop a ROD on you. Such a product needs a global recall buddy and not just an extended warranty. BTW why does MS need so long to get this hardware flaw out of the 360? Almoust 2 years on the market, but a sh1t happened, that's simply ridiculous.

[DrRage77]

your statement is a bit misguided because you are all of a sudden saying that microsoft has not done anything in terms of manufacturing or quality control on the xbox360 since it launched 20 months ago.

there was an article that came out that specifically stated that the xbox360 internal hardware has gone through updating and quality of manufacturing has gone up. MOST of the RROD problems have been associated with the xbox360 manufactured in the first year. a majority of the people reporting problems have 360's from the first year of production....since then, manufacturing has improved and internal components have been getting updated, along with new heatsinks being put into all refurbished 360's.

Early this year, microsoft had reported that it had "mutually" cancelled the contract with one of the 3 manufactures it used for the 360....it was rumored they cancelled the contract of the manufacturer that had the most reported problematic 360's associated with them.

if you take a look at the failure rate of the first year 360's and their refurb's, and compare them to newer manufactured 360's, there is going to be a big difference. haven't people noticed that there are RARELY any cases of the RROD problem on the Xbox360 Elite models?? do you know why? because microsoft HAS addressed hardware issued from the problematic first year manufacturing woes they had......but blind microsoft bashes simply come on these forums and keep making comments like "all 360's are faulty and will fail"

i wonder if people like you were as animate during the faulty dvd drive fiasco of the ps2....or is your memory extrememly short-term and you don't recall the lawsuits files against sony for the faulty ps2 dvd drives that had HUGE failure rates and problems reading games?? microsoft actually addressed the problem, while sony completely DENIED there was a problem with the ps2, even AFTER they had settled with their lawsuits!

[mighty_douche]

its because, 1, microsoft is dedicated to making money, people knew it was faulty and there was no other system avaliable so people kept buying it! and 2, do people really think they care if you have to spend hour on hour talking to some douche at customer services time and time again? no!

[taz8080]

All I can say is I miss my NES, that thing was a tank. I dropped it off the tv and it still worked. I still remember blowing into the cartridges to maek it work or stufffing a controller in the bay, but it still worked. Built to last like the nergizer bunny. I think consoles like cell phones are now being built flimsier and specifically not to last as long. MS putting up a 3 year warranty is actually very impressive, no one has done that ever!

[BLACKJACK VII]

Anyone who bases their next console purchase on the Today Show's "Tech" segment NEEDS to buy a PS3. PLEASE !!! I hope all the little kiddie's mommies go out & get a PS3 today! Xbox360 has plenty of marketshare, send the 10 years olds on ! Maybe the Today Show can boost the PS3's abysmal sales ! Competition is GREAT for consumers, it pushes developers & lowers prices for us all !

SONY needs all the help it can get going up against M$'s software lineup this Fall - Besides, SONY has NEVER lied to us, they've NEVER mislead consumers, & they've NEVER had any console problems !! It's OVER for Microsoft !!! NOBODY is going to buy Bioshock, Mass Effect or Halo 3 !! SONY is only 4.3 MILLION consoles behind M$ - they can make that up in like a month !!!

[snittolo]

Wow.....I wonder if someone even reviewed what he was going to say on the show because I'm sure they would have edited it if they did. But top form today show, now the general population knows what we already knew.

[DJ]

this is Really going to hurt sales, especially since millions of Americans watch this show. And I'm sure other stations are going to tune into giving this sort of advice.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

LOL I love DJ he never stops trollin "LOL Hey I can predict fantasy other stations are going to say this" I like you DJ I realy do, your a complete tool but at least everyone knows what you are.

[DJ]

You constantly berate me and publicly accuse me of being anti-Microsoft, anti-Xbox (funny since I play mine every day), and a Sony Fan-troll. Maybe you'll understand this when you turn 15, but some maturity and open-mindedness would definitely befit you. Seriously, if the Today Show, the most non-techy show in America, is willing to expose millions of viewers to this issue, what do you think other shows are going to do?

This is a big deal since a lot of adults watch the Today Show, and I'm sure this information would definitely sway them away from ever buying a 360 for their kids (or themselves).

[Funky Town_TX]

It's over before it got started. Well all those stay at home moms that buy all the xmas presents are watching. M$ f-ed up. They should have just ignored it like Sony did with the disc read errors. O well, the xbox 360 was good while it was around. R.I.P xbox 360. Maybe if there is a xbox 720 it will be better. Once your rep is killed it's hard to get it back.

[Ugly American]

I have three 360's, two broke... but my Wii ALSO broke. My PS3 works except for a few software glitches here and there. But I wouldn't advise anyone to actually BUY a PS3 until some games come out for it. It just sits underneath my TV waiting for something other than a new BLU-Ray movie.

[OutLaw]

Same here I had three 360's a PS3 and a Wii. But my original 360 broke (which I just sent out to MS because of the three year warranty) and I just sold my core. So I'm left with my Elite and waiting for my Premium to return. I'm also waiting for good games to come out for my PS3. Hopefully this will be a good year for the PS3.