Xbox 360 Slim Doesn't RROD in Heat Tests Side by Side with PS3

GoFanBoy: After rumors surfaced in the gaming community that the new Xbox 360 Slims (or whatever you want to call the new SKU) were experiencing the same ill-fate that the new model’s predecessor had been plagued with, we wanted to test it out for ourselves. In order to ensure we put the console through its riggers, we setup a test that we knew would push any of the older model Xbox 360s over the edge and into an instant Red Ring fit.

[GunShotEddy]

The PS3 fat put off a lot more heat than the PS3 slim. Not fair.

[GWAVE]

This test really doesn't mean anything. Think of all the people who say "RRoD is a myth! My 360 hasn't overheated ever, and I have a launch console". Testing one console is pointless. You think Microsoft only tested on console before launch? Wait, don't answer that...

Well duh! The failure rate isn't 100%, even if you do crank up the thermostat. If you want a definitive test, perform the same test on 100 different 360 S's, or 1,000.

I mean, I wouldn't expect amateur gaming journalists to understand the process of product testing, but c'MON!

[morganfell]

Exactly. Run a real test...

http://www.ps3vault.com/how...

[ThanatosDMC]

Well my fatty PS3 died after 2-3yrs worth of thick dust, folding, and heavy gaming... damn, dust bunnies. I'm happy with my new Slim but weirded out because it doesnt have the shutdown button on the back.

[Consoldtobots]

tell me bout it thanatos, the other day I spent 2+ hours disassembling my PS3FAT and there was about a half inch of dust around all the vents.
Broke out the vacuum and now I can't even tell it's on. Oddly enough I found an asian site that sells a PS3 vent filter kit to prevent this sort of thing.

[Inane_Asylum]

"In addition to testing the new Xbox 360, we wanted to run a parallel test with our PS3. It should be noted that for this test we used our 160gb PS3 fat that came in our Drake’s Fortune bundle a long while back."

Testing a brand new 360 alongside an old PS3 = instant fail...

[sikbeta]

The PS3 fat put off a lot more heat and keep Working, the PS3 Slim put less heat and keep working, x360"S" doesn't RROD, it RDOD when overheat to prevent its own death and the x360 is the one that get RROD when its going to Brick...(edited)

[MariaHelFutura]

Yeah, that`s not really a fair comparison IMO.

[OSU_Gamer]

Lol, you really want to talk about fair on N4G. Look around.

[corneliuscrust]

This place doesnt know the meaning of the word "fair"

[ruiner4482]

Seems pretty fair and balanced around here! :p

[AciDx]

Yay. Now the sony fanboys can let this one go hopefully.

[DoucheVader]

This is hardly scientific, especially coming from "Go Fanboy".

Don't believe everything you read on the interwebs.

[Snakefist30]

That is a sh***t article and a bunch of lies too.My friend has 40GB ps3 fat he plays abut 4 or 6 hrs straight and nothing has happen to his Ps3 no shutdowns no nothing.He continually 4 or 6hrs everyday.This is a complete Bullsh**t article.

[saf100792]

Did you read where they put the thing? I really doubt your buddy plays with it sitting in a closed closet

[gtamike]

Already but now it's called "Red Dot Of Death"
http://www.blogcdn.com/www....

[KaBaW]

If you type, like you're supposed to, then you are.
Considering you have to move your hand in a more.. stressful position,
to type every-1 than to just simply type, everyone.

[XactGamer]

http://psychology.wikia.com... because this page is full of them.

I think he should shove all the consoles in that small space and let them melt into a mutated console hybrid the PS360Wii.

[beardpapa]

Err.... if they're gonna run a real heat test, they shoulda used a more intensive game instead of Guitar Hero. =P

[Persistantthug]

But I don't think I would ever trust the opinion of a site called "gofanboy.com".

Why in the hell would they put a PHAT PS3 against a Slim 360?

Makes no sense.....except to gofanboy.com of course.

[Omega4]

Sadly this will annoy some people

[GunShotEddy]

Why would it annoy anyone? They used a PS3 fat because they new it heated up more than the PS3 slim. We're not annoyed, just know the only reason the 360 lasted. Plus the 360 is brand new. You know if they have a 160gb, it wasn't sitting in the box, because those are old.

[-Alpha]

I think he means that some people enjoy seeing the 360 continue to fail. Already people are acting as if RRoD exists, still in its grandest form simply because they saw a website show a Youtube video of a 360S malfunctioning. This to them is all the proof they need to eternally cast the 360S in the same light as the original 360. It's a very unfair thing to do, but it gets done.

And I certainly see that happen when individual Youtube videos of the new 360 are pulled out, turned into article, and people begin hyping them as if it means the whole 360 S model has failed (as if any piece of hardware isn't prone to fault).

See, this article is a good step to properly testing out and making comparisons that are fair, accurate, and properly done for people who truly care to see how the new model does. It's a simple scientific comparison. We need more of this instead of random Youtube videos that attempt to cause heat and trouble. I'd like to see surveys done by bigger media groups down the months to really get a broader picture of how the 360S is doing. If MS truly has cleaned up their act we need to properly confirm it.

I'd also like to see the same done for the Elite. To my knowledge MS reduced RRoD a lot with the Elite models (or so they say), but they are still under 3 yr warranties if I'm not mistaken, and that makes me wonder about if they are just as prone to RRoD, or if they are less prone.

[Sm0k3y_Bac0n]

Yeah, there will proabably be quite a few trolls who are upset the new xbox doesn't break as much.

It's stupid really, everyone should be happy that 360s are getting more reliable so that gamers aren't forced to wait a month to get theirs fixed.

Some people just have nothing better to do than downplay another console. If people love their 360/PS3 that much they should go play on it rather than trying to mock another console.

[Chris399]

"...a good step to properly testing out and making comparisons that are fair, accurate, and properly done". And as a 'scientific comparison', it's laughable. No sample or data is accurate in a 1 vs. 1 comparison - when one of the consoles is of an older make and manufacture date, no less. And why even compare it to a PS3 - other than for hits? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to do stress tests between a 360 Slim and a newly purchased 360 fat?

I'm not putting out an opinion about whether the new 360 does or does not RROD (or whatever permutation that you might call it now), but there is nothing professional or scientific about article or it's findings.

The whole thing is incredibly amateurish. Truth is we'll just have to wait and see till they're out on the market for a while before anyone knows anything about whether or not the new box is reliable. MS says that it is, so let's just leave it at that for now. A couple of youtube videos and by the same token a half-assed stress test run on some amateur website aren't really providing a strong basis for an argument either way.

Edit: No, it's still rather horrid, actually :) I'm not trying to argue, but articles like this are part of the cancer that infests N4G and the gaming media as a whole. They should be comparing 360 models w/ 360 models and using a sizable sample within a controlled environment - standard testing procedure (we learned this back in high-school). None of that was done. The PS3 was just thrown in for kicks, it has no relevance to the reliability of a 360 unit, none at all.

[-Alpha]

@Chris

Yeah, scientific was the wrong word to use, sorry.

The point is that it's a better step at trying to arrive at the conclusion

Edit:

But it's better than using Youtube videos, isn't it? At least the comparison is trying to arrive at a conclusion or trying to prove a point.

But you are correct, I see your point. I feel really bad for saying it was scientific, sorry for the poor wordage ;)

[edgeofblade]

Funny thing about citing the new warranty as an indication of anything... you could spin it either way. Either Microsoft did not include a 3-yr extended warranty because they have more confidence in the hardware... or they could have included it to instill confidence in the consumer.

Either way, I observe the same bias that Alpha-Male sees. Everyone wants to ridicule the 360 because they are addicted to the snark-monster.

[FragMnTagM]

I don't think anyone claimed that it was scientific besides Alpha and he admittedly said it was a poor word choice. Of course it is not scientific.

The point of the test was that, unless I missed something, the consoles were sharing the same heat inside the cabinet. Any of the older 360 models would have suffered dearly from that test. The new XBOX didn't even shut off, surely anyone can see that that is an improvement at least.

Anyway, either the youtube video with the RDOD or this test doesn't prove anything yet like you said. We will have to wait a little bit to see just how well it is made.

By the way I am not disagreeing with you, I am just putting the point of the test out there and I believe the point was that both consoles were sharing the same hot air.

[nycredude]

I find it funny that all of a sudden gofanboy.com is a viable source of information regarding hardware.

This website is amongst the worst out there and I would rather get inundated with pop ups on an ugly chick xxx website and suffer multiple malware intrusions than give this sorry ass site hits.

OT: The gaming is starting to resemble the real media, in that they use sensationalist headlines and topics to garner more hits, so you have to assume that things will get overblown, whether it's regarding 360, Wii or the Ps3.

[vgn24]

I think we know which console you prefer. You should have said you'd rather get tons of pop-ups from a xxx site than hear ANYTHING not negative about the 360.

[no_more_trolling]

ohh and a simple youtube video of a supposedly rrod is 100% proof right?

do u even think before you type

[vgchica]

why wasn't the Wii tested? It's part of this gen.

[gtsentry]

lol

[vgn24]

The Wii isn't exactly a power plant that creates a lot of heat (or quality games, lol) Just a joke. The Wii is great, but not considered the same as the other two.

[midgard227]

u know the wii's quality games are the same as ps2 quality games, which were great, but that was 5-6 yrs ago :)

still i suppose 2 or 3 wii titles are ok (demon blade muramasa)

[WLPowell]

I haven't seen many wii games I would seriously put in the same ballpark as MGS2 and 3, Ico and Shadow of the collosus, Zoe 1 and 2, GTA 3 series, ffx, gow series, etc. I've seen Mario's greatest hits wii volumes 1, 2, and 3, a lot of ok games, and shovelware.

[nygamer28]

this article is useless

[Pistolero]

Aww...are you disappointed that the 360 didn't fail in this test and the ps3 was the one that turned off?...I know you were hoping to have some ammo to troll with.

[booni3]

wow. an article that doesnt bash the 360 slim. nice change of pace.

[MisterNiwa]

Yeah because, every article is worshipping the PS3, and not one of them, ever, was bashing the PS3 at all.

Ever since the 360 was released it was bashed on N4G!

/s

[Deathracer]

They are just jealous of the new Xbox's Wi-Fi.

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

So you're here for the redemption? That is delightfully sad...

[Sez]

And ever since MS got into the console industry last gen. They have been bash since. And last gen nintendo got bashed for the gamecube last gen also. Not trying to be a fanboy on any system. But stop acting like Sony was the only company to get bash. Especially on this site. I remember when I first join this site. Sonyfans was bashing the 360 because it wasn't B/C with the old xbox games. Or was bashed because they dropped the xbox after 4 years.

So no Sony wasn't the only company to get bashed. I think that Sony was getting the same treatment that MS and ninty got last gen.

[Pistolero]

i hate when ps3 fans bring out that crap about the 360 fanboys bashing the ps3 as if that gives them an excuse to do all the trolling they do now
...for one thing the ps3 was never bashed by 360 fanboys as bad as ps3 fanboys have bashed the 360 over the years.
...the other thing is that if they only knew how much bashing the original Xbox got and how arrogant the ps2 fans were last generation....they would know that those sony fanboys still have a heavy karmic debt to pay.

...I decided to post some links to old articles from around the time the ps3 came out and other older articles to see if what the ps3 fanboys always say is true about tons of 360 fanboys trolling ps3 articles back then and how bad they supposedly had it...
http://n4g.com/news/15392/p...
http://n4g.com/news/177000/...
http://n4g.com/news/11825/g...
http://n4g.com/news/40808/n...
http://n4g.com/news/12904/r...
http://n4g.com/news/41357/h...
http://n4g.com/news/11830/i...

...so where in any of those articles is this massive trolling by 360 fanboys that the ps3 fanboys keep saying happened and justifies all the trolling they do now?
...also if you don't like the random stories I pulled up you are free to pick your own articles from back then....but i guarantee none of them will bakc up the claims that 360 fanboys once supposedly dominated this site and trolled all the ps3 articles.

[nickjkl]

pistol
goto google archives type ps3 goto 2006 2007 read comments

[peeps]

i'd be surprised if anything overheats and dies when it's brand new...

[Corrwin]

You probably did the same test Microsoft did with the original 360.

Long periods of use are not guaranteed to make the console RROD. Some folk had it RROD even with minimal use in cool environments.

If it were a simple matter of cooling, even Microsoft could have fixed it by now.

[MGRogue2017]

Should have put the new 360 up against the PS3 slim.. A much more fair battle.

PS3 slim would win though as that thing is so damn quiet.. I own the 250GB one :)

[Pistolero]

i don't own a 360 S yet but i have heard plenty of people that do own both say that their ps3 slim and 360 S are equally quiet and run equally cool.

[Fishy Fingers]

I wouldn't worry if I'd just bought a 360S, the latest of the old models are pretty rock solid. My Elite is about 2 years old and never missed a beat. Early on I went through 4 I think.

[MariaHelFutura]

I wouldn`t go as far as to say "I wouldn`t worry", but they have improved since launch.

[0LDSCH00L]

I would like to see a 360S vs PS3 Slim. I'm confident that the 360S would win because the PS3 Slim gets crazy hot under normal circumstances.

[Deathracer]

Can't argue with that, my 250GB Slim gets hot enough to cook bacon on in just a little over an hour of it being on. 360S I can't say, as I don't own one.

[Ravenor]

The back left corner of my slim (120gb) gets real hot fairly quickly. But even after 10-12 hour game sessions it never crashed, it's also gone 15+ hours streaming video from the PC and we also haven't suffered issues with this particular PS3. We have suffered 2 broken Blu Ray drives in a old 40gb and 20gb PS3, 100 dollars each for that =(.

On the 360 front it's a mixed bag. I've had 360's die on the second day (8hours of use if I remember correctly) and launch 360's that lasted 3-4 years.

[NatureOfLogic]

@ Deathracer  

are you the new bungie or something? you're one annoying fanboy

[gamingisnotacrime]

the bottom part when horizntal gets way too hot, use a laptop cooler to prevent parts braking over time due to the ridiculous heat inside the PS3 closed nutshell

[PSjesus]

Lucky baste**.

[djfullshred]

Sounds like the makings of a good Mythbusters TV show episode

[wessly]

Plug in the HDMI cable that's is was wrong numb nuts

[Cyb3r]

Im in the UK area I traded in my Xbox360 Elite and Arcade today in GameStop for a discount off the slim 360 when it is released next month. I kinda feel a bit worried that I will get the RDOD after all the negativity I have read on the internet. Should I be worried?

[GameOn]

I wouldn't worry. If anything were to go wrong your covered by the warranty.

[FragMnTagM]

It really doesn't get that hot. I played yesterday from 12 noon till 12 midnight playing all different types of games. Some Red Dead, my girl played some CSI, played some Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing with my kids, and some Forza. When I turned it off, it was warm but nowhere near what my elite was when I shut that off.

[BubZ-SkullY]

tbh, the should have done the test with both slim verisons, but hey microsoft are trying, but this doesn't prove that most of them will fail anyway. The ps3 fat has to remove more heat than the 360s.

[maverick1191]

so you're comparing a brand new 360S to a launch model ps3 lmao right

[jonlynch]

40 or 60... not 160. The 160gb PS3s were limited to the MGS 4 and Drake's Fortune bundles I thought.

[Focker420]

This doesn't prove anything. The PS3 fat just turned itself off (somehow) after only 2 1/2 - 3 hours. So that concludes the test?! NO!!

This test didn't even run for 3 full hours. I sometimes use my system all night. Just because the PS3 shutting off first doesn't prove that the 360S can't RDoD.

I say keep the experiment going until it does. Or at least longer than 3 short hours. This experiment is completely flawed.

[GameOn]

The test wasn't to find if the new 360 can ring (it's obvious it can), it was to find which console could stand the heat longer. In this case it was the 360 and once the PS3 had shut down it would cause the temps in the cabinet to drop so it wouldn't be a fair test any more if you see what I mean.

[Focker420]

My bad :)

But still they should do a test to see how long it takes to RDoD

[FragMnTagM]

They probably didn't want to kill their new XBOX. I would have shut it off too after I got what I needed out of the test.

[pixelsword]

OMGoodness they compared a PS3 fat to the slim 360...

and not only that, I think I'll need video if you're going to make a story out of it, else I could come with an opposite conclusion and be totally lying.

[Vip3r]

Maybe a PS3 Slim vs old 360 is in order.

[Vip3r]

gofanboy.com

Nice source.

[telekineticmantis]

This is the second suspiciously biased article coming from gofanboy. They might be joining the list of 360 slaves soon along with gizmodo.com My friend has a fat and he never turns it off sometimes while watching T.V. his PS3 is still going then he go's back to playing game's I swear there must be days he has it on for a near 24 huor span. His room is hotter than the devils armpit, and he's never had a problem with his PS3

[M4ndat0ry_1nstall]

..and his room is hotter than the "devils armpit" case closed.

- Mandatory Install

[Jazz4108]

Its only suspiscious because you don't like the result. If the 360 would have died you would be all over this. Fanboyz are sick.

[M4ndat0ry_1nstall]

No, It's because the 360 has a higher (unofficial) failure rate vs The PS3's (non-existent) one.

- Mandatory Install

[eaSomeLegend]

pff why didnt they use the playstation slim it would easily last a poxy 4hrs in a confined area.. but yeah i see how this shows xbox is still trialing behind

[acere]

hhhahahahaha hahhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[fnitcorp123]

in the youtube video the guy didnt have the video cables connected even the old xbox will show red rings if theres no
connection to the tv

[divideby0]

silly test.
both consoles were not designed to be run in an enclosure ( I am on my 3rd launch 360 even with it being run with plenty of ventilation )

the new 360 STILL has an external power supply. even the new units are not adequately designed to handle an internal ps..

and compare the launch PS3 to a new 360 ???

proves nothing but only an idiot will play the consoles in an enclosure.

heck let me put both in a microwave and see which one lasts longer

notice the PS3 shutz down before it melts like the early 360s

[djfullshred]

Doing what you are not supposed to do to find the failure threshold is a good test. It's called a stress test.

[divideby0]

^ agreeded.... and guess MS never stress tested their launch models or I would not be on my 3rd 360.

to bad they tested a brand new model with a launch model and they didnt mention how the PS3 had protection to shut it down....

if they really wanted to do a rugged test, they would have kept it going until the 360 turned itself off or the Xclamp went bang, which will be the failure mechanism on the new 360 model

[TABSF]

Mixed results with the Microsoft Xbox 360 S

Some are getting the RDOD (new RROD)
Some are getting great results with quite systems and no over heating

I wonder if Microsoft just decided to put the older chipsets in some of the 360 S and that may be the reason with this auto shut down to protect the older hardware

[XactGamer]

That video of the 360S RROD was the video cable unplugged.

[Smootherkuzz]

What temps were reached with both consoles and at what point did the PS Thermal Breaker(S) switch the unit off and did the fans keep running to cool the unit down. Do any of these products state operating temps to the customer? did we run the consoles in groups of say 10 or 20 for 24 to 72hrs each while being worked to increase the heat faster? Did all functions work when max temp was reached? I would think this is the kind of testing that goes on before the unit is shipped,I hope now for all consoles.

[keysy420]

its not lke them putting it through test really matters i know people who havent even had a 360 break on them since launch. but ive had 16 so go figure

[adonis183]

WAt????

[jneul]

why take so much punishment?? ps3 is way more reliable you should look into it

[el zorro]

I would bet anything that he is lying.

If not, he should be in the book of world records as either "most accident prone person" or "worst luck in the universe".

[adonis183]

on my 80gb ps3

[Jazz4108]

It looks like it outlasts the ps3 too me. Its the ps3 that gave out. I wonder why this isn't a popular article. I know it makes the ps3 look bad.

[MysticStrummer]

My God... this is no more "proof" that the 360S can handle heat than the Youtube video was "proof" that it can't. Come on, people. Use your heads. Stop falling for flamebait. My phat 80 gig PS3 is on everyday for around 12 hours straight, and it's in a small space in a wooden entertainment center with no extra clearance in back or below. That doesn't mean all 80 gig PS3s would last in those conditions. There just might be less flamebait in the world if people didn't fly into a comical rage over it all the time.

[joinsideke]

Some site totally slept through their stats class.

[jneul]

I have left my fat ps3 on all day gaming and it never shutdown this article is full of BS, plus there is no video proof

[gamer2010]

And what exactly do you think that proves? This test was done in a enclosed cabinet and I doubt you play your PS3 in an tightly enclosed space.

I also often play my 360 all day and it has never given me problems.

All this little stress test did is give a bit of an indication that the new 360s under those conditions do not have a general defect that would make them fail. It's just a bit of evidence that the new 360 S is a more reliable machine than original launch 360s.

[XactGamer]

Oh... the excuses are going to be the best ever on this one. Most of the comments already say "but but but" oh joy :)

Anyway couldn't really expect MS to keep making 360's that fail, they had them fixed since the Jasper. The old 360's are about as useful as a bag of crap.

[00000000000000000001]

The new Xbox 360S will show the red dot if anything is wrong, (VIDEO CABLE NOT CONNECTED)! If there is video and something is wrong, there will be a blue screen telling you what was wrong. So if the 360S did in fact over heat he would have receive the blue screen stating that the console over heated.

[zaphod777]

The console on top will get hotter. A better test would have been with PS3 slim aswell.

[bahabeast]

i wud rather see a video but its a nice test shows improvement on the 360 and if i new ps3 shuts itself down after getting too hot i wudnt of had my 40 gig die on me last year but i think this new 360 might be more cool than the ps3 slim just mabe never know we'll just have to wait and see

[MORGiON]

The fact people even have this argument about the build quality of the 360 is the sad part.

If the console was as reliable as a few think, then articles like this wouldn't exist.

Microsofts reputation this generation is damaged. The slim won't correct this.

[el zorro]

*Ahem* your bias is showing. Just thought I'd let you know.

[Dorwrath]

It wouldn't matter even if Microsoft had built a reliable console to start with. Sony Fanboy haters will always hate.

[sjeen66]

yeah right wait tell u see this

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[gamer2010]

You mean see that for the 8th time? Because that's what it has literally been. One failure or even dozens of failures is statistically insignificant. I can't believe how immature and lacking in basic critical thinking skills many of you are.

[punisher99]

The problem with this test is that overheating was not the issue for the 360 or the PS3. The problem was the soldering wearing down on the motherboard due to excessive heating and cooling . Meaning the CPU or GPU would loosen on the motherboard causing the RROD or the YLOD for the PS3. Just sitting a console in a cabinet does not test "the real problem".

[Dorwrath]

Sony Fanboy Logic:

One 360 slim on you tube = Failure epidemic.

One that works and tested = Not enough proof.

You guys are honestly a laughing stock.