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Microsoft sued over alleged Xbox 360 glitch


kumquatq3

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Chicago man who bought Microsoft Corp.'s new Xbox 360 has sued the world's largest software maker, saying the new video game console has a design flaw that causes it to overheat and freeze up.

 

The proposed class action claims that in Microsoft's bid to gain share in the $25 billion global video game market, the company was so intent on releasing the Xbox 360 before competing next-generation machines from Sony Corp and the "super awesome revolution*" from Nintendo Co Ltd. that it sold a "defectively designed" product.

 

Robert Byers, who brought the suit, said the power supply and central processing unit in the Xbox 360 overheat, affecting heat-sensitive chips and causing the console to lock up.

 

Microsoft spokeswoman Molly O'Donnell on Monday said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

 

Complaints about the problem surfaced quickly on gaming enthusiast Web sites after the Xbox 360 debuted on November 22.

 

Console owners reported that some systems had crashed during regular use as well as during online game play using the Xbox Live service. Problems included screens going black and the appearance of a variety of error messages.

 

At the time O'Donnell told Reuters: "We have received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected."

 

She declined to say how many reports Microsoft had received and said that calls reporting the issue to the company represented a "very, very small fraction" of units sold.

 

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in federal court in Illinois, seeks unspecified damages and litigation-related expenses, as well as the replacement or recall of Xbox 360 game consoles.

 

* Words added, but I believe the intended context remains. ;)"

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051205/tc_nm/media_xbox_dc

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My common sense says the bloke is fishing for a settlement. Of course if that is the case it opens the floodgates for every other 360 owner to do exactly the same thing.

 

That may end up costing more than a recall would.

 

You would have to prove that there is a design flaw though and its not just a case of faulty manufacturing. MS outsourced the PSU to a number of different manufacturers.

I have to agree with Volourn.  Bioware is pretty much dead now.  Deals like this kills development studios.

478327[/snapback]

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What a joke! Just return the thing if it doens't work properly. Definitely not worth  a lawsuit. It should be thrown out.

 

If it's a design flaw then it is worth a fishing trip. I'd have liked to have seen their tests since in a normal home system you get a lot of heatbuild up from the close proximity of the TV/Video/DVD/Console etc.

 

Computers may idealy need to be kept in rooms that feel like bloody fridges, but not home consoles.

I have to agree with Volourn.  Bioware is pretty much dead now.  Deals like this kills development studios.

478327[/snapback]

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Are these malfunction rumors actually substantiated?

 

I don't know anyone who owns a 360. Anyone on the boards have one?

 

http://gamershell.com/download_11625.shtml

 

MS released a statement to the effect of it's your fault if you dont keep it cool enough. There was also a funny story about a guy hanging the PSU from a piece of string to keep it cool.

I have to agree with Volourn.  Bioware is pretty much dead now.  Deals like this kills development studios.

478327[/snapback]

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If there are genuine faults then fair play to those that sue. There was a class action against apple over crappy battery life when the ipod mini was released. I think they the claimants got replacemnet ipods as compensation and the the battery life was improved.

 

I think earlier this year MS replaced all xbox power cables - so they are wiling to remedy a fault.

Edited by Surreptishus
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Petty lawsuits are bad but if its M$ that are being sued... go right ahead! :D

 

 

 

I would absolutely love it if the 360 became a flop because the less games are "exclusiveized" to that evil piece of technology, the more for us honest PC users :wacko:

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I've been playing my roomate's 360 a bit, and it hasn't overheated or anything. Sometimes the controller won't work during my patented rad couch jumps, and my other roomate has complained a couple of times that it won't play his "bootlegged" pron. But overheating hasn't been a problem, yet.

People laugh when I say that I think a jellyfish is one of the most beautiful things in the world. What they don't understand is, I mean a jellyfish with long, blond hair.

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Like I said, I think this is a good thing. If Microsoft's lil' console is a big flop that would give the PC market a big push. I mean if X Box 360 is a complete flop that would force developers to drop the platform. That would either mean drop the current projects or transfer them to the PC market. Either way its a win win.

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Like I said, I think this is a good thing.  If Microsoft's lil' console is a big flop that would give the PC market a big push.  I mean if X Box 360 is a complete flop that would force developers to drop the platform.  That would either mean drop the current projects or transfer them to the PC market.  Either way its a win win.

 

 

That's pretty optimistic for you, likely alot of games would never get made and then never be ported over to computer.

People laugh when I say that I think a jellyfish is one of the most beautiful things in the world. What they don't understand is, I mean a jellyfish with long, blond hair.

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Like I said, I think this is a good thing.  If Microsoft's lil' console is a big flop that would give the PC market a big push.  I mean if X Box 360 is a complete flop that would force developers to drop the platform.  That would either mean drop the current projects or transfer them to the PC market.  Either way its a win win.

 

 

That's pretty optimistic for you, likely alot of games would never get made and then never be ported over to computer.

 

 

It would depend of course on the level of investment, as well as how much additional investment it would take to make it work for the PC.

 

If there's already been a huge financial investment, a release on the PC could be very viable, even if it just meant cutting their losses rather than making an actual profit.

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