“Owners of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console have blamed its new Kinect hands-free controller of causing their consoles to fail,” Melanie Abbott reports for BBC News.
“Console owners told the BBC that their machines crashed shortly after plugging in Kinect,” Abbott reports. “Microsoft has denied any link between Kinect and the three flashing light error signal, known as the ‘red ring of death.'”
Abbott reports, “Ten-year old Adam Winnifrith told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours he had only used his Xbox with the Kinect a couple of times before it failed. ‘We plugged it in the day we got it but only played it a few times before we got the red lights. The next day when we tried it again we still had the red rings of death and haven’t been able to use it since.'”
Full article here.
Brian Crecente reports for Kotaku, “You just wrapped up another semester of college. What are you going to do to celebrate? Shoot up a dead Xbox 360 with semi-automatic rifles of course!”
“Ben Strauss sends [us] pics of the celebratory firing squad that both wrapped up another year at a local college near Kansas City and bid adieu to a red-ringed Xbox 360,” Crecente reports.
Full article, with photos, here.
MacDailyNews Take: Merry Christmas, suckers.
In “no win, no fee” England that has just as many ambulance chasing lawyers as USA, if not more per capita? Really?!?!
Maybe if you couldn’t get a NwNf lawyer to take your case you’d pay if you lost … but isn’t that exactly the same in US?
Ballmer: <slap> doh!
Has Sen. Schumer written a letter to Ballmer about this yet?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20010688-260.html
It is sad that so many people have accepted that their console is likely to fail after a few years and are willing to buy replacements when it does. Consoles should not be considered disposable products within the same generation; build quality and good design should be a given at the price of these things. The XBox360 had a major design flaw that was known to cause Red Rings and yet people kept buying it out of misguided brand loyalty. It is even arguable that Microsoft knew about this at the design stage and counted on replacement sales; the hard drive’s modularity suggests as much. Whatever the case was, they released a faulty product and consumers accepted it warts and all.
Kinectgate.
@ I CAN HAZ Crabapple? For a start, use your own name!
No Win No Fee applies to road traffic accidents and industrial accidents where the risk of loosing has been reduced through insurance coverage.
It does not cover frivolous lawsuits engaged to test the law.
Tort lawsuits are not allowed.
Finally in the case of the XBox 360 combined with Kinect, the issuer of the lawsuit would have to prove in court that they have had an expert conversant with the service & maintenance of the Xbox 360 & Kinect, who is recognized or accredited by Microsoft as being such in order for them to have a remote chance of winning & therefor a lawyer willing to offer a No Win No fee clause.
Any lawyer worth their salt would of course have insurance cover against losses where the insurer would accept that the lawyer has acted within the clauses of the insurance schedule.
Should the issuer of the lawsuit loose, then they would be liable for not only their costs but for the other parties costs as well. There in lies the difference between frivolous lawsuits issued in America V lawsuits issued in England.
It seems that in America, lawsuits brought into court are plentiful because if the issuer looses, they don’t seem to have to pay the other parties costs. So if they can afford their own costs, that allows them to tie up the courts with litigation after litigation.
Does anyone know more about this issue from both sides of the pond? Please shed some wisdom!
Wow this sucks M$ sells me the kinect. Then in 1week rrod and from the looks of it. Thay just say that the kinect did not have any thing too do with it that is BS. I now have to buy a new system. But guess what M$ it will be a PS3. I work hard for my money and I want something I can depend on. I have a 1st gen PS2 that lasted longer then my x box. Even after you said you fix it the first time. Fool me once shame on me fool me twice shame on you.