The results from last week's vote are in. In case you were indisposed, the topic of said vote was whether or not you've had any problems with your 360. Everyone has read the widespread reports that the 360 is a bug riddled, heat generating fire hazard, and we thought 360 Fanboy should weigh in on the topic, too -- especially considering the recent reports of Dead Rising zombifying our favorite console. The overall result? The majority of our readers -- 62% -- have a working 360 with no problems whatsoever. Add the votes with minor problems and the total goes up to 74%.
The rest of the numbers is where things get tricky. Looking purely at the numbers, our sample of defective 360s is much higher than the single digit defect rates published by Microsoft -- 723 readers have had to replace a 360 at least once, totaling about 20% of our overall poll. Keep in mind that this is absolutely not a representative poll. It's a non-scientific poll that's relatively easy to skew. Still, even if these numbers are bogus, they have the power to create a negative perception. Whether or not Microsoft decides to recall any 360s -- as some of our readers have suggested -- one wonders if they should at least make some sort of statement to assuage the fears of their users.
The comments generated varied from sob stories to utter disbelief that so many 360s fail. Unfortunately, people with hardware problems are much more likely to comment on them than people without, which in turn raises the overall perception. One constant in the thread was that once problems start, it's a sign that your 360 may be on the downslope. Also, should you find yourself on the phone with Microsoft, make your opinion known, it may (or may not) get you a break on repairing your box -- this guy even managed to get three free wireless controls.
And finally, I'd just like to add that I have now clocked many hours in Dead Rising without a hitch. Our hearts go out to those of you with dead 360s, and we hope for a speedy repair.
