Like many Xbox 360 owners who purchased their systems just over a year ago, I was saddened - though not terribly surprised - to see my next-generation gaming system go the way of thousands of others when the three red flashing lights appeared this past weekend.
What do the three flashing red lights mean? I'm sure there's some technical code embedded in the sequence of the lights, but the flashing lights simply mean "game over" for those of us who have spent upwards of $1,000 on the system, hard drive, wireless controllers, games, other accessories, and an Xbox Live subscription to play on-line. When the 3 red lights flash around the power button on your 360, the system won't boot up, and the only real option is to call up Microsoft and ask them to repair your system.
I mentioned above that I wasn't terribly surprised to see the problem. Did I treat my system poorly and expect something tragic to happen as a result of my neglect? NO! Quite the contrary. To my wife's chagrin, I might be accused of treating my Xbox 360 more carefully than I do a newborn child. The reason I wasn't surprised to see the problem is because it has become shockingly common for 360s to display the "ring of death" after one year of use. The problem has become so pervasive that Microsoft (NSDQ Ticker: MSFT) has had to extend the warranty for this particular problem from 90 days to 1 year to the current 3-year warranty coverage - all because of the seeming ubiquity of this problem.
I completed the on-line application for service on my 360 this morning, and I am currently waiting to hear back from Microsoft regarding the process for shipping my system to them for repairs. What was once a 10-day turnaround may now be expected to last more than 4 weeks due to the dramatic increase in the number of claims that arose when Microsoft extended the warranty coverage to three years instead of one - a telling indicator that many of the issues appear just after one year of use.
As I ship off my system and wait for its return, not only will I miss out on the fun of playing games, but I miss out on time and money because of my pre-paid Xbox Live subscription. We shall see if Microsoft makes some attempt to compensate me for my loss.
I will continue to chronicle this situation on my blog and share my experiences with Microsoft and their customer service department. Here's to hoping that a multi-billion dollar corporation with more technical knowledge and talented employees can fix this problem in an effective and efficient manner.
To read more about this problem, visit the following links:
Microsoft.com: Description of Problem
CNET.com: Xbox 360 Gamers Get the Shaft
TeamXbox.com: The Red Ring of Death
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