Poor design, cheap component, lack of testing contributes to Xbox failures

With recent 'figures' suggesting that 1 in 3 Xbox 360 become a heavy paperweight, it's a wonder where it went wrong.

An article over at SmartHouse suggested that Microsoft, in a bid to beat everyone else to release a console, did so cheaply by rushing everything through. Poor design, cheap component and lack of testing are all blamed for the high failure rate. Microsoft has recently announced that it will take over $1 billion charge to extend warranty coverage on repairs and replacements.

While Xbox 360 owners are not 'out-of-pocket', so to speak, there is no doubt Microsoft's reputation will take a beating. One can't discount the fact that it will inconvenience gamers who need to get their consoles repaired, thus ruining the whole gaming experience. That's something money can't buy.

Even though Sony has an expensive brick, it at least works over 99% of the time. Less of 1% of the PS3 sold are returned as faulty. According to one source, no Wii sold was ever returned.

Source: SmartHouse