Free Xbox 360 if Mandatory Update Trashes Old Unit?
The upcoming Spring Update for Microsoft's Xbox 360 may render the optical drive useless, forcing the company to distribute new consoles at no cost to upgrade victims.
Microsoft's upcoming mandatory Spring Update for the Xbox 360 is intended to add support for PayPal-based transactions, and support for the new XGD3 disc format which offers 1 GB of additional space on Xbox DVDs for developers and extra layers for additional copyright protection. For now, the firmware update is slated to go live sometime between May 19 and May 30.
Currently the Spring Update is making its rounds in the beta testing channel, and according to the Redmond company, it's causing problems with a limited number of consoles. In fact, these units can no longer read retail disks. The problem is, there's no way to "officially" reverse the update, rendering the machines useless save for playing games downloaded from Xbox LIVE.
"This issue manifests itself a as a unique 'disc unreadable' or 'disc unsupported' error on the screen," the company said.
Xbox Customer Support is now aggressively reaching to affected Xbox 360 owners, as the team claims it can detect the failure across the network. In an email acquired by Eurogamer, the company is offering to replace the defunct console for free with a new Xbox 360S (Slim) packed with a 250 GB hard drive. Stricken gamers are required to "start a repair request" and then send the existing unit back to Microsoft.
"We apologize for this inconvenience," the company said in the email. "We will send you a free shipping label and materials along with your replacement console. After we receive your current console, we will send you a code for a one year Xbox LIVE subscription at no charge to you. Please note that the offer is valid only until September 30, 2011."
Digital Foundry reports that the problem is more than just an issue with the new XGD3 disc standard. The new update allows the console to flash the internal DVD drive with new firmware. Given that Microsoft has employed a wide range of DVD drives in its machines since launch, it's speculated that some of these optical drives cannot be flashed directly, thus forcing Microsoft to swap out the entire console.
The new disc format also comes packed with a brand new anti-piracy mechanism (thus requiring the additional layers) that's so deeply embedded, it can't be bypassed as seen with previous dashboard releases. The new dashboard will also supposedly provide new security protocols that allow developers to create APIs for their titles that perform additional scans of the DVD during gameplay.
The new Spring Update is a big deal for Microsoft, enough so that the company is willing to switch out nuked Xbox 360 consoles with fresh new Slim units. The update will supposedly roll out starting Thursday, and those who experience disc read errors after the upgrade are directed to get in touch at http://www.xbox.com/support "so we can verify if the console has been impacted."
Please Microsoft, break my console....
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Good for those effected owners, free replacement isn't something Microsoft is known for.
That's a mighty fine gesture, but a little unfair to those who have a console that doesn't break
Still... for a few weeks of downtime, you get a new console, it's all good!
Dude. The last line of this just said it all... being an owner of one of the older, no longer sold models, I REALLY hope this kills my Xbox. Whoa...
LOL I got a 2007 model and the dvd drive is already bad I'm gonna plug it up and see if the dashdoard update "breaks" the droken drive
heres hopin ....
Got 5 xboxes hope at least 1 breaks
So, what is the catch here? When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Since I am not an Xbox expert I can't answer, but what might a user of an older system lose in this exchange? I'll leave that question to the Xbox elite to answer.
Hopefully the answer is nothing and the end result is a net gain!
I hope it nukes my console too LOL
I have a 2007 Halo "Zephyr" model.
I want one of those newer Jasper models!
Dear Firmware updater, PLEASE NUKE MY 3601!!!!1111
I've got one of the units Mt.Dew was giving out during the "every10minute.com" promotion (my wife won it!!!) - so it would be nice to get a new refresh unit... though, it's been rock solid from day one.
This isn't for tomorrows update. It's related to a previous update, so if you're xbox doesn't already have problems it doesn't apply to you.
microsoft > sony
"For now, the firmware update is slated to go live sometime between May 19 and May 30."
Sounds like tomorrow to me.
Where is this update. I hope I get a bricked console, because I have the first console with the HDMI output.
They break it, they fick it. Fair enough. I am sure people will complain about this, but whatever. If my console goes down, I put more time into other things until I get it back.
So, what is the catch here?
The catch is new anti-piracy result in more legitimate game purchases (in theory, on paper). If you're a legitimate user there is no catch
sounds like a bad move from a company standpoint. instead of fixing the problem they just give away a new system that works with the bad software but a great bonus from a consumer point of view.I wish Sony would do the same thing in some cases.
Does this affect the entire world, or only USA?
I don't own a 360... or care about that console.
but this is still good news for those lucky ones who would get a "REAL" upgrade to a newer version of their console.
wonder if our data would be safe, just got a 250gb hdd so it better not get wiped -.-
i hope mine breaks to. i got a model from 2007 past years had red ring of death the drive sounds like a jet turbine engine, and its when i watch netflix i have to turn the volume up on the tv cause the fan is SOOOO loud.
Wow this thread is fun. When was the last time you heard ppl WANTING to have their stuff bricked like that, heh!
heh 
Lets hope for the best or maybe the worst in this case?
what if you have a collectors/limited edition version of the xbox 360 like mine (COD collectors version)? I got it as a gift, would suck to exchange a limited edition version that already has a 250GB HD for a basic slim version.
Anyone have an old Xbox I can buy for $50?
Looks like my old 360 Pro ( made in 2006) has a problem after updating today. It hasn't been hooked up to the internet for a very long time, but I hooked it up today after I saw that my 360 Elite had an update. I updated both and got error messages on discs in the Pro that my Elite doesn't give. I hope they'll replace the unit, it's also RROD a few times too in the past.
I just talked to a Service tech. He said that the update doesn't go out until tomorrow. I'm not sure I believe that.
I've tried to play several games now on a 42" Samsung, 16:9 LCD...
I tried Halo 2 for the Xbox. No problem on the Pro or the Elite.
I played a bit of Idiocracy on DVD on both consoles. No problems for the Pro or the Elite.
Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. No problem on the Pro or the Elite.
Splinter Cell Conviction: On the Pro the screen goes into 4:3 mode and shows the a white background with the Xbox 360 spherical logo and X and the words XBOX 360. It stays there and refuses to load. On the Elite the game loads without problem.
Fatal Inertia gives me a message on the Pro: To play this disc, put it in an XBox 360 console. It works fine on the Elite.
Final Fantasy XIII: On the Pro the screen goes into 4:3 mode and shows the a white background with the Xbox 360 spherical logo and X and the words XBOX 360. It stays there and refuses to load. On the Elite the game loads without problem.
Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion gave me a 'disc unreadable' message on the first try with the Pro. The next time I get a message: To play this disc, put it in an XBox 360 console. It works fine on the Elite.
Mass Effect2: On the Pro the screen goes into 4:3 mode and shows the a white background with the Xbox 360 spherical logo and X and the words XBOX 360. It stays there and refuses to load. On the Elite the game loads without problem.
Several Official Xbox Magazines exhibit the same behavior. On the Pro the screen goes into 4:3 mode and shows the a white background with the Xbox 360 spherical logo and X and the words XBOX 360. It stays there and refuses to load. On the Elite the game loads without problem.
I hope to get more information tomorrow.
I have a question. Now excuse my ignorance as I am not a console gamer or a pirate so
I've never done the research. But perhaps someone here will know the answer to the question.
The models that may be effected by any chance they just so happen to be the models that
pirates use to mod for piracy purposes?
I'm not trying to say there is some conspiracy theory and that M$ meant to do this but due remember this is M$ we are talking about.
I have a working model from 2006, I hope it fails from the update so I don't have to worry about the RROD popping out of the blue eventually.
After reading through the comments I no longer feel bad about hoping this update bricks my old 20gb...
Maybe this is the catch:
In-warranty repair: Free
Out-of-warranty repair: $99 (submit order online)
Out-of-warranty repair: $119 (submit order over the phone)
Won't be long before a serial-number range hits the internet, then people will go to used stores, purchase the units, and trade them in to Microsoft for brand new ones. Of course, this is probably the preferred method for everyone involved. Imagine the poor SAP who goes in to a Gamestop on October 1st, buys a used 360, and finds out it hasn't been updated since January. I wonder if the businesses selling used consoles would do the honorable thing and take them back for a refund or replacement? Probably not.
A sony firmware update a few months ago bricked a fair number of ps3s, mine included. Wish they had had offered a free replacement instead of denying that it happened for a month and _then_ offering to fix the problem for free (after another month of shipping and maintenance time, of course).
I have an Old arcade edition i really hope it bricks so i can get a new one
Just upgrade the graphics and call it Xbox 720
Whats the catch?
The verified story of this happening refers to a dashboard beta tester. How do we know that the release that will go public wont have fixed the firmware for that model drive?