It happened *again*. Our XBox 360 died with the ring of 3 red lights. This is the second time in six months this has happened. Unfortunately, this time it was out of warranty, so I’m out $139 to get it repaired.
We use the XBox 360 pretty much every day. Not so much as a game machine, but as a media center extender. Our primary PVR is an HP Media Center equipped PC. When we watch TV in the living room, we use the XBox 360 as an extender for it. Due to this hardware failure, we’re going to have to use another extender while the 360 is off getting repaired.
Amazingly, when going through the process of getting the RMA, I was told that I was doing something wrong by plugging in the 360 into a UPS! The friendly tech support lady said that when you plug into a UPS, the 360 can not get enough power to drive the fans fast enough. Why would they say this? In the real world, you plug your valuable electronics into a UPS, especially when you live in the lightning capital of the world! It’s pretty funny as I have my development workstation plugged into a UPS. I’m pretty sure it draws a lot more power than a 360 does, and yet, it continues to run just fine.
Word is that later this year, a new revision of the 360 will be out. It will feature a smaller die processor, which should help reduce heat. If our 360 dies again after the renewed warranty expires (we get another year for paying for the repair), we’ll probably get a new revision model. If it isn’t out after that, I’m not sure we’ll get another one or repair this one if it breaks again.