Blog - Red Ring of Death strikes again
After two and a half years, we've had another Xbox 360 die. For the record, with two 360s in the house, we have seen:
- Two Red Rings of Death
- A video card failure
- Frequent freezing
- A faulty DVD drive eject button
Meanwhile, also last year, we finally gave in and had the other launch 360 repaired due to incessant freezing since launch (probably due to overheating) but no Red Ring of Death. It was fixed, but came back with a faulty eject button which we never bothered to get it re-repaired since we can open and close it with a remote - though it's on our to-do list.
We're actually going to hang onto that one for now, since the other replacement/repaired-once-already 360 died tonight unexpectedly with three red lights blinking rapidly. The only clue I had that there was any problem was when Grand Theft Auto IV hung during a mission load screen this afternoon for more than 5 minutes. I finally ejected the disc, cleaned it and put it back in. It seemed fine after that. But when I turned it back on this evening, it didn't come back up. Well, it will load without a hard drive attached, but the support person said it's done for and to send it in.
You know it's bad when they offer to let me ship it in my own box instead of insisting I wait for them to send me an authorized shipping container. Fortunately, I saved one of their cardboard coffins from last year.
So it looks like I might have a chance to see how the Xbox 360 transfer process works, assuming they replace the console. Not that I'm looking forward to manually redownloading 800+ pieces of content ranging from Rock Band songs to Obliviion mods and (mostly free) gamer pics, themes and videos. But it would solve the problem of having to wait for a year to buy a console after consolidating my licenses.
Here's hoping the other 360 can hold out three weeks without going all Red Ring on us. Heck, I'll just be happy if it can survive through my 40th birthday this weekend.
-=Gamewatcher
Blizzard announced the return of another beloved franchise in the form of Diablo III, a PC-only action RPG for Windows and Mac whose story is set 20 years after its predecessor. The game's overhead view will be similar, though not the same, as the isometric angle popularized by the action RPG genre (well, along with real-time strategy). As with past installments, multiplayer will be the big draw, utilizing Battle.net for advanced features including a dynamic co-op party mode. Development has actually been underway for more than three years. No release date has been provided, though the game engine is apparently mostly done. Interested? Here's a taste of the gameplay:
Microsoft's E3 announcements included quite a few surprises, including what looks like an improvement on the Wii's Mii system bonded with a pre-emptive strike at the PlayStation Home. After the Xbox 360 fall dashboard update hits, you can say goodbye to the arguably innovative and slick "Blades" UI for a more interactive and community-centric interface. The avatars are more cartoonish than on PlayStation Home, but more extensible than Nintendo's limited Miis (though you can expect to shell out for an endless supply of trendy clothes and accessories). Gamers will be able to use them to hang out with friends and chat while watching Netflix streaming movies and TV shows together, playing avatar-enabled games such as Uno Rush and newly announced game shows, sharing pictures and more. It certainly looks more compelling than the Friends counter that greets you now when you sign in. Here's what else was announced: