I'm having trouble understanding the economics behind the shoddy design and manufacture of video game hardware. Are they actually *engineering* a high failure rate, so that they lose a little profit during the warranty period but guarantee a repurchase down the road? Are they just losing so much money on hardware sales that it's just another write off? Are they buying stock in UPS and FedEx and cleaning up with all the shipping going on?
Here are my recent hardware failures:
Nintendo DS:
- Purchased Oct. 2005.
- Failed: Jun. 2007: Stopped powering on (not a battery issue, not a cable issue, just DEAD).
- Resolution: None, out of warranty. Didn't repurchase.
Playstation Portable:
- Purchased Dec. 2007.
- Failed Jan 2008: The repeating "Do you want to quit the game?" problem.
- Resolution: Best Buy replacement policy.
Xbox 360:
- Purchased Aug. 2007.
- RRoD May 2008.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Guitar #1:
- Purchased Feb 2008.
- Failed out of the box: The "yellow fret" problem.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Guitar #2:
- Received as replacement Mar. 2008.
- Failed out of the box: Loose strum bar.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Drum Pads:
- Purchased Feb 2008.
- Failed out of the box: The "red pad responsiveness" problem.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
I'm a recent convert to the realm of console gaming and I gotta say, with a failure rate like this I'm seeing a strong case against the "console gaming is just easier, no upgrades, no installs, no drivers" argument.
It's really getting out of hand.
I've *ALWAYS* purchased extended warranties with electronics and I'm really glad I do because it seems the *VAST* majority of stuff I buy fails.
Here are my recent hardware failures:
Nintendo DS:
- Purchased Oct. 2005.
- Failed: Jun. 2007: Stopped powering on (not a battery issue, not a cable issue, just DEAD).
- Resolution: None, out of warranty. Didn't repurchase.
Playstation Portable:
- Purchased Dec. 2007.
- Failed Jan 2008: The repeating "Do you want to quit the game?" problem.
- Resolution: Best Buy replacement policy.
Xbox 360:
- Purchased Aug. 2007.
- RRoD May 2008.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Guitar #1:
- Purchased Feb 2008.
- Failed out of the box: The "yellow fret" problem.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Guitar #2:
- Received as replacement Mar. 2008.
- Failed out of the box: Loose strum bar.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
Rock Band 360 Drum Pads:
- Purchased Feb 2008.
- Failed out of the box: The "red pad responsiveness" problem.
- Resolution: Warranty return repair.
I'm a recent convert to the realm of console gaming and I gotta say, with a failure rate like this I'm seeing a strong case against the "console gaming is just easier, no upgrades, no installs, no drivers" argument.
It's really getting out of hand.
I've *ALWAYS* purchased extended warranties with electronics and I'm really glad I do because it seems the *VAST* majority of stuff I buy fails.