There has been some talk lately of the failure rate of the Xbox 360 console. Microsoft is operating with a 5% failure rate, which is not bad at all. The retailers on the other hand, tell a different story. According to some, the failure rate is as high as 30%.

The failure rate could have been 99% for all I cared, as long as my own console was safe. I know a few people with a 360 and none of them have had any problems similar to The Red Lights of Death. Sure, the console hangs from time to time due to bugs in the game code and overheating, but it’s never anything serious.

Yesterday Hans Olav came over, we played a little Dirt, talked a little about the failure rate and what do you know; the console hangs in the middle of a race.

It’s hot as hell, so we turn it off for a few minutes, let it cool down and turn it back on. This time the console hangs even before we reach the Dirt menu. No red lights, but the 360 is now no more than a piece of plastic taking up space in my living room.

This morning the behavior was the same, no matter what game I tried, what controllers were connected or how cool or hot the console was - it locked up without warning. It even started to hang when the 360 logo shows up just after its turned on. Solution: Put the console in a box and send it by mail to the online store where it was bought. Even though merchandise are usually a bit cheaper online compared to real stores, it’s quite a lot of hassle when things break down.

The console is probably sent from the online store to some Microsoft certified repair shop where it will be stuck for at least two months. No Xbox 360 for me in a while.