05.25.07

three red lights

Posted in work at 5:48 pm by Rob Fahey

… “However, there is another problem which Microsoft faces at the moment - one which the company has shown even less sign of understanding, or addressing. It is the problem of hardware reliability and customer service, an area in which the Xbox 360 has a track record that is nothing short of utterly appalling - and an area which Microsoft absolutely must address, or risk handing the goodwill of the market back to its rivals.” …

I’ve already talked about my own unfortunate experiences with the Xbox 360 hardware and Microsoft customer support at some length on this blog. This article I wrote for GamesIndustry.biz this week hopefully puts the whole matter into perspective a little more effectively, though; I’ve tried to view the whole affair dispassionately, rather than as an angry consumer, and even from that perspective I don’t think it looks great for Microsoft.

I got a phonecall this morning from someone pretty senior in UK game publishing, ranting about how he had exactly the same experience with his Xbox 360 just last night, and then came into work this morning to find my article in his inbox. He summed it up pretty well, though - we’ll go out and spend money, or buy new Xboxes, because we’re such sad game geeks that we can’t stand to be without one of the consoles. I guess that skews your perspective. I don’t think the average consumer would see things in the same light.

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