New Xbox 360 motherboards could mean fewer crashes

Update (12:57 p.m.): The story now reflects Microsoft's response to a request for comment.

For Xbox 360 users, the so-called red ring of death is a worst-case scenario that can cause nightmares about total system failure and the inability to play any more Halo 3.

Since the introduction of the console, in late 2005, some users have suffered through a well-documented series of quality control problems and some have endured system failures on machine after machine after machine.

Microsoft has attempted to handle the problems--and last year extended the warranty for the machine, leading some to feel that, at the very least, they would be covered if they got the three red rings around their console's power button that indicate total hardware crash.

The 'red ring of death' is the last thing any Xbox 360 user wants to see, as it indicates massive system failure.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

All along, the problem has been blamed on the Xbox's original motherboard, a poorly designed piece of electronics that in many cases simply wasn't up to the rigors that users put the machine through. But there had been indications that help was on the way in the form of an all-new motherboard, at once smaller, more efficient, less likely to overheat and less expensive, known as "Jasper."

Now, according to Xbox expert Dean Takahashi at Venture Beat, Jasper-infused Xboxes are finally being spotted out there in the wilds of the marketplace. And presumably, fans of the platform are singing hosannas at the prospect that maybe, finally, some of their brethren might be able to boot up Gears of War without fear of doom.

Actually, Takahashi poses the question of whether Xbox fans will go for the new machines. But I'm not sure why anyone would rather not have an Xbox with the new motherboard instead of one that could blow up--not literally, of course--at any time.

To be sure, those whose original model Xboxes haven't crashed don't really have a choice, and I don't see hordes of owners of the console rushing out to buy a new one. But if you've been holding off on buying one, and find that you have a choice, what would hold you back?

According to a blog called Joeygadget, "The key things to look for when buying a new Xbox 360 with the Jasper chipset is a manufacturing date (MFR) as early as 2008-08-06, Lot 8031 and up, and Team CSON."

Another site, the Xbox 360 DVD Drive Database, reports there is no "substantial evidence that it's out yet."

For its part, Microsoft wouldn't say whether any Jasper Xboxes were on the market yet. "We are constantly updating internal components on our consoles," the company told CNET News, "and therefore will not comment on details of specific components or manufacturing processes."

Either way, it sounds like the era of the red ring of death, at least for new buyers, could well be drawing to a close.

And this is important since, with Microsoft's recent price reductions for the Xbox--the "Arcade" version of the console is now available for $199--it is likely that there will be large numbers of new buyers, especially this holiday season. Unless, that is, the economic situation holds buyers back.

My question is, will the Xboxes with the new motherboard have a smaller power supply than the ugly behemoth that came with the original machine?

[bobmarleypeople]

Something the world of cnet doesn't know is that there's actually been about 4/5 different motherboards throughout the 360's life so far. Each still full of fail and each perfectly capable of red ringing at any time. I'm planning on getting a 360 eventually, but only when all the following is true:
a) the RRoD risk is virtually gone
2) the experience thingie comes out
Z) I have money

[sythara]

what experience thingie?

[lrf2005]

Fewer, not less.

[timber2005]

Your logic has an error.
Fewer = less.

Did you mean "fewer, not none"?

[dwreid]

I hate to be the grammer police but if you make your living using the English language you should know that the correct phrase is not "less crashes". It is "fewer crashes". If you measure it as a quantity it is less. If you can count it the correct word is fewer. Less water and fewer gallons.

[sythara]

"If you measure it as a quantity it is less. If you can count it the correct word is fewer. Less water and fewer gallons. "

As someone who learned english language in California, I did not know that... So thank you.

(yes I am serious)

[miyabigami]

I hate to be the retard police, but you spelled grammar wrong. Also you should have said volume not quantity, because I'm pretty damn sure you can count a quantity AND a volume, so your argument about when to use which word basically says you use both so long as you can count the number of items there are. Also in your sentence there should have been a comma between "less crashes" and "It is", not a period, because you are finishing the same thought.

Don't attempt to criticize unless you plan on doing it right. Your post equals fail.

[T_Hoff]

I hate to be the grammar police, but that's not how you spell grammar...

[tajna_rabota]

Haha - friggin' brilliant reply. I'm a member of the 'grammar police' too, and I did not catch that.

Very, very funny.

Incidentally, I still do not see a compelling argument to buy an XBox 360, especially when the PS3 is coming down in price. Most of the games I play are cross-platform, and I like the Blu-Ray functionality.

[nachurboy]

That would mean you're in the spelling division. Different division than grammar division.

[kkohnen]

The hyperlink to this article reads: "New Xbox 360 motherboards., fewere crashes?"

So, did Dan Quayle write the article?

[Kwasiowusu]

rrod went out the door with the Falcon chipset 360's that came out over a year ago.
CNET seems to be still living in pre-September 2007.

[Lyle_O]

The RROD did not go out with the Falcon Chipset. Less than a year ago I looked all over for one that fell into the "Falcon" category. It had to be made after a certain date, It had to have HDMI if I remember correctly, It had to have a certain "Team", and it also had to have a lower wattage power brick. Guess What? Less than a year after my purchase, I got the RROD. So much for all of my investigating. This also blows your theory right out of the water.

[maxmuscle]

I wish that was so my friend. I'm just sending back my second Elite because of RROD as I type this, and it was indeed a Falcon chipset. I hoped they fixed the problem with the Elite, the reason I waited a year to purchase one.

[Grifter02]

I had the same experience as Lyle_O. After my first RROD (from a launch system - 2 years old, not bad), I sold the refurb they sent back to me and spent a good two weeks going to different stores looking for that specific date and team and I was so happy when I found one. 8 months later it was in for repairs. I did not get the RROD, however, I got the second most common problem: it stops outputting video. All other functions of the machine are working, you can here sound, you can tell the game is loading and playing, but there is no video. Go to the Official XBox forums and you will see this problem is nearly as widespread as the RROD, but it is not included in the extended 3-year warranty.

I still love my XBox far more than my PS3 despite these problems, though!

[itworker--2008]

He's a gamer. Do you really expect perferct spelling everytime


Just joking :)

[benjaminstraight]

Look just install a better cooling fan and no red rings.

[inachu]

I would almost agree on this. Needs bigger fancier heatsink that comes with better heatsink compound.
Gaming devices using plain heatsink coumpound just does not cut it anymore.

[Penguinisto]

I got a better idea yet - just buy a Wii or PS3.

Not knocking the xbox - I'm actually glad to see they've finally got a handle on the RROD problem... but let's face it - consumers have choices, and they will choose equal/better alternatives if they are available (as evidenced by Nintendo stomping the unholy crap out of both Sony and Microsoft in the console sales sphere).

[Vegaman_Dan]

Penguinisto wrote:

'Not knocking the xbox "

Actually that is exactly what you are doing and you know it. If you didn't mean to knock it, you wouldn't have posted.

[Penguinisto]

Dan, Dan, Dan... whatever will we do with you?

Seriously - the xbox I'm sure has its place. That place however is obviously not "top seller", or "most popular". Nothing I say has established this truth - NPD has (among other statistics outfits that track marketshare) placed the xbox at #3 by most common and accepted metrics, without any help, harm, or input from me.

[kelmon]

Agreed. I would certainly advocate either buying an alternative console or not buying one at all rather than reward Microsoft with a purchase of a 360. This is a considerable shame because the original Xbox was mostly fine and the games for the 360 are very good. However, the business practices employed by Microsoft at the expense of the customer should not be rewarded. The whole episode has been simply disgraceful.

[DrtyDogg]

what metrics are you refering to????? as far as non hand held consoles NDP puts the XBOX @ #2.

[08Rabbit]

I come to this site just for Penguinisto and Vegaman_Dan.
I often find there convos more interesting than the articles lol.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Penguinisto : "but let's face it - consumers have choices, and they will choose equal/better alternatives "

If you think the backward Gamecube technology Wii, with typically rubbish graphics, kiddie games, and crap minigames that typically end in "Dogz", "Catz" etc, is a "better alternative" to the superb XBOX 360, with stunning graphics, next gen game play, and with super games like Gears of War, Bioshock, Halo 3, COD 4, GTA IV, Crackdown, Mass Effect etc, and te best online service by far amongst the consoles, then you are clearly smoking something pretty strong.
I suggest you get off the crack.

[Penguinisto]

Pity that --considering the sheer sales numbers-- the majority disagrees with you as to the capabilities of the Wii. ;)

Funnier still - you can rave on about your own personal tastes, but your personal choices (and that seemingly overwhelming need to justify your purchases) are certainly not those of everyone else.

Even funnier than that - online gaming vis-a-vis a console is a novelty at best. Seriously. I can do that on a real computer, and get a better (and far more configurable!) player control setup to boot (and better framerates, and less lag, a far sharper image, more precise control with a mouse, and etc... stuff that IMO just seems way too restrictive with a limited console and an even more limited set of controls).

/P

[compudoc318]

i agree to a point. hard core gamers mostly laugh at the wii, yet the wii has attracted tons of people who would never use a gaming system. the only question i have is, how long will the non gamers keep playing the wii??? I know the hard core gamers arent going anywhere. I just have a feeling that all the non gamers who love the wii now, will get bored of it sooner or later.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ Penguinisto :"Pity that --considering the sheer sales numbers-- the majority disagrees with you as to the capabilities of the Wii. ;) "

Wii sales numbers does NOT equal a "better" console.
That's like saying the Toyota Corolla is a better car than the Mercedes 600 SEL, just because the Corolla sells more units.
No one in his right mind says that.
Not to mention the 360 sells vastly more games than the Wii.
Just look at NCAA 09 and Madden 09 sales on the 360 and compare them to the pathetic sales numbers on the Wii. NCAA 09n and Madden each sold close to TEN times as many units on the 360 as the Wii.
Next week in Europe, the soccer game FIFA 09 will sell vastly more oh teh 360 than the Wiii.


"funnier than that - online gaming vis-a-vis a console is a novelty at best. "

The XBOX has had superb online play right from the get go, with the launch of the original XBOX back in 2001, and today XBOX Live is vastly superior to the sorry Wii online system.

[kelmon]

With all due respect, this argument is very flawed. The 360 does indeed have better graphical capabilities than the Wii but that doesn't seem to bother people and just goes to show that consumers are not that interested in the graphical arms race. Beyond this the playing field between the Wii and others levels completely. The suggestion that the 360 has "next gen game play" is simply laughable - it's the same gameplay as the XBox and the original PlayStation. This is easily demonstrated by the list of games that you supplied, which are the sorts of games that you could buy for the Xbox. All that has changed is that the graphics are better.

The Wii clearly demonstrates a number of things. As noted already, graphics aren't everything and "good enough" is all that is necessary. Next, the wider public do not want games that require a joypad with assorted buttons and joysticks in order to play a game - simple is what is fun. Finally, the trend towards increasingly expensive consoles is not one that people like.

Ultimately, if you still want a higher-powered games system, I'd advocate the PS3 because Microsoft should never be rewarded for producing the 360, which was nothing more than a cash-grab.

[make_or_break]

Cash grab? How delusional is that comment? How long did it take MSFT to get their gaming division in the black? Well into the 360's life cycle...hardly a sure thing even when the 360 was the only next-gen console on the market for that first year or so. You can spite MSFT for their manipulative habits regarding Windoze or Office, but give me a break when it comes to pretty much everything else they do, which aside from the few long embattled triumphs like the gaming division have fallen flat on their faces.

[jkeels]

Well now. It is nice to see that M$ might finally have solved this problem after 3 years. In fact, I may buy a 360 in the near future. Especially now that the base system is down to $199. I'll still need a HDD for it but I have a friend who has a couple of extra ones he is willing to sell to me at low price (no do not ask me about it). Anyway, $199 is pretty good for a system that has so many games and can still hold its own against the PS3. I only wish M$ hadn't shoved it out the door before all the problems with it were sorted out. Well buying one now doesn't seem to matter too much anymore as it regards the crashes. So I suppose I will feel OK buying one now. 3 years is enough to fix this I think.

[Kainchild]

Microsoft made a lot of money off of the red ring of death. I doubt they are going to stop now. I just think it's amazing people kept buying the system after each one kept failing in the beginning when they first came out. This is why I trust Nintendo and Sony. Since the beginning, their systems never had the same amount of trouble that the Xbox 360 was having.

[compudoc318]

microsoft lost tons of money on the rrod. how would they make money when they have to replace your rrod system???????

[Grifter02]

First of all, companies don't make money by fixing their products for free. Microsoft lost a lot of money by extending the warranty.

Second, I guess you've forgotten about the PS1 having laser units made out of plastic that eventually failed, and then the PS2 Disc-Read Error class action lawsuit, and the PS2 Slimline overheating.

Nintendo products generally are reliable because they use old proven technology rather than the newest cutting-edge stuff.

[Kwasiowusu]

Kainchild :"Microsoft made a lot of money off of the red ring of death.I doubt they are going to stop now"

Nope.
Microsoft lost a lot of money over the rrod. Stopping the rrod problem since Falcon xbox 360 last year, has saved them a lot of money.

" just think it's amazing people kept buying the system after each one kept failing in the beginning when they first came out"

Because the 360 had the best games then, and still has the best games line up today.

[larahs]

sorry, but my wii sits unused. i rather get 360 versions of any multiplatform released game. theyre usually more feature packed and definitely better looking. proprietary wii games arent really that fun, mostly, animated mini games and platformers. it's truly a casual gaming system. great for parties/groups and short sessions. most wii titles lack depth and immersion. hopefully this will change over time, but it seems wii game developers are more focused on jumping on the bandwagon and selling to the wii masses without much regard for quality. obviously fun and title selection are subjective, but i found myself quickly bored of the wii games once the gimmick of the motion controller went away.

also, the number of casual gamers outnumber the hardcore. makes sense it would outsell. props to nintendo for a shrewd business move.

[Penguinisto]

@larahs:

Perfectly correct in your last sentence. Console games in general are casual gaming systems - That is, unless you're single (and dateless), a teenager, or can otherwise spend endless hours alone (at least mentally) while hogging the television/monitor.

[compudoc318]

not true at all, there are plenty of people who spend hours at a console system. look at games like madden where people play hours a day, not saying the pc doesnt have that as well, just saying a console system is only casual if the user is.

[kelmon]

Quite correct. You typically have 2 choices with a console, particularly when you have a family:

a) Buy one and attach it to a television other than the family one. If you do this then you can play games for much longer but will be unsociable.

b) Buy one and attach it to the family television. If you do this then you need a console that plays games that everyone can enjoy otherwise your time will be limited.

I can safely say that my wife has no interest in the sorts of games that the 360 or PS3 produces but she's quite happy to play Wii Sports.

[DrtyDogg]

Or grow some nuts and put it where you want it. My wife loves playing on the wii with me, and when I'm on the 360 she watches in another room.

[Penguinisto]

@DrtyDogg: Ah, the ever-present Internet Tough Guy(pat. pending). Ten foot tall, bullet-proof, farts testosterone wherever he goes, and by Heaven NOBODY tells HIM how to run HIS home!

Well, that is unless your alleged wife sees your post - then (assuming you actually have one), you'll be stuck on toilet-scrubbing duty for the next month. ;)

[DrtyDogg]

@Peng: Ahh the internet know it all, who know nothing.

[Penguinisto]

Heya tough guy!

Knowledge can be proven with easily-accessible proofs. Your alleged bad-assedness? Nope, not even. On the Internet no one knows you're a weakling until you open your yap and proclaim to be a tough guy.

[DrtyDogg]

You have proven time and time again that you are incompetent, yet I have never claimed to be a "tough guy," so no proof would be necessary.

[slecalvez]

Who gives a damn about "he ugly behemoth that came with the original machine". It's not made to be a portable console... as long as it works... Loooove the Xbox 360, I personally think it's one of the most comprehensive consoles ever, specially now with their Netflix deal.

[Lerianis]

Quite a few people, because those big behemoth power supplies are...... wasteful, at best, when it comes to power use, sometimes losing 50% of the power put into them to heat loss.

[The1egend]

I agree. My PSU for my 360 is gigantic. I would rather have a much smaller one, but its not up to me. Hopefully they do shrink the power 'brick' more.

[Kwasiowusu]

Penguinisto :"Console games in general are casual gaming systems - That is, unless you're single (and dateless), a teenager, "

One word of advise for you?
Get off the drugs!
And while you are about it, stop drinking Apple Kool Aid.

[Penguinisto]

Err, Kwasi? This has nothing to do with Apple. It's a simple truth... most folks don't spend all that much time with the consoles, because quite simply they cannot - unless they're adolescents, single (and with no real social calendar to speak of), or otherwise able to spend all that time sucking down a console game environment.

Sorry kid, but that's just how it is.

[kaibelf]

Penguinisdork,
I'm a console MMO player, without a doubt one of the most hardcore gamers I know, and have seen steadily involved for the past 13 years in 3 long-term relationships, so you fail miserably. Your ridiculous generalizations are at best, retarded.

Furthermore, since I'm actually involved in the industry, and I highly doubt YOU are, you might want to learn a few things about gamer demographics before you throw insults. As they say, an empty barrel makes the most noise.

[Penguinisto]

I'm suuure you are, kid... but working the help desk at a games corp doesn't count as being "in the industry" ;)

And BTW - It has nothing to do with insults - just simple facts. Most of us have active social lives, kids, spouses... important aspects. We actually care about our S/O's and have careers.

What you claim to have or not have is irrelevant. Thing is, if you spend all day long playing games at a console all the time, you're obviously not spending it with friends, at work, with family, etc. You see, time is a bit of a zero-sum game (look it up).

/P

[chrisjust98]

No I think Penguinisto is right. Consoles for the most part are casual gaming systems anymore. I used to play N64 and ps2 all the time (at least when I was a teenager), but now I play computer games if anything. I have a Wii, Ps3 and Xbox 360 but to me most games lack much detail. Albeit, there are some that rock, like MGS4 and Halo 3 (which I'm sorry but I thought was way, way over rated). Personally I haven't turned my Wii on in probably a year. I have Zelda which I want to finish but that's pretty much it. I've been playing more 360 lately but I'll by multi-platformed games on my ps3 for the free online play, which I do most of on my PC anyways so the consoles don't really matter.

[sting7k]

Cnet behind the times again. This will mark either the 4th or 5th time that the 360 has seen redesigned insides. I believe the current one is the "falcon" systems with the 65nm processors and other changes. These have been very reliable since they came out around this time last year.

In any case, I am currently on my 4th brand new xbox 360 (have replacement plan from best buy). But each issue was never the RROD. I had 2 disk drives fail and one video output port fail, never RROD. I have had an elite falcon system since March of this year and it runs a lot better than all my other ones. I'm hoping it would be my last.

I do agree the power supply is very crazy, I swear if you had enough of them you could build a pretty solid house out of them.