xbox
A reader sent along
this tip, and his complaint, that Microsoft's upcoming
Xbox 360 update will block third-party storage devices.
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online security
William wrote to us this weekend to point out how little Microsoft does to fight phishing attacks on their hugely popular
Xbox LIVE network. It's unfortunate they don't take this sort of crime more seriously, since so many kids—who by all rights should have less experience with phishing—are on
Xbox LIVE. Below is what two different Xbox CSRs told William when he contacted them to complain about phishing attacks.
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we're working on it
Erik has been patiently trying to get his stolen
Xbox Live account back for a month and a half now, but all Microsoft has done to help is lie and fail to follow up on phone calls or emails. Oh, and there was that one point where they sent "how to get your account back" instructions to the person who had stolen the account, which sort of defeated the point.
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i'm an apple. no, wait...
When
Apple needs to come up with a hot new product, it turns to CEO Steve Jobs, who is said to micromanage everything from the color of the product's box to how overpriced it should be. And, when Microsoft needs to go after the next big thing, the company turns to ... Steve Jobs. At least that seems to be the idea behind Microsoft's latest plan, which involves poaching managers from Apple's retail stores.
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take this poll
Reader Ben Strauss is doing a cool project for his marketing class - he's surveying
Xbox owners to find out how many have had failed Xboxes and/or know someone who does. So far he's interviewed 200 people and is seeing a 71% failure rate, with 85% of respondents saying they know someone with a failed Xbox. Ben writes:
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price as marked
Matt bought a used game from
Gamestop, and there were two prices on the case. Instead of being charged the lower $14.99 price,
the cashier charged him $19.99. Matt only noticed this after he left the store, so he returned and asked for an adjustment. The cashier refused, then tried to remove the cheaper tag in front of Matt.
Update: Matt spoke with a District Manager and
got a full refund.
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anti-gamer
Sometimes we think
Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America.
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microsoft
Bad news for gamers who are dreaming of an Xbox 361, PlayStation 4 or Wiii. You won't be playing hovercraft Mario Kart or holographic Halo until well into President Palin's first term.
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warranties
According to
research by the gaming blog Joystiq, a mysterious
new error has been affecting the
XBOX 360. The "E74" error, according to some non-scientific data compiled by the blog, has been increasing since the debut of NXE (New
XBOX Experience). Now Microsoft is acknowledging the error and extending their 3-year Red Ring Of Death warranty to cover it.
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ripoffs
Update: Several commenters have pointed out that the size of the download seems to indicate that your $5 gets you new code, not just an unlock key. The original post is below.
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contact info
It's not uncommon to run into a dead end when trying to resolve your Xbox 360 or
Xbox Live issues with the official customer support channels, which is why sometimes you have no recourse other than to try to get the attention of the executives at
Microsoft. Here are some addresses to try, culled from the
Penny Arcade forums.
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extended warranties
By now, most people know about the dreaded Red Ring of Death issue on the
XBOX 360 — and the accompanying 3 year warranty. What many do not know is that that 3 year warranty only covers the "3 red lights" issue. If you get any other error code, you're out of luck.
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frustrating
Every year Erick gets a Christmas present from
Capital One. They reopen the credit card he closed 4 or 5 years ago. At that point, Microsoft gets into the act and starts billing that account for XBOX Live service he canceled at about the same time.
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recession watch
Reader Zach's
Xbox 360 just suffered its second
Red Ring of Death. He dutifully called up Microsoft customer support to get a shipping box to mail his Xbox in for repairs, and instead was told he'd need to find his own box and ship it himself.
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gaming
Teresa says that she was harassed by other players and later suspended from
XBOX Live because she identified herself as a lesbian in her profile. When she appealed to Microsoft, she says they told her that other gamers found her sexual orientation "offensive."
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follow ups
Last week, Jake wrote to us wondering why
Office Depot hadn't mailed the gift card they promised back in November. Someone from the company contacted Jake, and they all made up, and hugs, and happy Monday morning there's a gift card in the mail heading Jake's way now.
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