Last week Microsoft banned a crapload of modified XBOX 360s from XBOX Live. If you happen to be one of those people who don’t care about playing online, you might consider grabbing one on eBay or Craiglist. Then again, if you’re looking for an XBOX 360 that actually works with XBOX Live, you might want to be wary of buying a used one right now.
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Geek Squad Turns Your Laptop Into An XBOX 360?
By 11.17.09
Reader Taylor is a little concerned about his laptop. It died on Halloween and he took it in to Best Buy the next day. Two weeks later, he typed his order number into the Geek Squad website and found that a little Halloween magic had taken place. His laptop was now an XBOX 360.
Microsoft Says There Is No Recourse For Gamers Whose Consoles Were Banned
By 11.12.09
Are you one of the 1 million gamers that was recently banned from XBOX Live? Too bad, says the BBC. You’ll need to buy a new system.
Xbox Gamer Says He Was Banned Online For No Reason
By 11.11.09
Jeff can no longer play his two Xbox 360s online because Microsoft has banned him with no explanation. When he calls customer service, he says he’s accused of modding his consoles, which he insists he hasn’t.
Microsoft Turns A Blind Eye To Phishing Scams On Xbox LIVE
By 10.6.09
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.
Why Can't Microsoft Help Get This Guy's Stolen Xbox Live Account Back?
By 9.25.09
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.
Microsoft Seeks Arrogant Would-Be Hipsters To Staff New Stores
By 9.22.09
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.
Are All Xbox 360s Doomed To Fail? Student Survey Aims To Find Out
By 9.18.09
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:
Microsoft Deep-Sixes Red Ring Of Death Coffins, Makes Customers Supply Their Own Boxes
By 6.12.09
Although we received an indication in March that Microsoft was phasing out its Xbox 360 return policy of sending customers padded boxes with prepaid return envelopes, gaming blog Joystiq confirmed that Microsoft quietly made it official in late May.
Gamestop Decides To Charge The Higher Of Two Sticker Prices, Won't Refund Difference
By 5.20.09
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.
Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience
By 5.12.09
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.
Read Pachter's Lips: No New Consoles Till 2013
By 5.4.09
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.
XBOX 360 Warranty Expanded To Cover "E74" Error, Refunds Issued
By 4.14.09
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.
IGN Says Capcom's "New Content" For Resident Evil 5 Is Already On The Disc
By 4.8.09
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.
Email Addresses For Microsoft Executives
By 3.25.09
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.
Sorry, Your XBOX 360 Isn't The Right Kind Of Broken
By 3.9.09
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.
Every Year Capital One Reopens My Account And XBOX Live Debits Money
By 3.6.09
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.
