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1UP reports that the Xbox 360 failure rate could be in the region of 16%, if a new report from warranty firm SquareTrade is to be believed.
Microsoft has previously stated the console’s failure rate is only around the industry standard 3%, while some retailers have quoted figures as high as 33%. Obviously both figures can’t be right and it makes sense for the real number to be somewhere in the middle of the two.
According to SquareTrade, who analysed over 1000 warranty claims, the Xbox 360 failure rate was revealed to be 16.4%. Its figures for PS3 and Wii, albeit using a smaller sample in the high hundreds, were around the 3% figure.
The most common culprit was the infamous Red Ring of Death, accounting for 60% of failures, a fault which is covered by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 warranty. Newer versions of the Xbox 360 feature revised components which run cooler and should therefore reduce the overall failure rate. This has been backed up by SquareTrade CEO Steve Abernethy who “would estimate most if not all” the failed consoles featured “the original motherboard.”
With a sample size of only 1000, the 16.4% failure rate cannot be taken as fact, but it does provide an indication of what the real figure is.
VideoGamer.com has contacted Microsoft and we are currently awaiting a response.
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