As discussed earlier, I was quite excited to discover a little package from Microsoft when I got back from Montreal. A brand new Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. After installing the hardware and associated updates I was I horrified to discover that when I hit the eject button for the first time the unit decided to rip out its HD DVD laser diode.


Inside parts on the outside.

When the tray ejected it stopped about one third of the way out, did a little back and forward movement and then fully ejected. Of course sitting happily on the tray was the laser. Unit completely broken. Unlike Brian's well reported experiences, shall we say fiasco, with Xbox support, Microsoft is shipping me a replacement unit sans charge. We shall see if it ever shows up.

What are those red stains in the tray end? Blood? Did your HD-DVD unit bleed!? =P

We wish. It looks like the silver reflective tray edge is just reflecting an image of the photographer.

The tray is a kind of polished chrome finish on plastic. The blood is really my reflection while taking the picture.

I gotta say the quality control on MS hardware is pretty abismal. They will prob get it dialled in sooner or later, but man. I am hoping that it is so early in the product cycle that they send me a new unit and not a refurb. Refurnished units are such a rip off. Typically they are broken just in new and interesting ways.

I used to buy cell phone insurnace. My phone broke and I set it in. I received a refurb unit that's speaker phone didn't work. Sent it in and they sent me a refurb unit that's vibrate function didn't work. Sent it in and got a refurb unit that's ringer was busted. Basically the insurance company was just recycling broken phones until the owners got a phone that was broken in a way that didn't bother them ( like a non working speaker phone for a person who never uses speaker or a broken ringer to a person who always keeps the phone on silent ) or until the owner just got fed up with mailing shit every week and kept the busted phone or just went out and bought a new one. Eventually I just bought a new phone and when the clerk asked me if I wanted insurance I almost strangled her.

Dude, that sucks! If Microsoft wants to be in the home console market, they need to shape up.

Ouch! Even though that really sucks, I'm sure it would have been hilarious at the time though. :-) Well, everyone seems to have Xbox woes. My launch system worked fine unless you tried to play a DVD - the system would begin to stutter after about ten minutes of play. I got a new system, but the problem with that is, any Live Arcade games I bought on my old system, I can't play offline on my new system. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Yet another reason why paying for the downloaded content on those is rediculous. You don't own it the way you would if you purchased it.

...

I'm sorry man, but I'm laughing my arse off here. Jesus. XD

Well that sux… but I know something like that can happen. Less that week ago my Xbox 360 dies :| since it was grey one without any warranty I buy new. And now I was hoping to buy HD-DVD for it. But such “news” well they really very thought frightens me :|.

This is so ironic since hijacked consoles are guaranteed to work by the hijackers. :p

Just thought I'd drop a note that your post has made it's way over to AVS Forums where the thread has gotten posted to Digg, Gaygamer and a bunch of other blogs and sites.

So anyway... the discussion on AVS seems to be about other hardware woes. Beware all ye who are first adopters! :)

Don't you hate when people just don't give credits to whom they're due?

It's the Internet... the speed of passing information takes priority over properly crediting and linking to it (not to mention cross-referencing and verifying it). Besides... I doubt the person who heard about the story "in another forum" (which is here) expected other blogs and etc to pick up on that thread.

I will prob watermark the image next time. Some dude on Digg doesn't thinks this is crap. Ah well. I should send em my busted HD DVD drive.

Replacement hasn't shown up yet.