Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/19/red_ring_of_death_xbox_game_developers_conference/
Microsoft executives will be a little red-faced today after an Xbox 360 on display at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco contracted the infamous ‘Red Ring of Death’ disease.
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The console was set-up as a demo unit in an area dedicated to Microsoft's XNA, a software toolkit for videogame development. A video of the problematic but publicly placed console, filmed by a BBC commentator at GDC, has already appeared online.
The video will make uncomfortable viewing for Microsoft bosses because the hardware headache has already cost the company more than $1bn (£500m/€650m).
Last week, electronics warranty trading firm SquareTrade concluded that an Xbox 360 has a 16.4 per cent chance of breaking down (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/14/squaretrade_xbox360_failure_rate/) and that, of those that do, the Red Ring of Death will be at fault in 60 per cent of cases. It based its findings on a study of 1000 warranty claims for the console.
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