I don't think anyone reading about gaming these days is ignorant of the "Red Ring of Death" plaguing Xbox 360s the world over. While most of the stories you hear about these instances involve a relatively older unit overheating and then suffering hardware failure, I have a far worse tale to tell. Read on, dear friend, and behold a sorrowful tale of misery and woe that bodes further ill for the console enthusiast...

I purchased a 360 Pro for myself as an Xmas gift, along with 5 games. (I was a good boy this year. ;)) Upon returning to my home, I eagerly rearranged my entertainment center to accomodate the final piece of this generation's consoletriumvirate. With everything hooked up andwireless controller in hand, I plopped down on the sofa, ready to log in several hours of Bioshock. I can't say how much I love being able to turn a console on and off with the controller, by the way.

But what's going on here? The little X is blinking, but no power...? Humph. Guess I gotta get up to turn it on the first time...I dunno. Hey...that's an odd sound the box is making. Now why is the ring on the front blinking red? One, two, three...not four! Ye gods in heaven! The console is faulty! Straight out of the box! I do not exaggerate, my friends. I had nary a chance to even power my 360 up before it failed. The Red Ring of Death struck my poor self with not an excuse in sight. No chance of overheating, no excessive wear and tear, nothing. Simple, abject, catastrophic hardware failure from the get-go.

Now it's almost acceptable for MS to admit their failure by making that retroactive warranty extension. It's at least a step in the right direction. Of course, many before have stated the obvious: the damn things shouldn't be breaking down at all. My experience, however, is a whole new ball game. If one spends $400+ on a piece of electronics, one assumes that it will function properly when using it for the first time. And this isn't a case of broken part or something; this is an issue that has caused thousands of problems in other users. Now it's brand-new consoles in addition to ones with mileage. Unreal.

I don't know if I'm alone here, but I sincerely hope so. This kind of hardware failure wasn't acceptable for early adopters, and now those that haven't even started their gaming need worry. I can only hope that you all reading this will spread the word and let everyone you know hear about this. If for no other reason than giving MS another kick in the ass to get their act together. There are already enough people who harbor unreasonable animosity towards the company and their products. This provides fuel for them, and reasonable ire for those of us with more level heads. MS, and the gaming community at large, needs neither.