Microsoft finally provides Xbox 360 fix

Davey Winder
Thursday, 16 October 2008 04:23

Your IT - Entertainment

Having been without my Xbox, and that means without my GTA IV fix, for more than 3 weeks now I was looking forward to its return with a nervous anticipation.

Indeed, my trepidation was perhaps understandable. Would I get a refurbished Xbox 360 Elite or would I be sent a basic box by mistake? After all, Microsoft had screwed things up right royally before and my confidence levels were far from high.
 
I even shook the package, listening for rattles, with the UPS man looking on in a bemused fashion. I insisted he wait while I checked Microsoft had sent the right console. The delivery man politely declined my offer of coffee and a quick Halo 3 Deathmatch before running for his van though.

The replacement 360 Elite had no rattles, and no red rings of death after powering it up. I did burst a small blood vessel and turned the air blue when it told me there was no HD connection to my large HDTV display.

My anger turning to embarrassment as I realised the cable switch had somehow got toggled off of its HD setting.

I guess I should be happy, after all I have endured the best part of a month without an Xbox and now Microsoft has got it right and got me back into the game. But having to sit there and do the  'redownload your downloaded content' dance to update the content licenses was galling to say the least.

As was the small matter of how seriously Microsoft seems to take customer satisfaction. Which is not very seriously at all, I would say. After all, a botched repair and all that time without a working product and you know what Microsoft considers suitable compensation? Two months of Xbox LIVE Gold membership with a value of UKP £9.98 in total.

Still, at least I now had access to Xbox LIVE instead of being stuck with Xbox DEAD.
 
You know what, and this might surprise you, all I care about is getting my Xbox back. Like most junkies I didn't realise I had an addiction until my drug was denied me. In my case it is the whole Xbox 360 experience, the games, the game play, Xbox LIVE, the dashboard, the downloadable content. Other consoles just cannot give me my gaming fix.

So there you have it, that rare thing: a Microsoft story with a happy ending. I would write more, but I have some gangsters to murder and a planet to protect...