MS In Talks With ECC Over Scratched Discs

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Apparently Microsoft is in talks with the European Commissioner for Consumers over their complaints of scratched Xbox 360 discs. While common sense should tell you that you shouldn’t move your CD player, DVD player, PC or game console from the horizontal position to the upright position with a disc in the tray, it would seem people are still doing it and they want Microsoft to “fix” the problem.

The company released a statement saying that they "are working in an open dialogue with Commissioner Kuneva to clarify our position and all the efforts we are taking across the EU, and in fact globally, to address any consumer concerns."
Click to expand...
 
If I was Microsoft, I would go the route Nintendo (Wii strap) and McDonalds (hot coffee) did and include an extra page in the manual and a big fat sticker on the console that says:

DON'T TIP YOUR CONSOLE OVER WHILE RUNNING WITH A DISC IN THE TRAY!!!!

And, for good measure, I would include a picture of someone sticking a fork in a light socket with a big NO! next to it.

I can't believe this is an issue. :rolleyes:
 
The Xbox 360 scratches discs even when it is horizontal and never moved. It did this to my Dead Rising and Oblivion discs. I think somehow when it tries really hard to load things, and fails, it keeps trying more and more until the thing hurts it. Maybe the lens is too close to the disc, I don't know.
 
Steve said:
If I was Microsoft, I would go the route Nintendo (Wii strap) and McDonalds (hot coffee) did and include an extra page in the manual and a big fat sticker on the console that says:

DON'T TIP YOUR CONSOLE OVER WHILE RUNNING WITH A DISC IN THE TRAY!!!!

And, for good measure, I would include a picture of someone sticking a fork in a light socket with a big NO! next to it.

I can't believe this is an issue. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
And only put it on European consoles...the rest of the world doesn't seem to have a problem.:rolleyes:

It seems like there is a large anti-Microsoft sentiment coming from Europe lately.:rolleyes:
 
Steve said:
?????
Click to expand...

You've really never heard of that? Wow!

I mean, that's what happens, big circular scratches all over my Dead Rising and Oblivion discs. I found a few other people griping about this on the Penny Arcade forums, but that was months ago. I have always had it horizontal, I thought it would get bumped over off the shelf if it was vertical.

It didn't happen to any other games, and I don't play those games anymore. I am at a loss to explain what could have caused it. I know it happened then, because I remember exactly when it happened, there were wooshing/scuffing noises inside the console so I took the disc out, and discovered what had happened.
 
I should be more specific, my scratched discs do not look ANYTHING like the disc pictured in the photo of that article. The circular scratches I have are about one to two centimetres from the central hub of the disc, the "inner" edge of the shiny part.
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
And only put it on European consoles...the rest of the world doesn't seem to have a problem.:rolleyes:

It seems like there is a large anti-Microsoft sentiment coming from Europe lately.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I have a hard time believing that American users have more common sense than the rest of the world, lol. After a guy won a court case for getting his teeth stuck in a basketball net, I've had a hard time believing that American users have more common sense than most rocks.
Maybe Microsoft should just implement a policy if you send it back for "scratched disk repairs", they just take it and refuse to sell you a new one because you're incompetent.
 
It amazes me MS just doesn't tell the EU to piss off and stop selling products there.
 
Too bad they didn't go with a clamshell approach, like the Dreamcast, GameCube, and PStwo. Much harder to scratch the media when it's secured into place on a spindle. That said, I'm happy to say that I haven't encountered any scratched discs in my (vertical) 360.

I *have* managed to scratch the odd DVD or two in my vanilla DVD players, due to poor disc placement in the tray before I hit the 'close' button.

Have you tried contacting the game publishers? They might have a disc replacement option (send in the old for new).
 
LeTUOtter said:
I have a hard time believing that American users have more common sense than the rest of the world, lol. After a guy won a court case for getting his teeth stuck in a basketball net, I've had a hard time believing that American users have more common sense than most rocks.
Click to expand...

Quoted purely because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!


The problem is, EUROPE.
Click to expand...
Nope. given the frequency and nature of complaints about this matter the 'problem' seems more likely to be some particular production runs which spat out machines more prone to create disk scratching and scuffing ;)
 
The problem is, even if there is a problem, that since the words European Union were mentioned it lost all credibility in the minds........ yeah, you have to have a brain to make rational thoughts. It lost all credibility in the minds of normal, level-headed persons.
 
Steve said:
If I was Microsoft, I would go the route Nintendo (Wii strap) and McDonalds (hot coffee) did and include an extra page in the manual and a big fat sticker on the console that says:

DON'T TIP YOUR CONSOLE OVER WHILE RUNNING WITH A DISC IN THE TRAY!!!!

And, for good measure, I would include a picture of someone sticking a fork in a light socket with a big NO! next to it.

I can't believe this is an issue. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
It's obviously a problem with the Europeans ...:cool:
 
jimmer411 said:
I think its a reference to the people who burned themselves due the the higher temps that McDonalds was serving coffee at.
Click to expand...
Poor Stella Liebeck. That case never deserved to become an example of frivolous lawsuits everywhere.
 
After reading all of the 360 breaking threads I am starting to get a bit paranoid about my system falling apart (or scratching disks now...;) ) The unit has fallen off of my entertainment center before, luckily there are no ill effects. *knock on wood* It stays in the horizontal position now.;)
 
capable heart said:
You've really never heard of that? Wow!
Click to expand...

Nope. I've covered tech / gaming news twelve hours a day for seven years straight...all I do is look for tech / gaming news (it's my job)...rarely does anything slip past me for more than a day or two. I have heard of a few defective drives, drives that would no longer spin up, bad vibrations, won't read discs, etc. etc. but none that scratch themselves.

capable heart said:
I should be more specific, my scratched discs do not look ANYTHING like the disc pictured in the photo of that article. The circular scratches I have are about one to two centimetres from the central hub of the disc, the "inner" edge of the shiny part.
Click to expand...

Your case is very different from the cases listed above. If your unit, for no reason at all, just scratches your discs, something is really wrong. I think you have a seriously defective unit that should be replaced immediately.

We are poking fun at the other people in this thread that tip their consoles over while it is running w/ a disc in the tray....not you. Of COURSE it is going to scratch. You have an actual defective unit / hardware failure if it scratches discs all by itself.
 
Does this mean I can't play my XBOX 360 while riding in a Tilt-A-Whirl? I demand a fix! :mad:
 
with how many problems there are with this system, and the problems i have had with my original xbox I have decided I wont be buying a xbox 360 period. I wouldnt be half surprised that they system scratches disc's.

Also Steve you are incompetent if you haven't read about this before, because right when i read this I thought gamefly. sorry Steve, I don't mean to be harsh its just that I cant believe you haven't read about this before, considering the business you are running.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7651
that is just the first googled topic i found.
 
Steve said:
Nope. I've covered tech / gaming news twelve hours a day for seven years straight...all I do is look for tech / gaming news (it's my job)...rarely does anything slip past me for more than a day or two. I have heard of a few defective drives, drives that would no longer spin up, bad vibrations, won't read discs, etc. etc. but none that scratch themselves.



Your case is very different from the cases listed above. If your unit, for no reason at all, just scratches your discs, something is really wrong. I think you have a seriously defective unit that should be replaced immediately.

We are poking fun at the other people in this thread that tip their consoles over while it is running w/ a disc in the tray....not you. Of COURSE it is going to scratch. You have an actual defective unit / hardware failure if it scratches discs all by itself.
Click to expand...


In the aforementioned article, many of the comments are from people with the same problem as I described.
 
I changed my mind about what I said. I don't come here because people are incompetent, exact oposite of that. You probably just forgot about gamefly. I just get defensive when people take Microsoft's side on anything related to the European union. I wouldnt be half surprised if microsoft new there was a problem with the hardware, and they just dont want to have a recall becasue they believe people wont compalain about it.

I don't trust Microsoft. Why I dont trust microsoft is because of the power cord problem that microsoft put off for so long. My xbox's power supply kinda blew up, so why should I trust them, it took a fire for Microsoft to do anything about it. I called in when this happend, and this was before the recall, they offered to repair my xbox for more then the price of a new one. Thanks m$

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,119728-page,1/article.html

Dont hate the EU, protecting consumers. Hate Microsoft, they don't give a shit about you unless it becomes a lawsuit.
 
sc3252 said:
Also Steve you are incompetent if you haven't read about this before, because ......
Click to expand...

Dunno if it's a dearth of vocabularly contributed there, but "incompetent" is far too harsh a term, dude ;)

For starters Steve was referring to drives in general, not just the Xbox360 drive specifically, when he mentioned that he's not heard of drives causing scratches. For seconds, I'd warrant that he actually HAS heard such claims, and has either rejected them as impossibilities or else not made the recollection or the link. (Think back to the Starforce debate, for example. There were plenty enough claims during that kerfuffle to the effect that drives had ended up damaged and scuffing disks.

For thirds, just because a claim has been made doesn't mean that the claim is justified.


I'm with Steve. Despite anything I've ever read or heard, I'm of the firm belief that a drive doesn't scratch or scuff a disk unless the drive is fucked! Stand in front of me and say "Xbox360 scratches disks" and I'll laugh at the nonsensical comment. But stand in front of me and say "some Xbox360s got sent out with defective drives fitted" and I'll take notice.
 
Catweazle said:
Dunno if it's a dearth of vocabularly contributed there, but "incompetent" is far too harsh a term, dude ;)

For starters Steve was referring to drives in general, not just the Xbox360 drive specifically, when he mentioned that he's not heard of drives causing scratches. For seconds, I'd warrant that he actually HAS heard such claims, and has either rejected them as impossibilities or else not made the recollection or the link. (Think back to the Starforce debate, for example. There were plenty enough claims during that kerfuffle to the effect that drives had ended up damaged and scuffing disks.

For thirds, just because a claim has been made doesn't mean that the claim is justified.


I'm with Steve. Despite anything I've ever read or heard, I'm of the firm belief that a drive doesn't scratch or scuff a disk unless the drive is fucked! Stand in front of me and say "Xbox360 scratches disks" and I'll laugh at the nonsensical comment. But stand in front of me and say "some Xbox360s got sent out with defective drives fitted" and I'll take notice.
Click to expand...
I alway wish this forum had an edit button *sigh*. I don't know if the drives do scratch disc's or not, but Micorsoft does have a bad history of releasing products with less then stealer quality. I don't own a 360, not that I havent wanted to. I am inclined to believe other when they say there are problems with the 360 mostly becuase of the fact I had so many problems with two regular xbox's. The power supply blew on one, and the other one has problems reading disc's.

The thing I always notice is when the European union is even mentioned, people will take the side of the US company. As if a US company gives a shit about them, they think they have some type of loyalty since it is a product made from the US of A. It's even more ridiculous when someone says Microsoft should teach them a lesson and stop releasing products in Europe. This would never help Microsoft s bottom line, and hurt Europe even less.
 
jimmer411 said:
I think its a reference to the people who burned themselves due the the higher temps that McDonalds was serving coffee at.
Click to expand...

I think he was making a joke ;) . Anyway I agree that if this is a known issue Microsoft needs to put a huge warning sticker on the DVD tray and by taking it off you agree that you have read it and understand their policy.
 
Catweazle said:
Stand in front of me and say "Xbox360 scratches disks" and I'll laugh at the nonsensical comment. But stand in front of me and say "some Xbox360s got sent out with defective drives fitted" and I'll take notice.
Click to expand...

I don't dismiss anything like this without some insight. PS2's were mangling discs for a while, and a friend at the (now closed) Sony repair facility here showed me that a optics ribbon cable would sometimes flip so it bent upwards (into the bottom of the disc). When the unit was off the cable would not be protruding, so it couldn't be seen with an assembled unit.

Strange things can happen with consumer electronics.
 
microsoft should say to them "do you flip your dvd player upside down while you are watching a movie?" ..... "no? well dont f***ing touch your xbox while it's reading the disk either... dumbasses"
 
while they're at it, MS should include a big sticker on the console that says "DO NOT EAT"
 
Steve said:
If I was Microsoft, I would go the route Nintendo (Wii strap) and McDonalds (hot coffee) did and include an extra page in the manual and a big fat sticker on the console that says:

DON'T TIP YOUR CONSOLE OVER WHILE RUNNING WITH A DISC IN THE TRAY!!!!

And, for good measure, I would include a picture of someone sticking a fork in a light socket with a big NO! next to it.

I can't believe this is an issue. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Reminds me of those warning signs on products

Hot soup: (Says on bottom) Do not turn over when hot.
Iron: Do not Iron with clothes on your body
Coffee: Hot


And yet every year people are caught doing these things and trying to sue the company. Pathetic.
 
Nice one, CarbonBased. I'll have to concede that my comment was too expansive in light of that :)
 
I dunno, I can sorta sympathize with this. As good as the actual system is, it's very shoddily built. Considering how easy it would have been to prevent this from happening, it's just lazy engineering.

There are lots of things that you aren't 'technically' supposed to do with a product, but it's a question whether it's a acceptable when something breaks down. Technically, you shouldn't move your TV either when it's turned on, but I think most people would be pretty pissed if it broke when they turned it for a better viewing angle. Of all the optical media devices I've owned, the 360 is the only one that I've heard of it being a severe issue. It's a quality control issue, not an 'EU commies are going after pretty, blonde, innocent Microsoft' issue (a retarded argument if there ever was one; Europe simply has stricter consumer laws).
 
I've had random circular scratches on my 360 discs, too. It happened with Kameo and GoW in particular. My console sits in a heavy wood entertainment center, on a (carpeted) concrete floor in my basement. It has never been vertical, and there is no way in hell that it has been bumped, jostled or knocked-over. Ever.

When I called Microsoft, they said it was a problem with the disk, and I would need to return it to where I bought it... Return open software... Yeah.

I eneded-up taking them to a local used game shop and had them buffed/polished. Apparently the discs weren't balanced correctly and the professional scratch removal machine also evened-out the surface of the discs. Kameo took two trips to the shop, GoW was fixed after one. $6 well spent.
 
capable heart said:
The Xbox 360 scratches discs even when it is horizontal and never moved. It did this to my Dead Rising and Oblivion discs. I think somehow when it tries really hard to load things, and fails, it keeps trying more and more until the thing hurts it. Maybe the lens is too close to the disc, I don't know.
Click to expand...


Mine does that too. They're usually small and shallow, and I finally figured out that I can usually buff them out (don't ask how). But it happens. Really pisses you off when you try to load up a Gears of War game, get a disc read error, and then get bad feedback for "quit early". :mad:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top