Nikkei Electronics employed the services of a thermal design expert to test two consoles, one purchased in 2005 and one repaired in 2007. The monitored temperature gap between emitted air and room temperature was 22°C, a level believed quite high by the expert. Apparently, a 10°C gap is more typical in consumer production devices.
On opening the 360, the expert also noted that the heatsink on the graphics LSI was smaller than typically expected. Testing showed that it would easily heat up to 80°C, and highly likely exceed 100°C in typical summer conditions of 35°C. Interestingly, the 360 repaired in 2007 had exactly the same heatsink.
Might Microsoft be sweating in the face of this news? Apparently not - speaking to Computer and Videogames, Microsoft has disagreed with the findings of the report, stating, "There is no single root cause or systemic issue with any of the Xbox 360 consoles."
Microsoft also added that, "With such a complex consumer electronic product that contains more than 1700 different components and 500 million transistors, there are obviously many things that can malfunction at any given time."
And finally, it wouldn't be Microsoft statement about Xbox 360 reliability problems without the now boilerplate response, "The vast majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles continue to have a terrific experience."
While PALGN appreciates the complexity of the issue, Microsoft increasingly appears to be painting themselves into a corner. On one hand, the problems are apparently not due to a single systemic fault, something everyone can appreciate Microsoft wanting to avoid admitting. However, the alternative point of view on Microsoft's statements is that the system has been designed with so many different flaws, there are many points of failure that are causing a total system failure in the field. It's important to note that people are experiencing catastrophic systems failures, not simple occasional glitches.
Between a single systemic issue and a raft of system-destroying issues, most manufacturers would prefer to deal with the single issue, as it represents a simple, manageable fix. To admit to the second is to admit to extremely poor design and quality control issues, issues that are almost impossible to fix without a total redesign from scratch. Under this context, Microsoft's statements are extremely curious, as they do little to encourage faith in the system or provide existing users with hope that their 360 will live beyond the warranty period.
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