On 40-50% of consoles WW? At one time 60% of british 360's were defective. No...this is by far the worst and there is no comparison in numbers. The 360 is the worst quality console of all time in terms of the way it was put together.

At this rate all of you could say your PS1 and PS2's broke and the percentage would STILL be nowhere as high as the 360's.

Sad S.T.A.G.E....

Isnt the point of the thread to discuss this new information and not retread old ground thats been done to death.

Theres nothing sad about it. Microsoft must remember their success came from their knowing risk of quality. They must keep that in mind at all times when making the next console. Having the numbers drop off the face of the earth seven years and two years after the launch of a new design is nothing to celebrate. The fact that it dropped to PS3 levels is a reason console owners can finally breathe. History will mark the 360's hardware failure as the worst of all time. That quite frankly is the saddest truth of all and any argument you use will never, ever change that. 360 only loyalists (as masochistic as some of them are) deserve better than what Microsoft has given them no matter how much they defended them. If they had treated their consumers better...I would have no point to argue.

P.S.

I feel even worse for those who repurchased 360's to add to Microsofts sales. I am currently on my third 360. This is my first time repurchasing it though.

What's sad is that articles like the one this thread is about "Xbox is finally considered as stable as PS3, per 500k users" is still a form of trying to say "Hey Xbox360 hardware is finally just as good as PS3's". But it's true, the console cycle is already past it's retirement age. So for the report to say it's JUST NOW as stable as the PS3, is flat out ridiculous! The consoles time on the market is over and it's just now as reliable as it should have been from launch almost a decade ago!! That's madness.

P.S. I did go out and buy a 360 on launch day, like any true gamer would, wanting the next new piece of tech in gaming. And I loved it for a few years, but the failure rates were just the tip of the iceberg for me. Further more, I didn't want a console dedicated primarily to shooters. Gaming to me has always been about more than just headshots and kill/death ratio's. I've always been a PlayStation gamer, but I'm not incapable of enjoying other systems and their games. I owned a Wii as well, and will probably buy the WiiU. So it's not a fanboy issue here. It's the simple fact that Microsoft pushed junk hardware on us, and covered it up/didn't make it right til the end of the consoles life cycle and the media were a big part of making that possible....and they didn't do it out of the kindness of their hearts :)  I'm all for competition in the marketplace because that means better products for us, the gamers. Here's hoping that Microsoft doesn't repeat history with the 720. And I WILL NOT be making it a day one purchase like I will be doing with the PS4 and WiiU. They have to PROVE to me that their product is what is claims to be. I'll have plenty of games to play on the plethora of gaming apparatus' I own/will own, without getting butt-hurt by Microsoft. I just wish the rest of the gaming nation would wake up and do the same. Say to Microsoft, "this isn't right, and we'll not be bought off  with your garbage!"

Here here RenderMonk. Well said. Its good to have self respect as a gamer.

The console was as reliable as the PS3 in 2009, but feel free to ignore the fact a consumer survey would inevitably lag behind. I notice you dont call out Sony on the PS2 and their extremely high laser failure rates. Lets not forget nobody has had to buy a replacement 360 since the extended warranty was announced. Sony of course did nothing about the PS2 hardware issues ripping off the consumer (myself included). In fact Ive had 2 PS2 fail, a car stereo, a phone and a Dvd player but you keep praising Sony who didnt help me once with those failures. I have 3 360's and only one has had the RROD, admittedly after around 5 months of 8hours a day usage. It was of course fixed within 2 weeks and has been fine ever since. This is why people feel fine about the 360 scenario.

The PS2 failure rate at its height was between 2001 and 2003 and in the end based on sales it wouldn't have been over 10% of overall userbase. Most of those were disc read errors that were fixed under warranty. It didnt last seven years. You're looking for reasons. This is not an argument, just a personal matter of distate. You're arguing failure rate that in the end most likely wasnt 1/10th of the userbase to a failure rate that at one time was 50% of the overall userbase and in some countries even worse than that. It is on another level.

Read this:

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home/L3R2T2S6?print=1

Microsoft risked the console in a desperate attempt to undercut Sony. That is why you witnessed a historic failure rate.

just stop  http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-502284.html  http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news101105ps2lawsuit 

And?...If Microsoft lost a class action lawsuit over the 360's RROD the settlement would've been far larger.