The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

awww im sorry i hope you get it back very soon

Lilkody, you now know my pain.

I know it twice now ;(

is the warranty still good?

yeah, it won't cost anything because not only did they extend the warranty when I had to send it back earlier this year, but we also have the extended warranty. If it keeps breaking, I doubt the warranty will ever run out

im shocked that rrods still happen. i would have figured that the root cause(s) would have been identified and fixed by now. i think a basic expectation would be that a replacement unit would not also rrod... but hey.

edit: so sry this happened again.

The newest 360 models are nearly RRoD-proof. They run so much cooler and quieter.

The problem, however, is that when you send in a 360 for repair, Microsoft replaces it with a refurbished one of the same general revision type. Since the newest ones will almost never get the RRoD, they will never become refurbished models, thus will never come back as a replacement.

The point is that the refurbished unit you get back is just as likely to get the RRoD as the one you sent in, since it will probably be the same model/hardware revision.

This message has been brought to you by the Sad But True department.

crappy, I think if you send the damn thing in twice, they should just give you a new one. Since we have the extended warranty, can I just go back to the store and trade it in for a new one?

Depending on the store, yes. That's how extended warranties are supposed to work. They give you the benefit of not having to mail the item back to the manufacturer and wait for them to send you a replacement.

Stores don't carry refurbished units so you would just get a new one. You would probably need to bring your system back to the store in its original box with all of the accessories and attachments though. They would just take it as-is and give you a brand new one. So you'd need to back up your savegames first. Or if you have a model with a hard drive, ask them if you can keep the old hard drive instead.

I'm tempted to buy an arcade version just as a backup but that is rewarding the negligence of Microsoft isn't it?

As for returning the old one, since it is already mailed off for repair, I doubt I'll return it unless I encounter another problem. It's just a huge hassle and there is no guarantee they'll let me keep my old hard drive. Well, it's good to know that I can probably return it.

Not really, as they don't make much money off the systems themselves. It's royalties on the games and the sale of the amazingly overpriced attachments that brings them the profit.

Having an extra Arcade unit is something I recommend to everyone. Not because of the high failure rate, but because it's just so convenient. Having the extra power and video cables sitting around is great when you want to take your 360 to somebody's house or just hook it up on another TV temporarily - no need to climb behind your main TV and unhook everything. And you get an extra controller out of the deal too.

The idea is especially good now that the hardware is so much better. I imagine that this new one I have will last me past the point that the next-gen systems come out.

The Arcade also comes with 512MB of built-in memory, which is great for keeping backups. Even with that built-in memory, you can still use a hard drive and memory cards with it.

My worry is that you might have inadvertently "voided" your extended warranty by sending the first 360 in to Microsoft in the first place. The extended warranty is with the store, and they go by serial number. The refurbished unit you got back the first time would have had a different serial number, negating your ability to return it to the store as it no longer matches the serial number on the receipt.

Usually, returning it to the store would be the first choice, and sending it in to Microsoft would be the last resort. Your store might give you leeway since you only have a different unit because the original was sent in to Microsoft (did MS give you an invoice?). But that's pretty much up to either store policy or the manager's decision.

When they sent the unit back (the first time) they did say something about contacting the store and updating the serial number or something like that. I didn't do that But I assume Microsoft stands behind the extended warranty as well. I will assume they will say the same thing when this one is returned.

They give you three years for all Xbox 360's, regardless of where you purchased it and whether or not you got a warranty with the store. So at the very least you'll be able to send it back to MS any time within the next three years.

Well, I broke down and bought an arcade. I was a little worried by the time it did all it's updating there wouldn't be enough room to save my game! lol (I did not buy any memory cards) but I'm back in business! Woot! Of course when my other system comes back, I'll have to change my power unit to play on the old one unless they send me a newer system. We'll see.

If you're not afraid of using an exacto knife, you can remove the plastic tab in the end of the power cable that plugs into the 360. Then it will work on both systems. I did it with a simple box cutter.

Oh, I think you and I are thinking of two different things...my old power unit is much larger then the new one, but tbh, I did not pay alot of attention to the wattage. I just assume they are not compatible. I know nothing of this 'plastic tab' you speak of...but no, I'm not afraid of doing that if that saves me trouble. I'm the person after all that had a video card falling out the back of my computer once because it was too big...those things don't bother me as long as it works..lol

The power unit is larger...? I've only ever seen the one size.

New 360's are missing a plastic tab inside the port where the power cord plugs in, but there is a tab to fill the space on the power cord itself. Obviously, if you try to use a new power cord with the tab and plug it into an older 360 with the tab, it won't fit because the two tabs are trying to take up the same space. Simply removing the tab from the power cord connector makes it work with all 360's.

When you get your other 360 back from MS, take a look at the back of it where the power cord plugs in and compare to the new 360. You can also look at the power cables. You'll see what you need to do.

Will do..thx! Another great thing about getting a second Xbox. I soon won't have to wait in line to play my games behind Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2! lol

It's worth its cost already.

Ouch, that hurts. My luck finally ended nearly 3 years after I purchased my console when I got error code e73 a couple of months ago. The warranty had expired so I had to pay nearly $100.00 to have it repaired by Microsoft. It was a rough 3 weeks with no Bioshock, Left 4 Dead or Assassin's Creed. Anyways, I hope you get it back soon.

just noticed the comment regarding the power cables... im not so sure its a good idea to modify them. im pretty sure they intentionally changed the cord due to new power requirements. just a guess: newer xbox's prob run cooler to avoid rrods, which means they require less power. newer power cables prob arent rated to carry the power need to supply an older xbox.

Could be, but it's been working fine for myself and my nephews. I modified one of mine and theirs back in late September and we haven't had any issues.

I'd be more inclined to believe it's just the sneaky bastards at Microsoft trying to make us pay more by having to replace extra accessories when we inevitably replace our 360.

Well, my Xbox has returned from Texas WITHOUT THE HARD DRIVE! What a bunch of idiots. Most likely it's lost along with all my saved games.

Wow, talk about incompetence. They'd better get it back to you ASAP.

However, why did you send in your hard drive in the first place?

Yeah you're not really supposed to send them the hard drive...

I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has sent them an Xbox with the hard drive still attached. Contact customer support and explain what happened. Be prepared to describe the capacity (60 GB, 120 GB, etc.) They may not be able to locate your hard drive but they should at least replace it with one of equal capacity.

Actually, I did not send it attached, I detached it and wrapped it and sent it in the same box separately like I did the first time I sent it in for repair because that's what the instructions told me to do. This time they did not return it with the system. I DID call them and they sent it would be another 10 to 14 days to ship the hard drive out but then she said it had already been sent separately so....

Well if that's the case are you getting it back or not?

And you can still recover your gamertag over Live so all your achievements won't be lost right?

yeah, I think it will be ok IF they send back the right one...I'm only irritated if I have to repeat all the work I did on Mass Effect because I want the save for ME2 . If you played ME1 they remember you in ME2 and I want to see what that's about! Noone want to be a noob..hehe

Update: It is now Feb 2, 2010...no hard drive delivered yet. Hard lesson to learn. Xbox is sending me a hard drive...a BRAND NEW ONE! No Mass Effect, No AC 1, No AC2, No Fable II etc....all lost....lost.../cries

That is just horrible! Someone at Microsoft screwed up badly there. There's nothing backed though either? Hopefully the new one gets here A.S.A.P so you can try to start again.

Again, you can still recover your gamertag, but it just sucks that you can't transfer your Mass Effect characters AND whatever else valuable was on your hardrive was lost.

awww im sorry