In an email sent to Next-Gen biz, Microsoft have revealed that the influx of Xbox 360s being returned for repair is much higher than they would have hoped. Many gamers had expected that the rush to launch the prodcut world-wide was part of the reason why so consoles were being returned and despite Microsoft originally stating that the Xbox 360 faults were within the 'norm' of new console launches, they've now narrowed the faulty 360s down to one specific launch batch.

Microsoft are attempting to rectify the error by offering a free repair service for all those people who've bought a console before January 1st 2006. Customers who've already paid for the repairs will also be refunded.

The Official Word

“Yes, it is true. As part of our standard and ongoing process of analyzing repair data, we recently noticed a higher than usual number of units coming in for repair. Upon further investigation, it was further discovered that the bulk of the units were isolated to a group that was part of the initial manufacturing run of the console. Returns for repair are coming in for a variety reasons and it’s a higher rate than we are satisfied with. We’ve made the decision to comp repairs for consoles manufactured before January 1, and provide refunds to the small group of customers who have already paid for repairs.”

Source : Next Gen biz