Burninating!

Well, my Labor day weekend didn't go so well for my Xbox 360. Less than a month old, and it's started locking up, showing two red lights after a few hours playing Halo 2. After a few hours, I tried again - same thing. Did it again the next day after an hour in Crackdown. The rumours are true!

It runs okay at night, when the ambient temperature is lower. I've requested a repair from Xbox Support, and the process is underway... but the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta is in 6 days! I'm going to delay sending it in until I absolutely have to.

Getting a 360 is a bit of a lucky dip. I wasn't so lucky... I got a console with a build date of October 2006; so it's got an older, noisier DVD drive and seems to have problems dispersing heat. Nothing I can do, except:

1. Put up with it
2. Get it repaired (now or after the H3 Beta)
3. Trade it for a 360 Elite!

I have my doubts about the repair. Yes MS owes it to me to ensure I have a working console (for a year). But when something goes wrong, practically right out of the box, I have visions of it breaking every 3 months... but we'll see. I'll definately be up for the 2-year Extended Warranty when it's due.

The Elite idea isn't SO crazy. It should be $750 RRP when it gets released in Aus, some time before October. Random-EB-Games-Guy told me that 360's get a trade-in value of $400. If I trade in a few games aswell, I should be able to get a brand new, recently manufactured, better console. Then mine can be someone else's problem!

Whatever I do, I'm going to ensure I get my value out of the Halo 3 Beta first! :)