On Wednesday Microsoft acknowledged that a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles are incompatible with a recent firmware update, according to EuroGamer. The issue is reportedly preventing some Xbox 360 owners from booting up retail game discs.
The software giant has said that the problem results in the appearance of a 'disc unreadable' or 'disc unsupported' error when users load a game DVD.
Ironically, the admission by Microsoft is good news for most affected parties. The company said that it will replace impacted machines with a brand new Xbox 360 S with a 250GB hard drive. Various media reports indicate that most affected consoles are first-generation Xbox models, meaning the majority of affected users will be able to replace their five-year-old console with the latest model at no charge.
Microsoft said that it can detect the issue over Xbox Live and will contact those customers whose consoles are no longer working properly.
Other users who believe that their Xbox 360 has been hit with the same bug should contact Microsoft so that the company can verify the problem. These customers will be required initiate a repair test and then mail the affected console back to Microsoft.
"We apologize for this inconvenience," the company said in an email statement. "We will send you a free shipping label and materials along with your replacement console. After we receive your current console, we will send you a code for a one year Xbox LIVE subscription at no charge to you. Please note that the offer is valid only until September 30, 2011."
It is still unclear how many consoles were impacted by the apparent glitch.
In related news, Microsoft recently posted strong fiscal third quarter results, powered heavily by overwhelming demand for the Kinect motion controller for the Xbox 360, according to a TMC report. Microsoft sold 2.4 million Kinects in the quarter, with 2.7 million units bundled with a console.
The software company reported revenues of $16.43 billion, up 13 percent from the third fiscal quarter of 2010.
Beecher Tuttle is a TechZone360 contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Rich Steeves
