Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Why You Shouldn't Toss Your Broken Xbox 360 Just Yet

by Dan Reilly on April 22, 2009 at 02:15 PM


Having trouble with your Xbox 360? Well, join the club. Plenty of people have tossed their consoles, figuring them for dead. But what they probably didn't know is that they could have gotten their favorite toy repaired or replaced, for cheap or for free.

From a post by our friends at Geeksugar, we learned how easy it can be to get back on the gaming horse. First off, if you've encountered the dreaded "Red Ring of Death" malfunction, all hope is not lost. Microsoft will replace your machine for up to three years after the purchase date. This is opposed to the one year warranty on all other repairs. Hopefully, you saved your receipt.

Another great option is submitting an online repair request to avoid the hassle of a customer service hotline. Since we'd imagine it costs Microsoft less to do it this way, the company will provide you with a free shipping box for your XBox 360, and let you easily print the shipping labels. If you're not under warranty, the online request will run you $100, while a phone request will cost $200. Other than your receipt, you'll only need a Microsoft Live ID to make it happen.

Along with Geeksugar's tips for this gaming system, check out our list, linked below, of ways to figure out when it's easier to fix your gadgets, or easier to just throw them out. In this economy, it's valuable information. [From: Geeksugar]

Wiimote Disasters (Wiinjuries?)

    This poor soul had the misfortune of approaching her inebriated boyfriend while he battled a Zelda beast. Even with that smile on her face, and that relatively convincing story, we're still wanting to look up the hotline number.

    This overly zealous 'Wii Baseball' player was shocked to find his bat controller slam into his Plasma TV. Try backing up in that batter's box there, slugger.

    Mere hours after purchasing the system, one hapless Wii owner watched as his friend, aiming to deliver a strike in 'Wii Bowling', lost his grasp on the Wiimote and destroyed a 60-inch TV. And as for the brand new wrist strap? It broke. Nintendo had better get the bill for this one.

    'Wii Bowling' + Adrenaline + Low Ceilings + Ceiling Fan = Bad News

    This guy reached to snatch his cat off a restricted couch, but -- forgetting to remove his Wiimote -- clobbered the poor critter on the leg. Now, $512 worth of veterinary bills later, we imagine ol' boy will be a little more careful next time.

    As ugly as the damage Wiimotes do to rear projection TV's is, we haven't seen anything like this Wii-destroyed LCD TV. The culprit? You guessed it. A broken wrist strap.

    Deep in a game of 'Wii Tennis,' one Wii rookie let loose a fierce volley and -- the wrist strap breaking -- took a considerable chunk out of this door. Fortunately for this guy, a container of Bondo is a lot cheaper than a television set.

    On Christmas morning, the kids in this Wisconsin household were overjoyed to find a new Wii system under the tree. After hooking it up to their recently purchased 70-inch RP TV, they let the good times roll. Roll right into the screen, apparently, thanks to a broken wrist strap. Television Deaths by Defective Straps (TDDS): 2.

    Since the wrist strap of this majestic Wii spear is conspicuous in its absence, we're tempted to give this picture a TDDS rating. But, since this tube TV is resilient and still, apparently, functioning, we'll just give it a half-credit.

    As he explained to WiiHaveAProblem.com, this Danish guy smacked into a light fixture while playing 'Wii Tennis' with, in his words, "great empathy and excitement." Forget broken fingers; empathizing with video games points to more severe problems.

Tags: fix it or toss it, FixItOrTossIt, microsoft, repair, top, xbox 360, Xbox360

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular