lol, so does RROD mean I'm screwed now?

[Ecrofirt]

I just started getting them, after playing such graphical powerhouses as Mega Man 9. Seriously, that's the only thing I've done with the 360 other than watch the occasional DVD or AVI.

Anyhow though, I'm probably just out of warranty and I'm getting the classic RROD: 3 lights and a checkerboard pattern.

[tiesto]

How old is your system? I think the warranty lasts for 3 years after date of purchase.

[Ecrofirt]

That's kinda my point. I got it pre-launch with the Every10Minutes contest

The kicker is, I haven't even played the thing in over a year. My friend borrowed it ages ago to play Gears of War, and he hasn't rreally touched it since either. And I know it wasn't RRODing on him because I've had it back for close to a month and it's worked without any problems.

[Robo]

You should be OK.  All 360s purchased before the warranty extension are covered as of the extension date, not the purchase date, iirc.  I don't think it's been three years since then; everyone should still be covered on RRODs.

Durr, I can't seem to find anything that backs up the above.  I have no idea where I got that shit from.  You're probably fucked.

[Ecrofirt]

shit.

[Ecrofirt]

Well OK then, I guess that's settled.

Any idea how much it costs to repair a RROD? I'm seeing some stuff that says it's free, but I don't know if that's just supposed to be because of the extended warranty and whatnot.

Also, I now ponder what the chances are that I'd get an HDMI-enabled 360 back.

[Bocsius]

My guess is that the cost to ship it in, get it fixed (or get a refurb), and get it back is just short of the cost of buying a new Arcade. And if you have a system without HDMI, they're going to send you a refurb without HDMI and it will probably blow up again anyway.

I'd say if you're not playing it that much anyway, best to do without it. Otherwise, get a new Arcade that will have improved internals and HDMI. Of course, I might be overestimating the cost of getting it repaired.

[Ecrofirt]

hrm...

If I could find a way to snag a new arcade for $150, it'd be pretty well worth it I think. Upscaling DVD player, it will play pretty much any and all movies on my PC, and it's got the occasional game I may want to play.

I've got a $25 GameStop gift card and a $25 Amazon.com coupon. Perhaps once I get my next Amazon coupon I'll buy one for $150 from Amazon with my Amazon credit card (and make $450 in credit card points). Decisions, decisions.

[bork]

IIRC it costs around $150 to repair RRoD'd systems, so if that's still the right amount, definitely go for the Arcade unit.  It's worth the upgrade for HDMI and a possibly quieter system anyway.

[muckhole]

My launch 360 finally keeled over while setting up a Gears 2 system link night. I fortunately still have my Halo 3 360 to keep me busy, but it sure does suck just falling outside on the warranty. Having two was great, given that I'm usually back and forth between two residences constantly in the winter, so not having to haul the 360 back and forth had been a blessing. I'll probably pick up another arcade unit in the coming months.

[chronovore]

I was going to plonk the support URL for xbox.com in here, but they just rearranged their site. 
Ah, here it is:
http://support.xbox.com/support/en/us/xbox360/contactus.aspx

You should definitely CALL their support line and find out what current repair costs are, and whether or not you'll get your same machine back, or a refurbed one, which might have HDMI, etc.  -- 1-800-4MY-XBOX

My US box recently ERROR 74'd in Japan, and it was repaired for 12,000 yen standard fee, and was the same box, except with new boards. Same noisy drive, sadly.

[Jansen]

you should get a free repair out of an '05 model

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/21/microsoft-offering-free-repairs-for-all-2005-xbox-360s/