There are many sites on the internet describing a typical Xbox 360 problem: the console scratches game discs. Some users are reporting that the scratches were enough to make their game disc obsolete. There hasn't been much discussion on the fact that the problem exists by consumers, but untill now Microsoft has always somewhat denied the problem and never proposed a solution.
The Dutch television show Kassa, which deals with customer complaints, has been nagging Microsoft about this problem for several weeks, they did tests with Xbox360 setups and filmed (and proofed) that the Xbox360 is indeed responsible for scratching game discs, when not moved, placed on a stable table and under the best possible conditions.
According to the show, the majority of the problems seem to be caused by a TSST drive that is missing parts that stabilize the disc. The problem also seems to be mainly found by consoles produced in December 2006. Estimated is that worldwide nearly 1 to 2 million units are affected.
Thousands of people responded to the show complaining about the same problem and Microsoft simply had to act.
In a press statement the company stated: "As we were not involved with the experiment of Kassa and have little insights in the testing methods, we are not able to respond in detail on the results. It is possible that scratches on discs originate from frequent use. However, we have no indication that the results of the tests from Kassa are a large scale problem.
Of course it is important to us that our customers have the best possible game experience and therefore we take these test results very serious. Xbox owners who think their discs are scratched as reported by Kassa, should contact us. We will investigate the console and when needed repair it so it becomes a full functioning console. We will also inform Xbox owners how they can obtain replacements discs in case they require them."
The television show also reported that while this issue is now an issue in the Netherlands (it is also widely covered in regular news), it could become a global problem for Microsoft in the future. Therefore I would recommend anyone who is facing the same problem to contact their local Microsoft office and point them to this article.
Also Digg this article to make it known to the entire world.
