Xbox 360 users around the globe are complaining that Microsoft’s recent update to the leading gaming console is causing catastrophic hardware failures, or as it’s commonly known; the Red Ring of Death.
Microsoft issued the update to Xbox 360 via the console’s dashboard to fix certain HDMI related sound problems; so far over 200 users have complained that it has made their Xboxes unusable.
The Red Ring of Death is the unofficial name given to the red indicator lights on the Xbox 360 case that indicates a general hardware failure.
Sadly I can’t find the exact update number or date it was released but I can tell you it’s quite recent.
Microsoft has so far not issued an official response to the complaints which is not suprising as the spontaneous appearance of the Red Ring of Death has plagued Microsoft Support since they released the Xbox 360 console.
However Technology News Website Electric Pig contact Microsoft about the problem and a Microsoft spokesperson had this to say:
We are always taking steps to ensure our customers have the best experience on Xbox 360 and we have a detailed and comprehensive test and acceptance plan for our software updates to the console. If you are having any problems, please contact your local support so that we can assist you.
Source: Electric Pig
Overheating is a common cause of Red Ring of Death or RROD as it’s known. Though for most users overheating merely limits their Xbox’s processing power, which in-turn interrupts gameplay.
Microsoft’s general policy on the Red Ring of Death is to deny that there is a problem. But Xbox 360 hardware problems are so common that they even have an entire Wikipedia entry devoted to them.
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Bethesda Softworks have decided to censor their epic new game Fallout 3 for the Japanese market by removing the option to nuke the town of Megaton from ‘The Power of the Atom‘ quest.
This is obviously due to Japan’s status as the only country to’ve ever been subject to a nuclear attack. Bethesda Softworks obviously want to avoid controversy and drive sales of Fallout 3 in Japan’s lucrative games markets.
Normally I’m against anything being censored, I’m an equal opportunities discriminator. I tend to think either everything is ok to make fun of, or nothing is.
But in this instance I can see where Bethesda Softworks are coming from. The nuclear attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 killed around 2 million people and is the only time ever that nuclear weapons have been deployed in the history of warfare.
It’s bad enough that most of Fallout 3 actually looks just like Nagasaki did after it was nuked, but to be able to stand around with Mr Burke and watch the town of Megaton get nuked is probably a bit too close to the bone for Japan.
Fallout 3 also features a mini-nuke weapon called ‘Fat-Man‘, just like the atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki and killed 80,000 people. Bethesda Softworks have announced this weapon will be re-christened to have another less historically significant name when Fallout 3 is released in Japan in December 2008.
Other Censorship Issues with Fallout 3
Fallout 3 was toned down for the Australian market also because the OFLC felt the:
‘…realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method [bringing] the ’science-fiction’ drugs in line with ‘real-world’ drugs.’
Microsoft have said that the game will not be released in India on the Xbox360. It’s believed by many that this is because two-headed mutated cows called ‘Brahmins‘ feature in the game. ‘Brahmins‘ are also a type of religious scholar in India, as well as the cow being a sacred animal in the Hindu religion.
Fallout 3 Resources
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