Hardware Site Reports Xbox 360 Failure Rate

The hardware and technology website Dailytech.com has weighed in on the ongoing debate over whether Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is experiencing abnormally high rates of hardware failure.

In a recent blog post, staffer Marcus Yam said the site contacted retail outlets across North America and received a decisive response. "The responses were unanimous: The Xbox 360 is the least reliable gaming console in recent history."

Dailytech.com cited as its sources current employees of EB Games and Gamestop - but said those employees "offered information under strict anonymity, as it is against company policy to reveal such information to the public."

Citing these sources, the site went on to assert that the corporate division of EB Games doubled the price of its standard warranty and stipulated that customers would receive refurbished, not new, units in exchange for their faulty ones.

The website also claimed that some former and current retail employees, including managers, saw 360 failure rates for launch units as high as 25 to 33 percent.