If you’ve owned an Xbox 360, chances are very high that you’ve experienced the infamous “red ring of death,” something that has plagued the console since its launch. Those who are still on the fence about buying an Xbox because of its problems, read on, because a recent survey by PCMag determined that the failure rate of the console has dropped to 10 percent. Polling their readers, 10 percent of the participants reported that they had to send in their consoles in for repair. While this number might still seem high, it is a considerable improvement, as PCMag confirmed that the failure percentage of last year’s survey was 23 percent. 10 percent, though, is still twice the failure rate of the competitors, according to the survey.
This survey shows that the constant revisions of the Xbox 360 hardware, most notably the “slim” console, have vastly improved the stability of the console. The slim console added more ventilation, due to overheating being one of the main reasons for the original version’s failures. Those who still own the original console know that it also doubles as a space heater.