Xbox 360’s 50-Cent Flaw

A lawsuit brought against Microsoft by an Illinois man claims his Xbox 360 console scratched three different games when the console was switched from a vertical to horizontal position during game play. While I am wondering why someone would want to change the position of his or her game console while playing a game, I am also wondering why Microsoft did not take steps to prevent the problem. According to testimony from a Microsoft program manager, this problem with Xbox 360 was detected before the product launched in 2005. Apparently, the problem could have been corrected with minor modifications to product design that would have cost as little as 50 cents per unit.

Maybe Microsoft was thinking like me, questioning who would move around their consoles while playing games. It is an issue because a product feature touted for Xbox 360 is the ability of the console to operate with either a vertical or horizontal orientation. While changing the orientation during game play may not be ideal, engineering the product to hold up to such a change is essential. While some people might think this matter is trivial in the grand scheme of things because we are not talking about a life or death consequence, it is a matter of maintaining brand integrity. If a company knows about potential problems with a product before it hits the market, it should proactively take steps to deal with the problems. If not, be prepared to suffer hits to brand reputation as Microsoft may experience yet again with Xbox 360.

Link: Yahoo! – “Microsoft Faces New Xbox 360 Reliability Accusations”

Author: Don Roy

Don Roy is a marketing educator, blogger, and author. His thirty-year career began with roles in retail management, B2B sales, and franchise management. For the past 22 years, Don has shared his passion for marketing as a marketing professor. Don's teaching and research interests include brands, sports marketing, and social media marketing. Don has authored over 20 articles in scholarly journals, co-authored two textbooks, and self-published three books on personal branding. Don is an avid hockey fan and enjoys running. He and his wife, Sara, have three sons.

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