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The Truth About Last Year's Xbox 360 Recall

Posted by kdawson on from the value-for-the-money dept.

chrplace forwards an article in which Gartner's Brian Lewis offers his perspective on what led to last year's Xbox 360 recall. Lewis says it happened because Microsoft wanted to avoid an ASIC vendor. "Microsoft designed the graphic chip on its own, cut a traditional ASIC vendor out of the process, and went straight to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., he explained. But in the end, by going cheap — hoping to save tens of millions of dollars in ASIC design costs, Microsoft ended up paying more than $1 billion for its Xbox 360 recall. To fix the problem, Microsoft went back to an unnamed ASIC vendor based in the United States and redesigned the chip, Lewis added. (Based on a previous report, the ASIC vendor is most likely the former ATI Technologies, now part of AMD.)"

18 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. I'm Shocked.... by ZiakII · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft designed their own graphic chip and it crashed? I'm shocked... I tell you shocked!

    1. Re:I'm Shocked.... by Creepy+Crawler · · Score: 5, Funny

      Crashed?

      The Red Rings were a FEATURE! I tell ya!

      --
    2. Re:I'm Shocked.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm shocked... I tell you shocked! ... probably burned is more like it. Might have gotten a shock if you licked it....

    3. Re:I'm Shocked.... by Drinking+Bleach · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's no wonder why the BSOD displayed in the wrong colors....

    4. Re:I'm Shocked.... by mrsteveman1 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Didn't you see the goatse troll above? you aren't supposed to be licking the red ring...

    5. Re:I'm Shocked.... by aliquis · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, you are only supposed to poke it a little in the middle to turn it on.

    6. Re:I'm Shocked.... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny

      Red Rings are a feature of most people's interactions with Microsoft.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  2. When I read that I pictured Ballmer: by Udo+Schmitz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shaking fists at ATI, yelling: "I'll design my own chip! With blackjack! And hookers! ... In fact ..."

    1. Re:When I read that I pictured Ballmer: by The+Ancients · · Score: 3, Funny

      Shaking fists at ATI, yelling: "I'll design my own chip! With blackjack! And hookers! ... In fact ..."

      You picture Ballmer?

      Your therapy bill must be astronomical

      Probably not too far off the truth, but still...you think they'd learn.

      --
      The Mothership
    2. Re:When I read that I pictured Ballmer: by moderatorrater · · Score: 5, Funny

      You can bite his shiny, metal head.

  3. Re:Chickens are coming home to roost... by ucblockhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, you're right, it is strange how the stream of Microsoft bashing has slowed so much lately around here.

    --
    The cake is a pie
  4. Re:SLASHDOT SUX0RZ by renegadesx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually Goatse Troll is on topic for once! Red Ring of Death! Get it?

    --
    Make SELinux enforcing again!
  5. apology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not Meta-modding until I get an apology for being rtbl'd.

    I apologize for you getting rtbl'd.

  6. Re:Another Talisman CF by Skrapion · · Score: 5, Funny

    As a sysadmin I reckon I could do a pretty good job at brain surgery. I'm not sure "turn it off and on again" works in brain surgery >:)

    --
    The details are trivial and useless; The reasons, as always, purely human ones.
  7. Re:yes, go cheap, that's the way by CyberLife · · Score: 5, Funny

    MBAs are good in cutting corners in traditional businesses, but generally have no understanding of technology risks.... This sort of arrogance is so common it's not even funny. I once presented a GIS plot to such a person. You know, the kind of thing that crunches so much data it takes a cluster of machines upwards of several minutes just to produce a single frame? Well this guy argued if I needed so much computer power to make a simple picture I must be doing something wrong.
  8. Re:yes, go cheap, that's the way by TheQuantumShift · · Score: 4, Funny

    What exactly do they understand? From the decisions I've seen, "Master of Business Administration" is not a title I'd apply to most...

    --

    Shift happens. Fire it up.
  9. Re:yes, go cheap, that's the way by MadKeithV · · Score: 3, Funny

    The most common form of it that I see is one of the business dudes telling me (the Software Development Consultant) that a particular piece of technology "will take about a week to develop". I've started replying with "so you will deliver to me next thursday then?". But seriously, I think management and planning by wishful thinking are becoming a full-on religion around these parts.

  10. Re:yes, go cheap, that's the way by mustafap · · Score: 2, Funny

    >;-) (Joking since I regularly write stuff that is flat out incomprehensible gibberish)

    You're a perl programmer then?

    --
    Open Source Drum Kit, LPLC deve board - mjhdesigns.com