A recently filed lawsuit (which is seeking class action status) claims that Microsoft knew all about the disc scratching problem that affects its Xbox 360 game discs. As such, Microsoft should be required to pay a boatload of money to people whose game discs have been damaged.
As some of you may know, the Xbox 360 has a tendency to scratch game discs that are in motion (that is, spinning inside the console because you’re playing a game) when the console itself is moved. (Wikipedia has a lot more info on the technical side of things.) Common sense would suggest that people merely not move their Xbox 360 while its in use, but there are instances when this can’t be helped. (Someone walking right by the console can be enough for a disc to become scratched.) (That’s a lot of parenthetical sentences.)
Right, so the main allegation is that Microsoft knew about this problem before the console’s launch in November, 2005 but deemed that it would be too expensive to fix. Hence, the lawsuit.
Nope, can’t say I have noticed any scratched discs in my Xbox 360. Then again, it’s been in the same spot for about a year now, and I certainly would never think to move the console while a disc is spinning inside.
via Ars Technica