Xbox Users Question Power Cord Recall

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

February 28, 2005, 10:16 AM

Xbox users across several forums including Xbox Scene are questioning Microsoft's motives for replacing just the power cords to their gaming consoles, rather than recall the entire unit. Some claim the new cords appear to be quite a bit larger than the older ones, and include a circuit breaker within the plug.

"The real problem is the Foxlink power supply. There have been numerous reports of 'loose power connectors' in Xboxes, and the cause of this is that the solder joints on the [power supply unit] have actually broken where the connector mounts to the board, which can result in the XBox not powering on, or possibly even sparks, smoke, and fire," one user wrote, calling the power supply a "timebomb."

Others claimed that owners of older Xbox units were receiving a different sized cord than those with newer devices. "If the 'power cord recall' is just to stop the [older units] from starting a fire, why are newer machines getting replacement power cords?" another user asked.

To its defense, Microsoft denied any reports of power supply or soldering problems. In a statement to BetaNews, Microsoft reiterated the purpose of the recall was a "precautionary measure" and done for safety reasons.

"The replacement power cords are designed to protect consumers and their Xbox consoles from rare electrical component failures. The cord this consumer received is designed to shut off power to the Xbox if it detects an electrical condition called 'sustained overvoltage.' This rare condition can be caused by things like downed power lines in a wind storm or faulty wiring in a house," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

As to the issue of different sized replacement power cords, Microsoft said "not all cords that we supply to program participants will look the same. Which type of cord is shipped depends on the date the console was manufactured and the country where it is used."