Microsoft can’t seem to catch a break. If their console isn’t bricking, their steering wheel peripheral is emitting smoke. Now another technical problem is plaguing a Microsoft product. The wireless gaming receiver, which allows the Xbox 360 controller to work with games on the PC, is having widespread problems according to Information Week.
"In the latest set of problems, users reported connection problems with the gaming receiver on review sites of online retailers Newegg.com and Amazon.com, and on Xbox and NeoWin discussion forums. Some buyers said they couldn’t get the receiver to work, and others reported conflicts with other computer peripherals built by third-parties that also sell computer control devices, such as Logitech and Wacom."
Microsoft has already earned its place in the videogame industry against all odds. But if they want to stay there, Microsoft is going to have to address these hardware issues when their next console launches so that they do not have a messy repeat of what is currently occurring.
Since day one, Microsoft’s 366 has been plagued with hardware issues, and it is finally having some effect on their sales. Information Week states that within the month of July, Xbox 360 sales declined by 60%. Of course summer is never a good time for videogame sales, and it was also the month when Sony dropped the price on the PlayStation 3. So while hardware problems are not the direct cause of this decline, they certainly don’t help.
If Microsoft wants to have a future in this industry, beyond the Xbox and the Xbox 360, they are going to have to adhere to higher quality control standards with the hardware they produce.
