Microsoft employees reportedly knew the Xbox 360 video game console would scratch game disks prior to its release on the market, according to an unsealed document. The Redmond, Wash.-based company now faces several lawsuits related to the alleged defective design of the video gmae console.
According to one of the recently unsealed documents, Microsoft was fully aware they were releasing a game console that could scratch discs if the Xbox 360 was moved from the vertical to horizonal position if a game was inside while the console was on.
"This is ... information that we as a team, the optical disc drive team, knew about. When we first discovered the problem in September or October, when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what's causing the problem," Microsoft Program Manager Hiroo Umeno said during testimony.
Umeno and his team reportedly offered three different possible solutions to the scratched disc problem, but they were all shot down.
Microsoft obviously was quick to react to the news, adding that other game consoles will scratch discs if moved while in operation.
"Xbox 360 is designed so that it will not damage a game disc as long as the console is not moved while the disc is spinning," a Microsoft spokesperson told SeattlePI. "Too much movement of any game console, not just the Xbox 360, can cause scratches on the disc. That's why we put a warning on the face of the disc tray, which the user has to physically remove before the initial use of the system. We also have warnings posted online and in hard copy instruction manuals."
The problem also has plagued gamers who don't move their consoles around, with demands of new game discs and the problem to be fixed by Microsoft.
It'll be interesting to see what comes of these class action lawsuits Microsoft now faces -- will the company drag this through court, or will lawyers be willing to make some payments and make this disappear.
