Microsoft has been forced to extend its warranty coverage due to the increasingly common "E74 Error" and finally admits to another growing hardware problem that must be fixed.
Anyone who suffers from the E74 Error can now fill out a repair form so that Microsoft can send a replacement console. Before the E74 problem expanded, Microsoft would only cover repair costs or send replacements for console units that suffered from the Red Ring of Death (RRoD).
The problem began to arise at the end of the last month, with Microsoft receiving complaints from gamers with broken Xbox 360 consoles. Since then, the problem has apparently gotten significantly worse, with Microsoft still investigating the problem.
"One oddity is that there is no correlation between the dates on which the systems in question were purchased and when they went belly up," according to the original post issued by Joystiq. "The error usually occurred only anywhere from 12 to 36 months of use, with many of you claiming that trouble arose on consoles that have already been repaired for Red Ring of Death. Whatever modifications Microsoft has made to the console to improve its reliability in the past years seems to have no bearing on the likelihood of E74."
More information about the warranty extension can be found on the Microsoft web site.
I haven't suffered from the infamous RRoD or E74 Error (knock on wood), but have had several friends who have fallen victim to the Xbox 360 hardware issues.
