When the Xbox 360 launched in 2005 one of the biggest complaints was a design flaw that saw the console overheating, which would create a red ring around the power button that became known as the ‘Red Ring of Death’. While it left Microsoft with egg on its face it also forced the company to extend the standard one year warranty of the original Xbox 360 to three years. So when it came time to design the Xbox One, Microsoft seems to have paid more attention to getting rid of that heat.
iFixit, the perennial disassemblers of technology, managed to get a hold of an Xbox One at the New Zealand launch last night and have broken it down into little pieces for our amusement. One of the key things they noticed was a massive 112mm fan that takes up almost 25% of the internal space of the Xbox One. Combine this with the fact that the Xbox One will have an external power supply and it becomes clear that Microsoft has indeed learned a lesson about keeping a games console cool.
While we have no idea yet when the Xbox One will be available in South Africa, we have seen rumours of a late June release date which will give us ample time to find out whether the Red Ring of Death has indeed been banished from the Xbox One, or merely replaced by something else just as meme-friendly. Sony, on the other hand might not be so lucky; we’ve already seen some reports of the FBLOD, the flashing blue light of death that indicates a serious system error in the new Playstation 4.
Images: iFixit
