New study pegs Xbox 360 failure rate at 16%

People love to debate which console is better, PS3 or Xbox 360 (somehow the Wii is in a different league altogether). While I generally try to stay out of things, I will say that the PS3 seems to be the winner in the “reliability” category. We’ve all heard horror stories about RRoD issues on the 360, and failure rate estimates ranging from 3% all the way up to 30%. Well, a new study from a warranty provider seems to think the number is somewhere in the middle.

You probably saw 3% and thought I must be joking, but I’m not. Naturally, a number that low had to come from Microsoft, so I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. SquareTrade is one of those companies that sells warranties on electronic goods. You know anyone that’s bought their special warranty is almost definitely going to use it. They did a study on all three current gen consoles and found the failure rate on the Xbox 360 to be roughly 16.4%, while both the PS3 and Wii were right around 3%

I think that number may be a little low, but then again we’ve heard that the PS3 was closer to 1%. My conclusion? I’m not sure how much I trust any of the numbers. Sure, I’ve had a 360 for some time now and never had any issues, but there are plenty of people that do. Too many for it to just be a coincidence. Lets just hope that Microsoft makes sure their hardware is a little more reliable next time around.

[via 1up]