It may be stupid, but the journalists over at Destructoid were running their new Xbox 360 with a copy of Alan Wake in the disc tray when they decided to pick it up, turn it over and examine the machine - while running. The disc scratched itself to death, and their video highlighting what happened became a pretty major subject of contention on N4G and other websites.
So, do gamers have to worry about the new Xbox 360 chewing up their discs, or is this just a case of stupidity?
In the video, the team at Destructoid are seen literally lifting the 360 up while it is running, and quickly they hear a nasty chewing sound. They take out their copy of Alan Wake to find that it is basically destroyed by a giant scratch around the whole disc.
One of the problems with the original Xbox 360 was that, if moved while running, discs could get scratched to the point of being useless. It seems the same problem exists on the new Xbox 360, which could be a problem for Microsoft.
This is frustrating gamers on both ends of the spectrum. Some claim that this is just a matter of utter stupidity. After all, the new Xbox 360 has a sticker right on the front when you unbox it for the first time that says, quite simply, "Do not move the console while disc is in motion."
At the other end, some gamers claim that this should be a non-issue, that Microsoft should have ensured that their disc drives wouldn't scratch discs if moved. They cite their PlayStation 3's and Nintendo Wii's as examples of machines that can be moved without damaging the disc.
So what's right here?
Well, technically, both sides are in the wrong.
Microsoft's new machine probably shouldn't scratch discs if the machine is moved. On the other hand, though, gamers ought to be smart enough to not pick up and move their machine while it's running. It's pretty simple to keep the machine in place, and if you want to move it, it's pretty easy to turn it off, pick it up, and keep it in a safe place.
Destructoid also really moved that machine around while it was running. They pick it up and literally try to stand it upright while the disc is in.
The lesson here is, pay attention to the sticker. Don't move the Xbox 360 while it's running. It's common sense, but rest assured that many people will move it anyways and then file loads of complaints afterwards. Don't say we didn't warn you, and don't say Microsoft didn't either.
It may be a design flaw, but the warnings are there. Heed them for the sake of your discs.
