Try Everything On For Size

You wanted to spend some quality time with your favorite XBox game. So you pressed the power button. Unfortunately all that came on were some pretty flashing red lights.

You became a statistic. A Microsoft fatality. One in 33% of all XBox 360 console owners.

(This has apparently dropped to 6% on the newer models, so if you manage to get it with one of those, then you really have to feel special.)

Now you are faced with the choice of sending it to Microsoft to be fixed, or to dirty your hands yourself. Let's look at the pros and cons.

Microsoft

-They send you a box, you pack your precious cargo in it and send it off.

-You sit with no XBox and have to resort to twiddling your thumbs.

-A week later and you are still twiddling your thumbs. Frantically.

-10 days to 4 weeks later you have your new XBox. It's time to rejoice.

(It's probably not really a new XBox though, just a reconditioned one that some other poor statistic like yourself sent in.)

-You play your heart out, getting new mileage on all your games, all the while hoping that it doesn't happen again...

Fix it Yourself

-You find a good guide online after wading through many dangerous and downright inappropriate "fixes" like the "towel trick".

(You feel proud of yourself for resisting the towel trick, knowing how it would have overheated your console- shortening the lifespan of your XBox, and that it only would have been temporary anyway.)

-You worry a bit about voiding your warranty, but are relieved about the fact that after 2 hours you'll be battling Slash in Guitar Hero again.

-You are secure in the knowledge that should those pretty red lights show themselves again, you have the cure.

Whatever you decide to do, appreciate your XBox once it's fixed. And good luck with Slash!

For a reputable guide with video tutorials and step by step walk throughs take a look at http://www.fixringofdeath.com They show you how to fix it using ordinary household tools - no soldering, and give a guaranteed fix, or your money back.

Politico - CHICAGO – The attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said the governor will be vindicated and has no plans to resign.

Console Gaming companies are still doing well in sales thanks to demand, but for how much longer will they be a viable sector of the growing video game industry? Some analysts predict that with online video games growing so rapidly, that the all in one console games could be on their way out. Not so fast say many manufacturers of console games, rather they believe they are evolving with these new venues. Console gaming plus, online interaction with online gaming communities is where it's at says one executive from a popular console game manufacturing company.

Indeed, why can't you have the best of both worlds? Sure the older console games end up in the free box at the garage sales or flea markets but not the new stuff, which has more interaction and the latest graphics and speed. Online gaming has some distinct advantages, in that it has increased inflows of venture capital, the latest talent and new advertising revenue streams of major brand names looking to make a connection with the primarily younger gaming demographic.

So the question on many minds of those who follow this sector seems to be; are all-in-one Console Games out and if so is this just the evolution of Gaming Technology, which is causing its extinction? "The older games are definitely out and have lost significant ground to the online gaming communities and the XBox," stated a gentleman from the Online Think Tank recently. Interactive consoles that can hook up to online gaming communities and be used as self-contained gaming consoles will always be a favored method for the online gaming gamer.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

AP - Mourners are clashing with riot police outside an Athens cemetery during the funeral of a teenager whose shooting by officers set off three days of rioting across Greece.