Maintenance Tips for the Xbox 360

By Larry Moon

Of course, as you more than likely already know, the Xbox 360 is an expensive bit of kit, and that's even before you take all the games and accessories into account. Having said that; the vast majority of people seem to forget all about the cost of their Xbox, particularly once they start becoming involved with their favorite games. At least this is the case until such time that their Xbox packs up. Of course, providing your system is still under warranty, most breakdowns can be resolved, although the time it takes for repairs to be carried out may well cost you a considerable amount of quality gaming time. As you can imagine this problem becomes even worse when you're forced to hand over money for the repairs, or even for a new system.

One fundamental difference between the Xbox 360 and regular gaming desktops is that the Xbox 360 doesn't have as many cooling systems. In fact, with regards to the Xbox 360, heat is probably enemy number one, and believe it or not, but heat is produced relatively quickly when you play games for hours on end. However, by following the tips provided in this article you certainly can prolong the life of your Xbox 360.

Of course, one of the best ways to ensure your system doesn't overheat is to regulate your gaming hours. Those of you who play the Xbox Live Arcade games need not be overly concerned with regards to the system overeating, as those games are not particularly demanding. On the other hand 3D high definition games take full advantage of the Xbox 360's power. Those who play these games should always take short breaks, even if only for 30 minutes.

Those who simply cannot stomach taking breaks should enjoy their gaming in a cooler environment to prevent the system from overheating. Ideally, one should play in a room that has air conditioning or at the very least, make sure that you have a fan pointed towards the system.

Even during those rare moments when you have your system turned off, you should still make sure that your Xbox 360 is not exposed to excessive dust or direct sunlight, in order to ensure that the next time you sit down for gaming session you won't be interrupted by any red ring errors. Furthermore it is pointless to turn on your Xbox 360 in the event that it is already warm due to a high room temperature.

There are a few 3rd party accessories that claim to fix the heating problems by cooling the components in a more direct fashion. While these "cooling accessories" appear to fix the problem, they also obtain their power source directly from the Xbox 360 so if you overuse these accessories, problems may arise including red ring issues. Avoid using these accessories unless you find one that is licensed by Microsoft or uses an external power source.

If you wish to travel with your trusty gaming system, you can do just that as long as you are very careful in carrying the system. Try not to carry the Xbox 360 in an upright position to avoid any damage collisions unless you are using Xbox 360 carrying bags which are safer. Always make sure that casing is secure before and after travel so you can enjoy your gaming experience anywhere.

The good news for gamers is; red ring errors are far less common on the latest Xbox 360 consoles, largely due to updated and much improved motherboards. However, one should of course still take good care in order to ensure uninterrupted gaming sessions. - 18418

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