Dear Microsoft,

My story begins with a red ring of light.

On Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007, I came home from work looking forward to playing some Oblivion on my xbox 360. But attempting to turn on the machine only produced a weak groaning sound and the now notorious red ring of death.

I was confused by this. The previous evening the machine worked fine, and I’d never experienced the overheating problems that plagued the 360. I hadn’t done anything unusual; I kept the box well ventilated, made sure it was protected from power surges, never played it too long. I followed all the rules and was rewarded with failure.

I feel as though I’ve won some kind of inverse lottery. I now have privilege of paying you $150 to fix your own faulty design.

As a life-long Mac user, this was your opportunity to show me a product that was designed well, that worked solidly and that delivered on your promise of a next generation gaming experience. I was ready to believe you. Instead, I’ve found exactly what I expect from Microsoft, what you have become notorious for: poor product design, an unstable platform, and lousy customer care.