What Ryan Seacrest should have asked Steve Ballmer at CES

In a puff piece on Microsoft during this week's CES, Venture beat noted the following:

"Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said tonight that the Xbox 360 video game console has sold more than 66 million units since it was launched in 2005. In his final keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show, Ballmer said that the Xbox Live online gaming and entertainment service now has more than 40 million users, and he said Microsoft has sold more than 18 million Kinect motion-sensing systems."

It immediately amused me as I'm on to my third Xbox and not by choice! Three red rings of death later, I'm not the happiest Xbox buyer*

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was on hosting duties for the CES event. He should have asked Steve Ballmer how many Xboxes were bought to replace those bricked xboxes? Does that number include Xboxes bricked by the Red Ring of Death?

I'd also get Ryan to ask Steve, just how many consumers were unaware of their rights as consumers for free repairs and replacements? I recall some years ago when RROD first occurred and how I was sooooostonewalled by Xbox Customer Support - it was until I quoted the Consumer Guarantees Act at a manager did I get my repair free.

I would have been intrigued by Steve's answers.

It would appear however that Microsoft has successfully left that bullshit behind.them when they admitted the problem and got to work on the newer slimmer version of the Xbox.

Now only if a decent Kinect game or application were to be released - cos let's face it - you only said 'throw grenade' once in your Halo Anniversary run through right?

* I still LOVE the Xbox though! (It's like you are a battered wife that won't leave her deadbeat husband? - Ed)