Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Faulty Xbox One disc drives emit loud, terrifying noises

UPDATE: Microsoft offers swift replacements through its "advance exchange program."

UPDATE: Microsoft has issued the following statement to further clarify its first statement:

"The issue is affecting a very small number of Xbox One customers. We're working directly with those affected to get a replacement console to them as soon as possible through our advance exchange program. Rest assured, we are taking care of our customers."

We'll see how quick the turnaround is soon as Tom Phillips' Xbox One died on him day one. Poor guy.

ORIGINAL STORY: Some consumers who bought Xbox Ones at launch came home to find that their new console's disc drive was busted and that it makes a loud, scary noise when a blu-ray is inserted. The sounds don't last long, but it's still enough to make anyone who's just plopped down top dollar on a new console cringe.

Watch on YouTube

A handful of videos portraying this error have been compiled at NeoGAF, though there's no way of knowing how widespread this problem is.

We've reached out to Microsoft about this to try and gauge how common this issue is and if these noises are normal or isolated incidents. This was Microsoft's official response:

"We know that with a hardware launch of this magnitude customers will have questions and we have many avenues for customers to get the answers they need and get back in the game as soon as possible. Rest assured we plan to take care of our customers. Any customer who believes they are experiencing an issue with their Xbox One should reach out to us."

"There are many avenues available for customers to get in touch with us including:

  • Talking to a live customer support person that can call you back if you don't want to wait
  • Xbox.com for support pages and forums
  • On Twitter with @XboxSupport
  • There are also Help and diagnostics on the console by saying 'Xbox Help'"
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube
Watch on YouTube