Is Kinect Causing Xbox 360s to Get the Red Rings of Death?

Now that Christmas has been gone for a few weeks, new owners of Kinect have started complaining the motion control system causes their Xbox 360s to fail. Is this just a weird coincidence or is Kinect really giving older 360s the dreaded Red Rings of Death?

Reports of Kinect's RROD problem have been talked about on gaming forums since its November launch. The issue gained fame this week after BBC's You and Yours program featured 360 owners. Microsoft has been denying any connection between Kinect and the recent surge of RROD. In a statement they insist it's a coincidence. Isn't this the same stance Microsoft took when the original RROD issue was reported? When the console was launched in 2005, rumors of a high failure rate surfaced. At the time, Microsoft said the rate was within industry standards. It wasn't until 2007 when they publicly acknowledged the problem and extended the warranty for three years. 2010 marked the end of the extension.

What is happening with the older 360s and Kinect?
It seems that Kinect quickly bricks older models. Most reports on the Xbox forum suggest the time frame is anywhere from minutes to a few days, with a few reports claiming it happens during the Kinect update and set-up process. Usually, the system will freeze first and then the RROD happens. Some gamers report disconnecting Kinect fixes the problem. The majority of the claims are that the RROD will not go away and the console must be repaired.

What can be causing RROD with Kinect?
There is a good chance this really is pure coincidence. Many times when there is a major game launch like a Halo or Call of Duty, reports of RROD rise. Perhaps the majority of the older consoles are just getting the RROD at this time because they haven't been played much. Now that Kinect is popular with a more casual crowd, maybe rarely used or dusty consoles can't take the stress of extra play time. This doesn't account for RROD on set-up, though. Another reason can be the how Kinect connects to the 360. With older models, you need to plug one end of the cable into a USB port. That might be causing extra stress on the hardware, making the console run hotter. While Microssoft says Kinect was made to work on all 360s, gamers are starting to wonder if that's completely true.

Whatever is happening with Kinect and older models, Microsoft should give gamers more information then flat-out denial. Even a promise to investigate the matter is better then nothing. I don't think Microsoft is purposely bricking 360s to force gamers to upgrade to the new S mode. This maybe just another case of Microsoft rushing a product without proper testing. Although, given what has happened with RROD in the past, they should be more pro-active this time around.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12121999

http://forums.xbox.com/

http://www.techdigest.tv/2007/06/xbox_360_failur.html