Why do Xbox 360s scratch disks

The Xbox arrived on the gaming scene in November, 2001. Microsoft’s gaming console, unfortunately, has not sailed smoothly. Chronic problems have kept on haunting the Xbox makers and buyers alike. The scratching of disks is one of the major and persistent problems with the Xbox. Users all over the world complain that the Xbox makes it a habit of scratching a disk or two beyond repair every now and then.

A scratched disk is so irritating that the user chooses throwing it away over continuing use. This is because a scratched CD is bound to stutter often. There are frequent game jamming and locking which spoil the pleasure of gaming. Moving the Xbox while the disk inside is still spinning is almost certainly going to scratch the disk. The circular scratches have been Microsoft’s nemesis for long. Independent and unofficial researches point towards a non-existent security mechanism that can cure this problem by keeping the disk in the intended place. The research suggests that the disk gets displaced from its proper place during spinning and thus runs the risk of coming in contact with the surfaces which would invariably lead to scratches. Also, the disk spins at a very fast rate for the game play to go on uninhibited, thus increasing the probability that it would come off the ‘ideal slot.’ This, in a way, accounts for the fact that even the stationary Xbox can lead to scratches on the disk. Rumor has it that Microsoft’s engineers knew about the risks before the launch of the product, but the company’s market strategy did not warrant the delay that would have resulted from the repair and enhancement activities.

This has created discord among the several Xbox owners who insist upon a comprehensive warranty with the console that also covers their sacrificed disks. Microsoft has never quite acted actively in this regard, and its rather ‘cold shoulder’ attitude is evident in the fact that the latter versions of the Xbox were ‘enhanced’ in the sense that they wore a warning sticker dissuading the owners from moving the Xbox with the disk inside.