Microsoft offers retrofit for Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel

Microsoft has announced plans to provide a free retrofit for its Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel which fixes a malfunction in the chassis that may cause the device to "smoke" when the AC/DC power supply is being used. According to Redmond, there haven't been any reports of fire, personal injury, or property damage -- though clearly the game-maker wants to address this problem before it's got a pile of lawsuits on its hands. Apparently, the wheel works just fine with battery power (which Microsoft suggests you use until the repair is made), though plugging it in could be a little dangerous. Unfortunate owners of the faulty product should get themselves over to the company's Xbox support page to get the ball rolling on their wheel surgery.

[Thanks, Arneh]

[JC @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:02AM]

Dang, and I thought that was a "feature" to simulate the smell of burning rubber.

[Jagannath A @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:19AM]

LOL! why not the exhaust :P

[Bobs @ Aug 27th 2007 2:14AM]

Maby that memory card slot isnt for memory cards. maby its for poptarts, square strips of bacon, wendy's burger patties, square bagels, those eggo cinimon honey toast strips or whatever its called, or maby even whole bars of butter! the reason its overheating is because its like a little stove, dont let the fire run too long, it might burn your easy bake oven

[Andir3.0 @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:16AM]

Microsoft seems to not only want to take over your living room, but they want to burn it down as well? Guess that's one way to ensure people keep buying your product over and over and over again. Try to monopolize it, then cause it to fail.

[sycks @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:17AM]

Like Windows?

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:20AM]

Wow, between the console and it's accessories I can see many families saving on their heating bills this winter!

"Chestnuts roasting on an Xbox fire,
Plastic fumes nipping at your nose..."

I kid, I kid!!

[PS3SuxCox @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:26AM]

I just got my wheel back from this problem. I thought it was an isolated incident. I really hope M$ gets their crap together, they need the customers if they're thinking of beating out the PoS3

[Andir3.0 @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:30AM]

Go back to XBox360Fanboy.com, we don't want you here.

[sycks @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:32AM]

Amen to that

[RazorD @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:35AM]

I've never heard of it, though my xbox started crashign with E79 and E71 errors this morning, so without an xbox it isn't too bad!

[Landlocked @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:35AM]

They are still beating PS3 in new sales...overheating mobo and all. Of course, the PS2 is also beating PS3.

[apeguero @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:41AM]

is there a hack to make this wheel work on the PS3?

[JohnDoe303 @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:38AM]

No.. Why would you want to? There are much better performing, better built, all while being cheaper. Or you could go all out and get a Logitech G25. The M$ wheel was garbage before this recall.

[apeguero @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:43AM]

You mean I can plug any USB type wheel to the PS3 and it would work? I tried the Logitech Momo wheel and it wasn't recognized. I guess I need to go back and RTFM some more.

[Andir3.0 @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:56AM]

Please... everyone has an agenda, including you. Why is it that you know this poster is negative to the XBox or Microsoft? Have you used your "agenda" on sniffing out anti-Microsoft news? You getting paid for that?

[simon @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:16AM]

someone said it before, but when jobs or someone at sony starts giving back, ill start liking them too.

[Andir3.0 @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:01PM]

http://www.sony.com/SCA/philanthropy/hhs.shtml

And have you not seen the iPod Red? Or one of the other MANY things both Sony and Apple do for charities? Just because Bill ripped off the world and now he's paying it back to ease his conscience doesn't make Microsoft an angel. For saying that, you've just proven how little attention you actually pay to the world and the people who contribute to it.

[Andir3.0 @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:02PM]

And that was from a quick 1 minute Google search. Are you so blinded by Microsoft that you can't find answers yourself and you believe that nobody out there besides Bill gives to charity?

[JC @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:04PM]

Hey Andir3.0, you conveniently forgot to mention that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the world. But that's ok, this is the Internet, we don't really need to do our homework before we open our mouths.

In case you want to educate yourself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_and_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

[simon @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:43PM]

hey andir3.0, with the iPod red, you had to purchase something, and then the proceeds went to one charity... It wasnt out of pocket moron, proceeds mean whatever was made off of the sales... meaning they didnt spend any of their own money... Get it? Perhaps the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation can make a donation to your local schools so people dont end up undereducated like you... have a nice day

[Mojo_Yugen @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:22AM]

Yea, why not report the positive news about the 360...like the fact that none of their controllers burst into flames. Not one! Or how 'bout them headsets...they never squeeze your head so tight that it implodes. Never!
Why can't Engadget just overlook these small problems like smoking wheels!

[JohnDoe303 @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:37AM]

LOL! What is with M$ and hardware.. They fail at life. RLOD, DRE, Burning 360 wheels.. jeez. Best of all they're doing everything they can NOT to call it a recall.

IT'S A RECALL!

[Galley @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:38PM]

Microsoft; can they do anything right?

[Langdon Alger @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:16PM]

I believe you meant,

Microsoft ... is there anything they can't crash?

[Neil Cauldwell @ Aug 23rd 2007 12:35PM]

I just missed one of these on eBay - glad I did! How long do you think before MS get round to getting the fixed versions to suppliers?

Also, has anyone thought of using a tv dinner table for a steering wheel stand? The one in the pic below looks perfect!

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.benefitsnowshop.co.uk/media/hr/images/detail/7127_AA3701.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.benefitsnowshop.co.uk/shop/detail.asp%3Fbid%3DIZDY-1692851%26item%3D4403&h=281&w=500&sz=6&hl=en&start=5&sig2=o-WXytXcgGfigcu_uKvEKA&um=1&tbnid=AXZZGd-MRKzATM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=130&ei=BbfNRqymCIeewwG_gf0E&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtv%2Bdinner%2Btable%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

[Mike Rosenberg @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:22PM]

wow.. such powerful words. You know, I own, and have owned all of the nextgens since the beginning. They all have their pluses and minuses. Mind you, I believe the xbox to be of worst quality (I never had trouble with my PS3). However, the Xbox Live, the games available, and the controllers make it my fav system for the moment. Watch out when sony has more games though.... 360 framerates always slow down, system gets hot.. Sony stays nice and cool. Wii is a genoius piece of engineering with no HD capability and kids games. That about summarizes it... stop fighting. Buy all of them, problems solved.

[Warwick @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:15PM]

This happened to my wheel 2 days before this retrofit business came up. I can only think that I am somehow responsible for opening their eyes to the issue. Definitely was a bummer though, I really wanted to play forza that night :(

[Christian Zanier @ Aug 24th 2007 9:28AM]

Meh, won't have that problem. Hate wires, would never use the A/C plug. The things wireless why add the A/C cord. Batteries all the way.

[jhferry @ Sep 10th 2007 8:26PM]

Well,

I just got a call from MS support on this stupid steering wheel. I saw the thing about the retrofit kit and called because I have 2 small kids and didn't need a fire on my hands. So the guy basically calls me at 8 pm to tell me that when there is a retrofit kit available I will receive one. I told him that was not acceptable and wanted a supervisor. I get this lady "Marie" who basically didn't want to hear it.

Basically, I wanted a new working wheel, or I wanted my money back. I told her that these things should be recalled and I had already sent my 360 to get fixed and I got hung up on for my troubles. I will admit, I got a little heated, they called me from India at 8pm and woke my kids up. I told her I have a case number would post this all over the net so nobody gets hurt by this thing.

I think its terrible that they wont issue a recall, this retrofit is a lie. I asked her to send me a picture of it if it exists and she said she couldn't do that. Basically, don't use that force feed back until they fix this thing. I did ask her If I bought a new wheel from the store If it would have the same problem and she hung up on me.

Unreal how they treat people, I bought a $400 system and that didn't work now a $150 wheel and that doesn't work either.
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