What a moron.

lol.
maybe he wasn't reading a site about it and came up with it on his own. plastic wrap? is that to seal it in? why water cool the power supply? sounds more like a suicide. lol

Thats realy bad luck, forgetting to pull out the power cable.

I'm sure the next step is to sue M$ and they will probably win. However I think the US legal laws should be changed to say you can't sue for stupidity.

BTW the 360 heating problem has nothing to do with the power supply. It's the GPU and CPU generating all the heat. Which M$ should be forced to recall IMO.

Doesn't seem to be a smart move to suberge a power supply in water...

Seriously... "overheating Xbox" nearly killed him?

How about "idiot almost kills himself?"

Next weeks article: "The KitchenAid Toaster Conspiracy." Same kid. Couldn't get his toast out. Sticks fork in toaster. Hilarity ensues. Let's blame... ahh, yes... the toaster. :)

tiger

I thought the 14 year kid know by now.

How in the world do you figure that an overheating 360 nearly killed him, based on the facts? This is the most sensationalist headline I've read here in some time.

It would be more accurate to say that this special olympics marathon runner almost killed himself trying to fix his 360. In other words, if he had succeeded in killing himself, it would merit a Darwin Award.

why does title imply it is xbox that is responcible for this?? it should have red 'own stupidity almost killed a teen".

The kid dunked some plugged in electronics in water and you make it seem like this is the xbox's fault. How about "Being a moron nearly kills teenage boy"

what a moron

Yes, it was stupid what the little boy did, but does it warrant calling him a moron? I am at my wits end with MS and the Xbox 360, but I have the means of going out and buy the pro system with HDMI (yes, the first one gave red ring of death on the first time power it up), but maybe this little kid was could not afford another one. I am not saying it was smart, so no heckling me!!! Just have some heart, because he could have killed himself. I really do hope MS does something more to address this situation. I am on my second pro console with the HDMI and I have a second repaired console on it's way back to TX for another repair. As to the suing...I am sure a class action is down the road, because I will report everything to the BBB and my State AG as soon as I get my console back. MS told me if I started any legal actions, they wouldn't return my console.
My two cents.
cheers!

that wasnt good. maybe he will remember to unplug it next time.....

Se should have used distilled water.

The PS isn't the one overheating but as stated, GPU and CPU.

Is it Microsoft's fault? What are they guilty of, trying to kill a kid by not making submergeable power supply in an household piece of electronic ?

"tips he found online"... what site? www.iamamoron.com? Placing a live power supply in water...shows how technology can help weed out weak genetics.

Or just buy the fan kit that attaches to the Xbox 360 or simply place a small desk fan near it. Problem solved. All electronics run hot nowadays and do not have adequate cooling; since people don't read the instructions about airflow. This is to get it to fail sooner so you have to go out and buy more...

by the time you invest in a xbox 360 or ps3, you realise that you need a hdtv to get the most out of it. 600 for the ps3, 1000 for the hdtv = a very good pc.

but whatever, continue buying consoles and being ripped off..... at least u can decide exactly what you want in a pc.

I think the title of this story is a little misleading, don't you? It was not an overheating Xbox that put his life in danger, it was his uneducated attempt at fixing the Xbox by using some VERY questionable methods (A.K.A. "STUPID!!!") that resulted him in nearly getting killed.

Another Darwin Awards runner up. Sucks that this kid didn't realize how much harm it could cause him. There have got to be better ways to cool the damned things. Though I guess Microsoft is happy with the consoles RRoD more often.

He should have called Chuck Norris and used his tears as the water to cool the power supply. It's a scientific fact that Chuck's tears do not conduct electricity as he is immune to it.

The only problem is that he has never cried.

Thinning the heard

I always thought the overheating problems were due to people installing the 360 in a stereo cabinet or other flow-restricted area. I've had my xbox 360 for 8 months and it has never given symptoms of overheating.

As far as the kid, I'd say it's a good thing he got knocked out... Putting a switching power supply under water = bad.

Just like the moronic women who spilled coffee on her lap and then sued the restaurant chain because she suffered burns to her crotch, this boys family will most likely sue. Yeah, I guess when you order coffee you expect it to be cold just like you expect electricity and water to get along. I guess no one teaches their kids that coffee may be HOT and electricity is dangerous.

The title should be "Boy nearly kills xbox 360 by drowning".

Did the Xbox 360 nearly kill him? Or the lack of a fundamental science class?

I thought he took the power supply by the wire and tried to cool it off using a cowboy's lasso technique and finally got hit with it..

hahah

Should be "Lack of Science Education in US nearly kills boy"

Distilled water may have helped, as long as the bowl was very clean, his hands weren't sweaty etc. as soon as you add electrolytes to distilled water it starts to conduct electricity.

Darwin canidate...

The title makes it sound like the 360 nearly killed the kid. The only thing that almost did this kid in was his own stupidity. You really should change the title to be more accurate.

though idiotic act, but as long as there isn't such warning on the manual. I see a huge settlement. hahaha

Another classic case of McDonalds warning and hot coffee

14 years old? And he still doesn't know that water and electricity don't go well together?

America is the land of the idiots!!!

I HAVE A SON AGED 7 HALF THE AGE OF THIS BOY AND MY SON KNOWS HOW TO FRY EGGS WITHOUT BURNING HIMSELF....THE POINT TO THE STORY TOLD ABOVE IS DONT TRUST AMERICANS TO STAY IN IN A ROOM THEIRSELVES FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES WITHOUT SUBMERGING POWER SUPPLIES IN WATER AND THE LIKE...
IDIOTS

Isn't this one of the first scientific facts you learn as a YOUNG child?!? Fire burns, water conducts electricity? WATER ELECTRONICS = BAD.

Anyway, I hope the kid is OK.

He could still sue and win on the basis of Microsoft's faulty console causing him to do something very dumb. Still, this is absurd -- if your console breaks down every 5 minutes send it for repairs or buy a new one. I've owned at least two of every system since PS1. I'm still on my first PS3, but it's only 9 months old and I rarely use it.

Sorry for the caps, but what a dork. I can't people will believe everything they read on the internet.

This kid was 14 years old, not 4. We can blame MS for making a crappy product that overheats, but one has to go to the deepest fathoms of stupidity to nearly kill one's self with it. Dear God. The boy most be a new breed of moron.

Damn! The genepool was almost another idiot less! The bloody idiot deserved that and more! Its people like this that caused me to give up on humanity... were screwed if this is what we can come up with...

Maybe M$ need to get tough on this kind of behaviour. How about a class action law suit against ludicrously brain dead individuals who jeopardise their lives for crazy endeavours, some would argue that it would wipe out their target demographic for the 360..... i digress.

I will leave it at that, besides, my toaster is in need of a bath........

I recall this from Jerry Seinfeld's HBO special

"it is written in the Superman suit box

'Do not attempt to fly'

Now, how many of you believe a kid would be smart enough to buy the thing and read that notice before wearing the costume"

Wonder, is this 14 yr-old's school doesn't teach science ??

This isn't the Oprah Winfrey Show Richard. Do something stupid, you deserve some grief. He's old enough to know better. That's 4th grade science there. Dumb@ss kids.

The McDonalds case was a tad bit different. The woman suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her legs and crotch from the coffee. Coffee isn't supposed to be served near boiling temperatures. I'm not saying the lawsuit is justified. Being an idiot is not grounds for a law suit.

Also it says all over the manual and all over the power supply itself to stay away from water. The kid obviously can't read either.

Headline should say "America fails at scientifically educating it's youth again, this time nearly killing a child."

how is possible, that a 14 year old boy doesn't know, that putting electric curent in water, will (probably) shock him ???!!!! how can he be so moron ??
i wonder, why he didn't pissed into an outlet from short distance ?... i think that should be funnier than putting an xbox into a bowl of water....

btw. not the xbox is the guilty, but that idiot moron. if this goes to court, i hope M$ will win !!!!!!!

All future gaming systems will come with a big bright warning sticker attached. WARNING: Do NOT submerge in water or liquid. (picture of wavey water line over game system with big red cross through it)

Oi.

From the headline, i thought it somehow managed to catch on fire because it was so hot... Obviously i underestimated how stupid people are...

So I read the title of this article and I'm expecting to read something like this.... "XBOX 360 explodes due to overheating causing a house fire that nearly kills a 14 year old boy".

IMO the Darwin award doesn't go to the boy... it goes to the author.

Evolution at work. Stay clear 100 feet.

I think he was thinking to cool it while it was working, hence the plastic to prevent water from going in, and then it would allow it to be cool while he played.

Still a dumba$$.

You will find lots of suggestions that a freeze can be caused by the power supply and not the CPU/GPU.

Also,

http://www.joystiq.com/2005/12/06/xbox-360-power-supply-dunked-in-water-to-prove-its-damned-big/2

Oh man, I wonder if he got the idea from here?

OK, what he did was pretty dumb ass.... but man, I know I've been there at a young age where I want to desperately play a game and would do anything to fix it.

I would say he was so frustrated with his XBox 360 that he was temporarily insane and not in control of his facilities.

This is negligence on the part of MS... these issues are known. ;)

I hope he gets 1 billion dollars :D

LOL

Maybe your genuis 7 year old should show you where the caps lock key is at.

forgot to unplug the cord? just too hasty to try out this wonderful idea to 'water cooling'. just careless as kids often are prone to.

Shoulda gotten a PS3 in the first place. Or a good PC for that matter

the young lad was just trying to boil some water for his mum.

some people arent fit to have such great technology. its like giving a caveman a lighter, he'll set his cave on fire before he realises how to use it

For the ones that survives.

Before commenting on stupidity one should know how to spell simple words. It is herd, no heard.

Why are some of you saying the headline is wrong, implying that the title says that the Xbox almost killed, and that the Xbox was blamed???
Do I need to cut and paste like this:
Teen nearly kills himself trying to fix overheating Xbox 360!
A 14-year-old boy was knocked unconscious and sent to the hospital as a result of trying to cool off his Xbox 360 over the weekend.

Where does it say that the Xbox is to blame? READ PEOPLE READ!

Thinning the heard
Before commenting on stupidity one should know how to spell simple words. It is herd, no heard.
-----------------------------------------------------
No duh! before replying to stupidity you should try to be careful not make a similar mistake to that comment:
It is herd, NOT heard.

and reinforce the inanity and idiocy of Americans, where stupid people gets insane amounts of money for being err...... stupid.

Are we all not taught as soon as we can reach them, not to use electrical switches with wet hands....
...Now Johnny, pour the hot water into the cup... not on your lap!

Eventually there will be written warning signs everywhere.

Careful, Hot!
Warning. Objects in this mirror appear smaller than they actually are!
Careful, do not play Xbox 360 in the bath or shower!

Dumb and Dumberer

The headline (unless they altered it) just says he tried to kill himself TRYING TO FIX an overheating XBbox. Thats completely correct, no? The Xbox was overheating, he tried to cool it by putting the PS in water.

Still dumb, but the headline's right... I was expecting something stupid like this.

If this kid's parent's sue, I hope the judge laughs and throws out the case. Can't sue for stupidity, even if M$ XBox's problem resulted in the stupid action.

If he wins, it will set a horrible precedent for more frivolous law suits.

I'll sue the city of *YourCity* when I missed the bus, because it left the stop 30 seconds early, and I decide to jump in front of it to stop it and get run over. Since they CLEARLY didn't have a sign that said *Do not jump in front of bus if you miss it* I deserve some compensation. How as I supposed to know that getting hit by a bus would break my leg?

I think he doesn't know how to fix the overheating thing and read it wrong online. Maybe he thought that it's the powerful supply problem overheating and so by submerging it in the water that it might cool off. Bottomline is, i agreed that the title is misleading. It's not the overheating that almost kill the boy, it's lack of knowledge and stupidity that almost kill him.

He should sue his own mother for leaving him home by himself without locking him in his electricity (and stupidity proof) plastic bubble.

I am sure they will try to sue Microsoft and Bill Gates personally. If the stupid kid wasn't playing his 360 for 18 hours straight it wouldn't be running so hot. If he picked up his science book instead of the controller for a few hours he would know that WATER and ELECTRICITY are not friends.

I think he should sue his local electricity and water companies. They should have informed him about the fact that he could kill himself by sticking a LIVE WIRE IN WATER!

He should sue his neighbor for inviting his mother over and leaving him unsupervised.

He should sue Ben Franklin estate for discovering electricity.

He should sue Sony for not giving him one of those little robot thingies that would smack him everytime he tried to do something stupid (but in that case he would be covered in bruises).

He should sue his father for providing him inadequate genetic material.

He should sue the game makers for making games that he cannot resist playing.

He should sue Al Gore because he found the "tip" on the internet (Al Gore created the internet).

Finally he should sue God for creating water and electricity.

I can't even imagine having something like XBOX360 when I was 14, but at that age, I probably wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed either. Kids get desperate when their favorite possessions don't work since they can't just run down to the store and get a new one. I hope he learns though :-)

It's the circle of life! Gods little way of keeping the rest of us amused.

Which I am entertained Maximus!

-

Sometime in the last 3 hours. It had read:
"Overheating Xbox 360 nearly kills Teen"

...a warning on a candle my in-laws saved:

'WARNING: Do NOT put out candle with eye'

Which means they probably got sued when someone when blind. Never overestimate people, they'll most likely disappoint you.

Kid- age does not matter still a kid. it means someone from parenting side has to come up to solve the problem, not wait untill he kills himself to fix it. or at least give him a lesson on overheating... like first putting it in the fridge or next step in the freezer...
So, you guys, writing stupido, or other names. whatch yourself... if you have a kid and you may be in the same whole with 16 year old kid...

peace

Whats up with this? I've meet plenty of retards in every country not just the States.

It's overheating? Turn it off you stupid!

what a story

Is it possible that we will see the poster who gave the online tip get sued? If the kid was following instructions step by step, there might be a case (remembering that 14 year olds can be naive after all).

You are crazy, we all have been told what happens when you put electronics in water, let alone plugged in electronics.

Kid or not, this kid is no Lester Lightbulb!

-

I have a friend thats manager at EB she said over half the xbox 360 overheat and they get constant calls from owners, who in turn have to contact microsoft to get an rma on these.

If the boy had a ps3 he would not have this problem , its microsofts fault that they use under rated components in there power supply causing them to overheat.

Microsoft should have never sent out units with this poor quality control, ie cutting corners on the power supply design , as electronics tech i have looked at these, substandard parts poor heatsink and cooling design.

yeah the headline is technically correct, but the inference 90% of the people will have when they read the one line title with the words "overheating xbox" is that the xbox was somehow to blame, no one knows that the boy was simply being an idiot without having read the article. that's why the headline is "sensational".

now, as a journalist, you know about inferences right? ;-)

Headline was changed, in fact the link I got here from still had it...

BUT to be real about this, the problem is that the kid has no other means of recreation to go to once the XBox breaks down. Going outside while it cools off wasn't in the cards I guess, nor was reading a good book.
What ever happened to comic books and girls???
At that age I was buying one and trying to find the other...
(you choose which one I mean)...
And it isn't just America where this happens, although no doubt the US is litigious up the A**... It happens in other places as well. You just have better parents that smack the kid and tell them to stop being stupid. You don't call the news and make a report about it.
Just how did this get into the news hunh???
You really think that someone close to it didn't "call" it in to prepare for the lawsuit / settlement???
Reminds me of the people who spill things in the grocery store then wait until there are people in the aisle to see them slip and fall for the witness factor...
America, love it or leave it or learn to sue...

The market has changed. I know of a number of cases where the plaintiff was clearly not in any way shape or form at fault. The jury found the defended owed far less than the documentable damages.

When members of the jury were asked, the stated that plaintiffs always lie.

yeah he's a kid, but at the age of 14 I knew that you don't do stupid shi# like this. because we learnt science.

this retard didn't know better.

It's the keyboards' fault. I can type. Really I can. Maybe he should have tried distilled water or oil.

He put a PSU in the water, a LOT of people don't care about what they learn at school.

Common sense is not something that the majority of the population seems to have. People do things without thinking or looking for alternatives first.

You probably wouldn't find
-A McDonalds every sq. mile,
-Dodge Crapavans,
-$30 DVD players that last 2 months before breaking,
-$120 digital cameras that you throw in the garbage because the pictures are crappy,
-$100/hour computer repair services to get Windows reinstalled,
-SPAM, viruses,
-bloaty software like Norton AV,
-cheapo Dell, HP, etc. computers,
and I could go on a long time to list every single products that exist because they're the cheapest and/or are the first product that come to people's mind when they need it.

distilled water is NON-conductive. Tap water is. Sad he didn't read the solution correctly.

I'd be embarrassed to report that one. Watch your kid esp if he's stupid enough to stick an electrical appliance in water. Maybe he should spend more time studying.

Everyone is telling that he should have used distilled water? Don't you realize that that itself is foolish. Regardless if he is 14yo, no one should put any electronics into water, distilled or otherwise. Sure distilled water does not conduct electricity. But since it is exposed to air, it will slowly but surely start to conduct. That is because dH20 will start to pull CO2, smog, etc from the air and there are such things as metal ions. Copper, Lithium, Lead is present in electronics and can disolve slowly in water. Not only that If the capacitors are leaking then it would introduce electrolytes into your dH2O. Dont forget corrosion. Metal do rust/oxidize. He should have used distilled h20 is like scolding a kid for sticking a metal knife in a electrical outlet and instead telling to keep playing with high voltage but use a plastic spoon. Best to tell the kid not to play with electricity at all.

thats right plural, to all you people that expect a 14 year old kid to know a better method for cooling his PSU phooey.

the poor kid made a common mistake that many people make as they learn and grow, he trusted instructions from what he considered to be a reputible source.

Sadly these instructions were dubvious at best.
Oil cooling would have been a better way to go but the PSU is not even the issue as some of you have allready pointed out.

I just keep my 360 closer to my A/C unit than I would like (I'm concerned about condensation) but it seems to work fine.

if your going to try to water cool kid do it right use hose a block ect...

at least the kid is okay but we do all make stupid mistakes. It just so happens this one is high up there. It just goes to show you don't always trust stuff you read online or don't trust yourself in doing it. He probably watched that PC submerged in veggie oil video on this site and thought 'hey i can do that with my xbox 360 too!' I guess he's learned his lesson though and life will go on.

... on the console and the kid ^_^

pure water will never produce any current at all. the reason why water becomes conducive [able to make currents] is because of minerals and such. when you put your hand on a bowl of water and get electrecuted is because your hand has salt from sweat [sodium and any type of salt minerals are great current producers] which causes you to get fried. btw, there is no way to prevent you from getting shocked with your barehands regardless if you wash your hands with anything and everything because the body is constantly producing minerals and such. you could put a clean pair of rubber gloves and touch the water and not get electrecuted because there is a non conductive material protecting your hand and the water [the glove is non conducive because it uses materials that does not produce any form of current].

Power supply in water!? Hardly a tip.

if THG can put a whole pc in liquid then surely i can put just a psu in some...right? - just somewhere else to point the blame.

im sorry to say but when this kinda stuff happens all we say over here is "only in america"

feel sorry for the silly wee fella tho,cant imagine doing such a thing myself at that age.

Normally, electronics do not break so often and the problem not so wide spread that so many sources are talking about it. Also, there is not so many "great ideas" in fixing the problem.

As a kid or early teenager, you would expect to have a great happy time with a top notch console when you are free. If it is not the RRoD problem, you may not want to send it for a refurbish one because of waiting time and afraid of Microsoft not responding because of it not totally dead.

He knows it is bad to put electronics into water, so, he wrapped it in plastic bags.

And please don't blame the boy is moron because, the US is pushing for the I.D. education instead of the science classes. US will flop when the Asia is advancing in science and technology and the US is back to the dark age (comparatively).

I'm not sure why the xbox was even mentioned, the kid was playing with a power cable and water, not the xbox.

Hang in there you 14 year old Champ, though harsh words have been sent your way You are still an intelligent and resourcefull young man.

Also I must commend the educational system of the US as he evidently must have had heard something about Water Electric current = Bad.

Did you all miss the point that he made a "brilliant" attempt to insulate the powersupply with plastic and tape.

So not all stupid, he just has never seen what happens when water preasure is combined with a hollow air-filled space, like this plastic/tape/powersupply/thingie he invented.

Not a brilliant invention, but then again, when I was twelve, I thought it was a great idea to attach a 220V AC/DC current directly to my Märklin locomotive :) I did wear protective gear = my diving gogles =)

The mark of the anchor can still be seen in the ceiling of my childhood home :)

I think the totally misunderstood the term 'water cooling' and it took it to dangerous levels.

But Toms Hardware THG did not put the entire pc in a plastic bag with tape, and WITH the PSU still plugged in!

Unless you said that just to joke around.

The coffee thing is actually pretty valid. If you spill coffee on your lap, you'd expect to get a massive stain on your pants, and probably a burn or two that a cream will fix up in a couple weeks.

This coffee burned the crap out of her, 3rd degree burns and all that. She had a case here, it wasn't that the coffee was hot, it was that it was TOO hot.

This kid won't sue, he can't. I am sure there is a "Don't go near water" in the warnings section in the manual.

Teens.I suppose while doing this he was also drunk on
antifreeze too. ha ha ha

I just downloaded the manual for the XBox360 and there's no warning about mixing the unit with water, but there is this warning, so this kid's family probably can't sue:

Do not attempt to take apart, open, service,
or modify the Xbox 360 console, power
supply or peripherals. Doing so could
present the risk of electric shock, fire or
damage to your Xbox 360 console.

hahahahahahahahahaha

Seriously, if any religious types needed proof that the human species evolved (well most of us did) then this is it.

Oh, and to the writer of the comment 'none', he is a moron. And so are you for defending him and doing something equally as dangerous and stupid in your youth. Infact maybe you're more of a moron for defending such an obviously stupid act. Intellignet, resourceful brilliant champ? Did you even read the same article as everyone else?

No offense.

just throw the xbox 360 out a window (preferably a few stories high) and the immediate air flow will cool it off quickly....

c'mon, if this kid is going to dunk it in water someone must be willing to try the "air flow" method....or just buy a PS3

It was just a matter of time if I posted enough "hints" on how to cool down the X-box by dunking it in water, someone would be dumb enough to try it.

Next I am going to tell how to clean off the laser using ammonia and bleach

You people seriously scare me when you say you wish he had died from his mistake. Do you think he ought to have died and continued the process natural selection? Do you believe the mentally disabled should be left to fend for themselves because they are 'morons'?
So the kid isn't the brightest, does he really deserve to die because of it? It's comments like those that make me lose faith in humanity. It's okay to laugh since he survived and learned a lesson, but those who wished he hadn't survived are either cruel or simply poor comedians. The whole point behind warnings, hospitals, police, and society in general, is to help one another survive, so natural selection doesn't continue to dictate who lives and who dies. I fear eugenics may be in for a comeback.

The xb360 is product designed and intended to be used by children, and is marketed directly at children. Children are known to play the xb360 world wide. Therefore, MS has a DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to practice a much higher standard of safety than that of your average electrical appliance.

There are hundreds of videos all over the internet and television showing kids doing stupid things like trying to emulate the tv show/movie "Jackass", so this is not so unusual at all. The difference here is this clearly was not some stupid stunt to show off. This boy was simply trying to cool his overheating xb360 to the best of his knowledge and abilities.

The xb360 overheating problems have been WELL DOCUMENTED since its initial release in Nov. 2005. These overheating problems have not been corrected by MS as this problem is still very widespread. MS has even publicly admitted it was their own design flaw that caused this widespread overheating issue.

EndPCNoise (continued in Parts 2 and 3)

(Part 2: continued from Part 1 of 3)

Other well documented problems with the xb360:
1) DVD drive scratching disks to the point of turning them into coasters.
2) Overheating power supply--MS did issue a recall for the power supply. However likely or not, this could possibly be the problem the boy was trying to address.

We do not know what the problem was with this particular xb360, but that point is not relevant. The only point that matters is that the xb360 has a long history of problems, particularly overheating. This is what the boy reasoned to be the problem, and he attempted to correct it.

It was not a matter of IF something like this accident was going to happen...it is a matter of WHEN a child was going to be severely injured or even killed by one of these xb360's. It was only a matter of time before an accident like this was going to happen, and it is only a matter of time before another child is hurt due to this widespread overheating issue. MS has known very well about the xb360 overheating issues for almost 2 YEARS now, and IS NEGLIGENT for not issuing a FULL RECALL on the non-Falcon xb360's knowing that the xb360 is intended to be used by families with young children.

EndPCNoise (continued in part 3 of 3)

(Part 3 of 3 part series)

How many more children have to be severely injured or die due to the overheating of the xb360? Electric game consoles have been around since the 1970's, and problems like this have never been so widespread EVER.

The jury (should there be a trial) will likely be made up of several parents, grandparents, and teachers.

This boy's mother would be a fool not to sue MS over this. I'm sure her phone is already ringing off the hook with calls from major law firms wanting to sue MS over this.

MS would be foolish to even attempt to fight this in court, and expose their company to even more bad publicity. It would be in the interest of MS to quietly settle out of court ASAP with this family, and recall all non-Falcon xb360's ASAP.

All xb360 owners should be thanking this 14 y.o. boy, rather than making fun of him. All the real fools who have purchased 1, 2, or even 3 or more RRoD xb360's are likely to get them replaced for free with a brand new Falcon 360 should a recall happen.

EndPCNoise

C., if you fear eugenics so much, do you propose we encourage those with genetic defects to breed as much as possible to fight natural selection? How about we start awarding gold medals to the last place Olympic contenders? Not everyone is as special as you C. We all know you spend your whole life devoted to caring for the sick, mentally disabled, and adoption of all the genetically defective kids in the whole wide world because you love them all so much. but i personally can't , cause some things are meant to be, like getting electrocuted if you allow yourself to put live power into water.

its the kids parents fault..
stupid parents dont teach their kids that WATER ELECTRICITY = BAD
this 14 year old kid puts a psu in water, while plugged in.. he must be a complete idiot, like his parents

he probably just lives with his mom and games out 24/7

Hard to say whose at fault, though I would mainly point it at the kid.

Most goes to the kid for doing this. Let's see, I'm 21 and a senior in college, so a 14 yr old should be in the 7th or 8th grade in high school, depending on when he enrolled. It should be common sense that what he was doing was dangerous.

But then again, if he was desperate enough to do that, it can also be said to be Microsoft's fault for having made him do that. Either he didn't hear about the extended warranty or he was excluded from it, he must have resorted to getting tips from the internet.

Either way, he was damn lucky. He really could have killed himself that day. I hope he learns his lesson and refrain from those desperate acts. I hope Microsoft is fast to offer him some ultimate 360 bundle, not to show they are at fault, but to show some sympathy.

Geez, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know that water doesn't mix with electricity. Stupid noob...

lol - you should not be able to sue company's for what is regarded as common sense - its the 6th sense that most people are missing these days :)


on my way home I drive past a bright LED sign that says "DRIVE SAFELY" and i'm well DERRR!!!! it must be for all of those people attempting to do record breaking stunts on the highway :S

its quite sad that people need signs to tell them what they should be thinking

go evolution go!

quote "But then again, if he was desperate enough to do that, it can also be said to be Microsoft's fault for having made him do that. Either he didn't hear about the extended warranty or he was excluded from it, he must have resorted to getting tips from the internet."

Errr no way, your reasoning skills are about as good as that kids .

There is no way that it can be said that Microsoft made him do it - they did not go to his house and hold a gun to his head, and said put it in some water. They do not state anywhere in their manual or website that would suggest "put in water if it gets hot"

if this kid gets a payout xbox 360 sales might go up as a result of people trying to get rich quick lol

1.you can't be serious?
2.are related to jack thompson?
3.jury's are chosen at random
4.the only MS are guilty for are making a poor product. which is not directly related to the boy's injury - using any item or device for purpose its not intended for will result in injury- isn't that common sense?
5.the kid is 14 - which means his parents, no matter how bad, they are responsible for his supervision and his actions
6.If I drive around doing burnouts and crash and lose my legs - do i sue toyota for making a car that crashed?

Microsoft released product whitch is extremly buggy and it was just matter of time before something as this happend.
I gues it was dumb to put powersupply into water and 14 years old should know that, but M$ should fix their problems in 1st place and this would not happend.
So yes, it was boys fault, but M$ should be blamed, maybe then they finaly fix this damn console.

Allan,

Sarcasm, that difficult and all too little practiced style of expressing yourself in the States :)

Yes I could not agree with you more, at twelve I was a moron, as probably are millions of kids all over the world. OK this spectacular 14 year old example of the high level of the US educational system probably takes the grand prize for runners up for the Darwin...

'Sony to enter the execution equipment market - with launch of new XBox 360 based execution system'

It worked for Edison...

I just find it funny how people are trying to make it seem like just because he is a kid, that it is the parents fault. I mean sure it might be partially the parents fault, but to put the whole blame on them? How can you expect a kid that is 14 to put electricity into the water? If I had a kid (And as long as he had no sort of 'problems' to say the least) that was 14 I sure wouldn't expect him/her to do something stupid like this.

I am 15 myself and I can say that I would never put live electricity into water. That is needless to say stupid. I mean I wouldn't even consider myself all that smart but I can't really see putting the blame on someone entirely. It could be the parents fault for multiple reasons, it could be MS' fault for multiple reasons, it could be the internet's fault for multiple reasons, and the list goes on for about every other thing that could have started this.

I mean these stories only give so much of the story you can't really blame someone entirely and to do so without actually knowing said people then you can't really say who is to blame because multiple things could have been contributing to this incident.

Re: schkorpio

I see you did learn that electricity and water don't mix, but it seems you failed your 7th grade civics class, judging by your knowledge of the jury selection process. Potential jury members must pass a screening process by attorneys representing each side.

If you had actually read PART 1 of my argument, you would see that all common sense arguments are negated by the fact that the xb360 is a product intended for and designed to be used by children. Therefore, MS has a duty and a responsibility to practice a much higher standard of safety. Go back and read ALL PARTS (1-3) of my argument.

Your Toyota crash analogy doesn't apply here because a motor vehicle is NOT a product intended to be NOR designed to be driven BY CHILDREN.

lets say an 17 year old kid gets a gun and shoots someone with it.
who holds the most responsibility?
the gun company?
the kids parents?
the kid?
the social influences of society?

all hold some responsibility for his actions, but the kid alone will pay the most for his stupid mistake.. after all, hes the one who pulled the trigger

He should have put it in a cold tub while he was bathing.. it would have cooled it down faster :)

His mother would buy him bioshock, so the demoralized young lad made his own.

The real question should be: Is the xbox 360 okay? Yes, you say?! I am much relieved.

Gosh, this kid is uber stupid.

The website the kid read about submegring is Tomshardware. and the artice "submerged PC"
The kid misunderstood what the quys there were doing and due to lack of knowladge submerged his PSU into water. ( which was the only part along with the hdd's which were not submerged in the video)

hopefully it traveled thru his genitals as well, so he is unable to reproduce

Don't be so quick to ridicule the lad. Your assumption that he electrocuted himself is probably incorrect. After all, in order to be electrocuted there needs to be a path from the electricity source (wall socket) through your body, then to ground. What most likely happened was that he did a crap job of sealing up the power supply, and when he dunked it into the bowl of water, water seeped in and created a short circuit between two very highly energized electrical nodes. The resulting surge of current caused instant overheating of something, which then exploded, knocking the kid unconscious. Remember, even though the power supply was sitting in the bowl of water, there was no path to ground that went through the kid's body. I am assuming here that he lowered the whole thing into the water by dangling it from the power cord. I wouldn't be so hard on the kid. His antic might not have ended up so tragically if he did a better job of sealing the power supply. Perhaps by triple bagging it in 3 LEAKPROOF plastic bags. Well, at least he made an effort at separating the water from the electricity. As for the applicability of that technique for his assumed goal (cooling the Xbox), that's a whole other matter. He should have tried to cool the CPU/GPU instead, as many have noted here. But that error we can reasonably attribute to a lack of understanding at the 14-year-old level, not moronism.

hmm..maybe he should spend more time listening in physics class in school instead of playing XBOX 360..oh wait with what they teach in class these days I don't think he would know water conductivity. Oh well I guess it's like playing with fire. You'll only believe it burns once you've burned yourself.

Only thing I at this point I do not see MS at fault due to a kid puting a ELECTRONIC item into the tub. Most kids now a days are taught and pretty savvy about computers/electronics and should know you should never ever mix electronics and water.

As for the 360, there are some problems but with all new hardware, there are bound to be some problems and if you read the news, MS is trying to make good by paying for 1.51 billion worth of fixes and extending warranties to 3 years.

Also the PS3 has its heating issues and I am sure it will come and people will complain. It is really hard to fit 3 cores, a GPU, hard drive and PSU in a small space and have proper colling. Its like making a DVR with a C2Q X6800, ATI 2900XT, 2 WD Raptor 10k hard drives and a 600 watt PSU in a small case and expecting it to stay at 30 degrees C. Just ain't happening.

My opinion, the kid did a stupid thing and MS should not be held responsable for that. Yea MS is responsable for trying to fix cooling problems but thats it, not if someone dipped a console into water.

Don't even try to pull that "games are for kids" and "Jackass shows kids how to do bad things" bullshit. Because that is NOT the case. #1 that 14 year old guy is a dumbass. #2 whoever raised the kid, I'm assuming his mother is a dumbass for at some point in his nearly decade and a half life not teaching him electricity and water don't go together. MS is not in any trouble, in fack Microsoft should sue that dumbass family for ruining their product. And sue them for false bad publicity. the 360 may have faults, but that dumb ass kid would have done that with any electronic equipment had it over heated.

Ya know why? Cuz they are rarely turned on :)
And when they are, they are used for anything but for gaming.
And MS is not at fault. The kid was somewhat smart enough NOT to just dunk the damn thing in water without covering it first. That implies he knew the risk of getting shocked.

Xrodney your a moron just as much as the kid. MS has no fault what so ever in this matter. Just cause someone makes something that doesnt work doesnt mean every moron should just start doing the most stupid things thinking they can fix it. His own actions are what caused him to get shocked not the xbox overheating. People like you are the reason why we have problems with dumb lawsuits.

thats the problem with america these days people always try to blame others and not there own actions. Its also the whole "not my child" mentality thats killing our society teaching our kids its ok to blame everyone but themself.

My xbox360 overheated (3 red lights). Microsoft would not fix it since it was a year and one month, so I started to try the as5 gpu fix myself. After struggling just to get the plastic case off, I decided that they made it much to complicated to open. A few months later MS decided to give warranty for 3 red lights by an extra two yearsm so I sent mine in. They refused me because I "tampered" with it. I wound up buying a Wii instead. I am so glad I did. This is the most fun me and my kids every had. I only wish I hadn't wasted the money on the xbox. I guess MS and Sony were so worried about each otherm that overheat research got pushed to the bottom. Dont get and xbox 360, hold out for the Wii. Much more fun and no overheat issues.

That's the funniest thing I've heard in awhile. Anyway, on a more serious note some1 should punch his Parents in the face for reproducing. Jeez, we will have to interact with this dummy out in the real world in 4 years. Is it to late for an abortion? What are the laws there in NC, and what the hell kind of name is that for a hospital????

When is the last time you bought an electronic device that did not have a warning on it and that said to keep it away from water? Is there a console made right now that does not get warm? Yes the xb360 overheating problem is well documented and I am sure the heat is more that other consoles, but by your logic, anyone that tries to cool a console by putting it and water and gets electrocuted should be entitled to boatload of money from that manufacturer is just humorous at best. Not to mention the ever popular disclaimer saying that by opening this your agree to give us your first born.

I didn't realise the Sony employees posted here. Clearly this guy is just trying to rail on the XBox in some pathetic hope that it will boost PS2 sales.

EndCPNoise,

IMO, you are the type of person that is destroying the United States. When will people learn to accept responsibility for their mistakes and learn not to repeat them? What I am basically getting at, is that you seem to be of the lazy gold-digging variety.

Microsoft admitted to having problems with their 360's. You even admit to it. MS is offering to replace faulty units for free. Instead of taking it upon himself to VOID the warranty, he should have replaced it. What makes him qualified to repair it? He can't even hold a part-time job legally, how do you expect him to fix an electronics component. With directions from some website? Build me the infinite-energy machine while you're at it.

Here is a suggestion. Stop playing video games and start educating yourself. You are obviously just as prone to make a mistake similar to this boy, judging by your response.

How dumb can you get?

I bet he got the 'fix it link' from his friend in Ohio before he walked in front of the train...

When your console hot to the extent that it shuts down after 5 minutes, that is usually a good signal to tell you to get your rear in gear and go do something else... Give it a break. Do children not play outside anymore? I bet the kid has ADHD... you know, that "medical condition" which is just really a lack of good disipline. (meaning they need a good ASSKICKING once in a while)...

Hey G.W.... looks like this one got 'left behind'..

I agree that the kid tried a crazy thing.
But to go off and start shouting about bad genes!? The kid obviously lacked knowledge to understand that his creative idea was flawed and would harm him.

The arrogance (not to mention bad manners) on display in the posted comments, is truly astonishing.

Let us assume that all of you are correct. Not enough knowledge equals bad genes.
Then it also has to be true that you are all equally genetically challenged.
It has to be true since all of you lack the proper knowledge regarding genetics, still you dare to post such utterly foolish comments.
Neither arrogance nor ignorance are traits of bad genes.

By the way…
How many of you would consider it to be a bright idea to fly a kite in the middle of a lightning storm?
Enough said!

Danijel

i don't understand how his family could (if they even chose to) sue microsoft for this. it was nothing to do with microsoft. what are they going to argue, that microsoft didn't design their gaming console so that idiots couldn't open the thing up while it was running and put it in a bowl of water??

The real tragedy here is the kid will probably breed some day. Forest Gump's mother said it best, "Stupid is as Stupid does"

First your use of xb360 is annoying. You wrote a lengthy post you could at least spell the whole thing out.

Secondly I don't see any proof or valid points to the Xbox360 being designed for children. I may be wrong but isn't Gears of War the number one selling title and with the upcoming Halo 3 release, which has created records for pre-sales, both of which are games not intended at all for children. I know I know just because the 2 top selling games, or soon to be, are not for children doesn't mean the system is not pointed at children. But the main focus if I remember correctly from the Launch was that the system is being designed for the 18-25 crowd not 10-16 crowd such as the Wii. So unless you can convince me otherwise your main point is well pointless.

Lastly it sounds to me like you bought a Xbox360 and had problems with it and would like yours to be included in the recall so you can get it replaced.

If I'm wrong I'm wrong its the internet where everyone has an opinion and even the dumbest 14 year olds can get faulty information about electricity and water...

Take it with a grain of salt, or don't take it at all!

I dont know who is moron, but you are forgeting Xbox is game consol and its used by much younger kids.
Problem with xbox is there are tens of milions of them outside alredy for 2 years and realy huge number of them is having serious problems. Its M$ fault that they are having problems, its M$ fault they released them without proper testing just to trying be ahead of competition.
I am 30 years old IT specialist with education in electronics working curently for one of biggest international IT ccompanies. I know how to fix electronics, i know how to install electricity, electronics and security systems into houses.
I am smart enough to not buy something with 50% faulty probability not like those "stupid" kids, but hey they dont have my experience and they do sometime realy stupid things especialy in US.
Young kids like to break things just to find out how they work and sometime they try to fix problems if someon else dont fix them (ie M$ filed to do so in 2 years).

About those dumb lawsuits they are speciality in US, but hey i dont live in US and wher i live we dont have dumb lawsuits, just some dumb politicians here, but i dont count sue someon selind something whitch dont work as intended in so many cases as dumb lawsuit. Its not like someon puting live animal into working microwave owen.

If there doesnt exist those problems with xbox, there will be no such incident.

Alcoholic nearly kills self trying to drive Ford

You have to love the typical Xbox user. No one that would buy a PS3 would do something this stupid.

Re: Nunya
MS has already publicly announced in the news media they have a minimum sales goal of 90 million units over the life cycle of the xb360. They went on to say that in order to meet that goal they must compete directly with the wii for the large, family segment of the gaming market.

You want more proof the xb360 was intended and designed to be used by children? Two words: VIVA PINATA. MS is so passionate about selling the xb360 to children that they even went so far as to create an entire children's cartoon series based around this video game.

Your whole argument about the 2 top selling xb360 games doesn't prove anything, sorry.

If you're so annoyed by my use of the term xb360, I'd hate to be around you when you have a fit of road rage, or when your xb360 gets the RRoD.

For your information, I haven't owned nor purchased a console since the intelivision days (nearly 20 years).

I can honestly say I have no affiliation with Sony in any way. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there is at least one MS employee on this forum.

With that being said, it's really sad that in today's society so many people care more about gaming on their xb360 than for the safety of millions of children world wide. There shouldn't have to be any lawsuits if MS simply did the responsible thing and recalled the xb360 after nearly 2 years.

This could have happened with any ignorant person and an electrical device. I've had Sony branded products overheat and never tried to submerge them in water. It is bad of this site to label this article the way they did. MS will repair or replace any failing Xbox 360.

1. Don't Lick
2. don't poke fingers in
3. Don't Poke eye balls
4. Red to red, Black to black and Blue to F****** Bits
5. Big rubber boots
6 DON'T SUBMERGE A PLUGGED IN POWER INVERT IN WATER!!!

If we recall every item that is dangerous when dropped in water then ALL electronics will have to be fully encased in rubber, and need to be sent to the manufacturer for anything as simple as battery replacements. Last I checked someone was already suing Apple over a battery that had to be replaced that way.

LOL @ North Carolina. Hillbillies rule.

This analogy clearly doesn't work here. The difference is that the xb360 is without any doubt a faulty designed product. Even MS admitted the fact already, and therefore, MS is indeed negligent for not recalling the xb360. Simple as that.

Re: Mod
Warning labels are great for adults, but not so much for children, who may have far lesser reading skills than an adult. So, your warning label point is irrelevant. Anyone who has studied child development knows that you cannot compare the brain of a child with that of an adult. This is clearly the mistake that most posters have made here. A child does not have the life experiences and knowledge from which to draw from that an adult has. A child does not have the reasoning skills that an adult would have. This is why society has completely different laws for children and adults, and also why toy companies are held to a far higher standard of safety for their products.

It's common knowledge the xb360 has, by far, the worst reliability record of any console in history. You are twisting (putting your own spin on) what I said. I simply said MS is negligent for not recalling a faulty designed product. The other consoles do not have design flaws to my knowledge. Older PS2's were recalled. MS knowingly has sold, and is continuing to sell, faulty designed xb360's and is NEGLIGENT.

Responsible companies issue recalls on faulty products, especially when it could compromise the safety of a child, even more so when it is a product designed and intended to be used by children.

Re: Jay
Your gun analogy doesn't work here.

Nice try though.

Re: EndPCNoise

If I recall correctly, there were games for children way back during the time of MSDOS, but that doesn't mean the PC was directed at them, it's more of a sub category of the market, and from a business perspective, to maximize profits, any company will try anything to sell as many units as possible. I view VIVA PINATA as more of a marketing scheme to get the initial sale even when their target market is of a higher age group. It's almost like movie ratings, some movies aren't really intended for children, but they can still watch them at the theatres, it's up to the parents to educate them and not the responsibility of the movie makers, or in this case the manufacturer, to educate the child about proper use. Especially when the child could not have purchased the product on their own to begin with and it DID come with an instruction manual on proper use.

continued...

the console hasn't reached the point in which it was so faulty it became a safety hazard and must be recalled, or that retailers deemed it hazardous to sell. Lets not forget that it included a manual that indicated "normal use" which was obviously not read or followed. When my a friend's laptop adapter died within a year due to what appeared to be overheating, he didn't toss it in a bucket of water, he contacted the company to see what could be done about it, something this family should have done in the first place.

seems I lost part of my other comment/reply, and I'm too lazy and don't care enough to retype it.

To sum it up though, parents and children take responsibilty to educate and be smart enough to be expected to use products as they were designed especially when a manual is included of what proper use is. If it had exploded or something to that effect, then I see it as a manufacturers responsibilty, but it overheated and probably crashed/hung/powered off and was then tossed in a bucket of water. If it was simply a lemon and the system died after 2 years (this does happen), the end result probably would have been the same. I also recall that previous console manuals tell you to stop playing after an hour anyway.

The kid was FOURTEEN! He got this idea from READING THE INSTRUCTIONS on a website! This wasn't a toddler. Fourteen year olds are legally old enough to hold part time jobs in most states (although limitations apply).

If it was a 3 year old that did this I would blame his parents for not properly securing the Xbox and for failing to watch their child. Maybe the machine is faulty, but it's still no more dangerous than a hairdryer.

i probaly shoundn't of gave him that idea i hate myself.

Your comment against the Toyota thing is just you trying to justify a terrible argument. You're missing the point here.

The point is that a kid, with hopefully some knowledge of science, put an electrical piece of equipment into water. That's like dropping your computer into water (something the kid used to find the idea, if you want to make an argument out of that.) I bet he knows how to make toast at 14... maybe if he drops a toaster in water the family can sue the toaster maker.

In fact, why don't I just do that right now? I mean, it's possible that the toaster company didn't make the electricity going into my toaster waterproof. I might do the same with a hair dryer. And my comp's PSU. And my lamp. And my monitors. And my TV.

I will be SO rich.

Re: Task
Not all children that play the xb360 are 14 years old (or older). They're not likely to be toddlers either. What if this happened to a 13, 12, 10, 8, or even a 5 year old? Then what?

Child development tells us that many children have an almost natural instinct to attempt to fix something when it's broken, especially if they feel attached to it in some way (such as their favorite toy), despite their lack of knowledge about the object.

Many children will not have the ability to read the instructions, nor warning labels, but even for those children who can read these items, it doesn't mean they will comprehend them or follow them correctly.

The age here is irrelevant. The only point that matters is children could be harmed or even killed as a result of the xb360 design flaw, and MS is NEGLIGENT for continuing to sell and not recall their faulty products.

Re: nameless
Look,
All of the previously posted analogies do not work here because people are comparing apples with chairs. So, I have designed a simple test for people to test their analogies against before they post them (for convenience).

I don't care if your analogy is about a hairdryer, a toaster, a clock radio, a computer, or another game console.

IF YOUR ANALOGY FAILS ANY ONE OF THESE TESTS, THEN YOU ARE COMPARING APPLES AND CHAIRS.

Let's begin:

Test #1) Is the product in your analogy intended for and designed to be used regularly by a child between the ages of 4 and 15 years old, such as a child's toy or game?

If yes, proceed to test #2. If no, then your analogy has failed the analogy test, and you are comparing apples and chairs.

Test #2) Does the product in your analogy have at least a 2 year, well documented history of a faulty design, and an extremely high unreliability rate?
(Both conditions must be met for test #2.)

If yes, proceed to test #3. If no, then your analogy has failed the analogy test, and you are comparing apples and chairs.

Test #3) Has a recall been issued specifically for the design flaw(s) for the product in your analogy?

If no, please proceed to test #4. If yes, then your analogy has failed the analogy test, and you are comparing apples and chairs.

Test #4) Was a child harmed or killed either directly or indirectly as a result of the child using the product in your analogy?

If no, then your analogy has failed the analogy test, and you are comparing apples and chairs.

If yes, then congratulations. Your analogy has passed this very simple (though highly relevant) analogy test. Please proceed to make your point.

The Xbox360 failed your analogy requirements. No child was harmed or killed either directly or indirectly of using the product. A 14 year old was harmed because he put an xbox power supply in water. That is not usage of the Xbox any more than swallowing a battery from a remote control car (which is used by smaller children than an Xbox).

Being unreliable isn't how this kid got hurt. Recalls, or lack there of didn't hurt the kid. He got hurt through his own stupidity.

Re: Task
Stupidity is your best (only) logical argument.

We will all just have to wait and see if the "stupidity" argument holds up should MS ever go on trial for severely injuring or killing more children in the future. It is MS's and the xb360's reputations at stake here.

I hope this forum is not representative of society in general. It's a sad day when society cares more about video games than it does for children.

Is it possible today's society has become this desensitized?

Buy another xbox 360!
never put the xbox 360s in water that can kill you.
GAME OVER

I mean honestly......

i bet there is going to be someone saying that it is m$ fault for making the powersuppy get hot in the first place, and causing the boy to get electracuted*

if you are able to play games with complex controlls, and instruction manuals, and then be able to look up how to fix a xbox 360 online, and then to follow the instructions.....

im pretty dang sure, he would be able to read the warnings, and have the common sense not to put electrical equipment in water.

the kid was an IDIOT, simple and plain, stop making excuses for people, everyone who watches televsion knows what happens when you put a radio in a bath tub.

he deserved the electrical shock. PERIOD

well the should..

I only got halfway through all the comments, but I kept seeing references to the McDonalds Coffee incident.

We studied it in University at one point, and the actual story is the Coffee was heated well above normal temperatures without customers expecting it, and the woman only requested some minor assisstance from McDonalds for medical bills since she was without insurance, and they basically showed her the door. She tried the courts instead, and the Judge awarded her a lot of money to show McDonalds it has moral obligations to its customers.

There are all kinds of cases like that... mainly in the U.S, not here in Canada.

FYI.

Its not the kids fualt... its his science teacher's fault lol

STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT STUPIDITY MORON IDIOT

Thats what nearly killed him.