Watchdog, the BBC TV programme that investigates consumer issues on behalf of its viewers, has tonight broadcast an investigation into Xbox 360 disc scratching, a problem that has plagued many Xbox 360 users but always been put down to consumer misuse by Microsoft.

Broadcast on BBC One earlier this evening, Watchdog set up tests intended to prove whether or not Xbox 360 disc scratching was down to consumer misuse or indeed as a result of a faulty console.

The show first set up an experiment with two Xbox 360s – one brand new and one reported to have previously scratched discs. The team placed each Xbox on a level, stable surface, sealed off the surrounding space, inserted brand new, unscratched games and played for six hours a day for three days. At the end of the test period, no scratches were found.

Watchdog then set up another test with the same Xbox 360s to replicate “vibrations in a typical home”. The first, which simulated walking, resulted in no scratches.

The second ‘shock vibration test’, however, showed different results. The test, which is the “equivalent to someone putting down a heavy book on a table by the Xbox”, caused the older Xbox (which had previously scratched discs) to fail, displaying an unreadable disc error. The newer Xbox passed.

Richard Poate of TUV Product Services who carried out the tests commented:

“During the shock test we applied pulses to the unit, and what we actually noticed was that the unit failed very, very quickly.

“Certainly if you’re playing a game like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, these are exactly the kind of shocks and vibrations that you’re going to get transmitted through to the unit. And we certainly expect it to survive without scratching the disc.”

Watchdog concluded that ordinary household movement could be the real reason why discs were scratched during play, rather than consumer misuse.

When contacted by Watchdog, Microsoft replied:

“Microsoft reaffirms its longstanding position that it’s not been able to ascertain any defect in the Xbox 360 console that causes concentric gouges (that is, ’scratching’) on discs when a console is in a stationary position. Indeed, despite extensive testing and examination under static operating conditions, Microsoft has never been able to reproduce the concentric gouge that causes disc readability problems or find any such defect in consoles returned by consumers for examination. It’s only with the movement of a console that such ‘disc scratching’ may occur. Consequently, Microsoft provides notices on the Xbox 360 console itself, in the user manual, and on its website – warning consumers not to move the console with a disc in it while in use.”

Microsoft also claimed that only a small number of customers had contacted them about the issue.

So what does this mean for Microsoft, and does Watchdog’s test ultimately prove that Xbox 360 disc scratching is indeed down to hardware malfunctions, rather than the mishandling by consumers? Have you been a victim of Xbox 360 disc scratching? Do you play Guitar Hero, or throw books onto a table adjacent to your Xbox? Let us know!

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