Ten things I hate about the Xbox 360
OK, so we've been through this drill before. Carnoy reviews a product, gives it a high rating, then writes a column talking about all the things he doesn't like about it. Worse, he starts referring to himself in the third person, which can only mean the ego's just running a little too high.
Context & Ripple Effects
Two weeks into the Xbox 360's life, the enthusiast press has turned from celebration to audit: CNET's own 'honeymoon is over' column ran November 25, and reports of overheating units surfaced November 24. Carnoy's column is the next beat in that sequence — a high review score paired with a public list of reservations, written by the same outlet that rated the machine well.
First-order effects
- Microsoft's launch narrative now carries internal friction: CNET simultaneously endorses the hardware with a high rating and publishes a ten-point critique, giving fence-sitting buyers permission to wait rather than hunt scarce launch stock.
Second-order effects
- The high-score-plus-gripes format gives other reviewers a template for covering a hyped launch honestly without breaking ranks on the score itself — which raises the bar for what Microsoft must fix publicly before mainstream buyers commit.
Third-order effects
- If the early defect chatter and critical reservations harden into a pattern across the launch window, post-launch reliability reporting could become a standing fixture of every major console debut, pushing manufacturers like Microsoft to manage quality perception as actively as launch supply.
The trend: Console launches are increasingly judged on the gap between critics' scores and their caveats, with early-owner problem reports setting the tone for the whole cycle.