Simple answer: Halo 3.
replyIt was something like 25% - 50% of all first version 360s died.
replyMicrosoft spent over a billion dollars replacing and repairing consoles to maintain the good brand name of Xbox.
Family got first gen 360. Still works to this day. We hit the jackpot with that console. It out lasted 2 wiis and a ps2
replyWhenever we lost a 360 we got a pre owned 360 from gamestop. I think they went for like $70 for one without any hdd.
replyThat was the real story, by the time they started dying you could just grab a working one for "decently cheap" if you still cared.
replyHowever, I wonder how many people got "burned" by it and swore off Xbox consoles going forward.
I know that era we got a lot more use out of the Xbox (original) and the Wii.