POST-WARRANTY SUPPORT
Xbox 360
All Xbox 360s purchased in India since launch are still covered under the 3-year warranty. However, for those who purchased the console at launch, that warranty runs out in October 2009, and Microsoft India is aware of this. When contacted on the issue of post-warranty support, they said that they are looking at a few options for post-warranty support and will finalise and announce their policy at a later date. As of now, there is no servicing done in India so out of warranty consoles are shipped to Microsoft service centres outside India for repair at the owners’ expense. Shipping and repair charges together make this a costly proposition.
PlayStation 3
Launched in 2007 with a 1-year warranty, many PS3s purchased in the launch year are now without warranty. Sony does not offer a paid extended warranty option in India. Since there is no service facility for the PS3 here either, if an out of warranty PS3 purchased from India or other PAL territories malfunctions, Sony gives the owner the option to exchange the faulty PS3 for a new one for 50 per cent of the retail price.
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Verdict
Post-warranty support for both consoles is a little difficult to evaluate. On one hand, all Xbox 360s are still under warranty, so there is still no need for post-warranty support. Sony’s post-warranty support comes in the form of a new console for half-price. While some would rather have their console repaired, others would rather get a new PS3 for half price. The Xbox 360 edges this one; only slightly though. Hopefully Microsoft will live up to their promise of having post-warranty support in place when the time comes.
Winner – Xbox 360
Next page: Support for out-of-region consoles
