Microsoft Tells Japanese It Will Repair Defective Xbox Units

The company stopped short of issuing a general recall however, saying that the scratches found on the edges of DVDs didn't interfere with game playing. The scratches are apparently caused by abrasion as the discs spin within the Xbox, but it's not clear whether the cause is faulty placement of the loading trays or some other factor. The same problem has been reported by some consumers in the United States, but the company hasn't made the same offer to American consumers to replace or repair units. Microsoft has not revealed how many Xbox units have sold in Japan since it launched two weeks ago, but sources have told Reuters that the company shipped about 125,000 units in the first three days after it went on sale on February 22.