Microsoft has spent a lot of time lately claiming that they have finally solved – nearly three years after initial console launch – the “red ring of death” problem that has plagued the Xbox 360 community. And no, the solution does not involve strategically-placed magnets or any such hokum.

Rather, the company is claiming that improvements in technology and the manufacturing process have eliminated the source of the failure and anyone getting their unit serviced now, or buying a new 360, should expect that their Xbox will not fail in the future.

That’s all great-sounding, but we’ll wait for the results to prove the claim over time. Xbox 360 seems to be winning out over the PS3 so far in this console generation, but this is the one issue that’s been holding Microsoft back. If it’s actually fixed, all 360 owners will benefit.