I just bought my Xbox 360 less than 2 months ago. I always put it in the horizontal position when I use it. Yet Some people put it upright. Does it matter which manner you place it in?
Not to mention. I think I broke my Xbox. It justs freezes and hangs there. Red lights flash. About 3 I think.
I can't believe it spoils that fast. I just got it 2 months ago. Just so you know, I don't mishandle it, I treat it very carefully...
Have any of you busted your Xbox yet? I wonder if anyone has beat my record of 2 months...

It shouldn't matter how you place the XBOX360, however, it's a fact the machine can get VERY hot. So I think you got it placed horizontal so it fits in a cabinet or something, where the hot air keeps circulating and the system doesn't get cooled well. As a result, the system indeed might freeze due to overheating.

I hope for you it's part of the warrancy. Good luck with it.

It shouldn\\\'t matter...
just put it in a place with good air circulation
it\\\'s noisy(Extremetech managed to shave off a few dB...but its still 56dB http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2066860,00.asp )...so many people try to bury it under stuff...but it has a 3.2Ghz Triple core CPU and an ATI Xenos GPU..keep it all cool
do not try the Nyko Cooler though...I have heard many times that it ends up stressing the 360 power supply more and ends up breaking the console...just keep some open air around the console..

o yeah..and don\\\'t change the orientation while a disk is in it...
http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/news/Xbox-360-Game-Disc-Scratched.htm

I haven\\\'t heard of many people\\\'s XBox 360s simply breaking...its usually something they don\\\'t know they\\\'re doing...or maybe your just unlucky...

It does not matter what orientation you place it in but make sure you're not the vents on carpet or cloth. As Yangorang has said, make sure that there is enough space around the unit itself for proper ventilation. I have had my XBox 360 since original launch and I have not experienced any of the issues that other people seem to have with it. What may be happening is sloppy manufacturing procedures where they may be overcoating chipsets with too much heat transferrance gel. If you know what you are doing, you could open up your XBox 360 and clean away all that gel and use something else with less generous amounts. You could also try buying specific heat sinks made for the XBox 360 chipsets.

Also, if you are the kind of person that keeps the game in the system for a long time you may want to keep the unit vertically so your game discs do not warp over time (minute as it may be in can change little by little and have an adverse affect on your discs).

Lol i remember back on the old psx days, it was actually better to alternate it, since the rail, and wheels the cd laser moved on would wear down and cause all kinds of reading issues

What about using a toothpick to keep the cover-closed button down so you could perform a boot disc swap for playing hacked games? w

I prefer it horizontal. That's how my roommates have it set up at our house at the moment. It works well, and it makes the highest thing on our coffee table the Wii. Having the 360 stand vertically would probably make it prone to being kicked off the table.

I do have a friend though who has to have his 360 set up vertically. It was one of the first release models, and there's some hardware issue where games simply won't work when it's set on the ground horizontally.

Also, I'm pretty sure that those red lights are trying to specify some sort of error. You should probably check up on that.

Vertical for me, it looks better and is better for keeping it cool because more square cm exposed to air.
I've had mine for almost a year now and it hasn't given me problems beyond freezing in oblivion but that was because when i cleaned the cache i didn't do it properly.

Pretty sure three red light means 360 death, good thihng its only 2 months so just call up 1-800-myxbox (check that) and they'll send you a coffin to send it to them. Though first check the cables are all properly plugged in.

@pomorales, that doesn't sound right im pretty sure there still using v1 hard ware, and i know i have v1 hardware and everything so far works, and it just doesn't sound right.

bak3donh1gh

@pomorales, that doesn't sound right im pretty sure there still using v1 hard ware, and i know i have v1 hardware and everything so far works, and it just doesn't sound right.

He was probably just one of the unlucky few who got a 360 with some sort of defect. It works though, and that's what really counts.

I think horizontal is better upright it seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Only if your stupid, or not careful, or have small children.

I never stand my 360 up i hate the look of it for one and in my entertainment unit there is a shelf that the 360 sits in fine next to my ps2

Actually, you should keep the Xbox 360 in horizontal position because one day, my friend was playing an Xbox 360 in a upright position and after we were done, we look at the disc and notice it was a little scratched than usually. I'm not concluding that all Xbox 360 will do it, but certain ones maybe able to do that, so be careful if you did that.

bak3donh1gh

Vertical for me, it is better for keeping it cool because more square cm exposed to air.

Want to explain to me how changing the orientation of the console changes the surface area of components? (Please note that this is sarcasm; I know what you mean)

Anyway, I took my 360 apart and replaced fans and lapped the heatsinks and chips myself. I also made new vents out of carbon fiber resin (the vents that are in the console from the factory only go to the edge of one of the sinks). I really ought to give my PS3 that treatment as it blows as much hot air out the back as a little space heater...

From my experience, putting it down horizontal is safer. If it was tip over from vertical to horizontal, then it would seriously scratch your disc up and not to mention possible damage the laser.

Now you might think, why do all the game stores stand their's up right? Well its because they securely place their's behind glass. Even if an earth quake occurred, the system will not fall over.

Now you might think, why not go for one of those stands? As of right now there are two stands. A pelican stand and a nykcool (sorry i can't remember the second one's spelling)

Regardless, the nykcool one is proven to kill 360's. They take too much power from the main power source which could possibly kill your xbox360 all together. Microsoft will not replace it if it dies in this way. your using a 3rd party's product in which it is not tested by Microsoft.

Now your wondering about the pelican stand. that one is better because I remember it sucks air into it or something, but at the same time becuase the system will be sucking the air straight from the far, your carpet or perhaps rug might blow in large amoutns of dust in to it.

THEREFORE! the best solution to keep your xbox360 in a safe location with good ventalation is on top of a wooden stand or perhaps metalic stand. Put it up horizontal. theres nothing wrong with doing so. It will not die out anytime soon, perhaps you might die before it? The 360 is built to last, but it wont survive with the nykcooler kiling it and air clogging its fan.

Good luck on your choices of how to stand and use the 360. (btw, the 360 is built to run without the third party products)