About the 360 hardware failures..

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Dyne

Remember, if you wrap it in towels, you can fix it!

Seriously though, I have a day-one console that's always been vertical. No problems whatsoever.

I think the biggest problems come when people start stacking their devices in a small entertainment cabinet, and even moreso when they have glass doors and the like. All that heat combining with limited airflow lead to most of the issues, IMO. That and epic gaming sessions that last for hours on end. I'll admit to losing 6 hours in one sitting to Mass Effect, but I quickly came to my senses and shut her down to give her a break.

I'm just glad I got one after the made the changes to help with overheating.