Wal-Mart Xbox 360 kiosks temporarily unavailable

Xbox 360 demo kiosks in Wal-Mart stores across North America have been shut down due to wireless interference problems.

The Xbox 360 kiosks have reportedly been interfering with Wal-Mart’s hand scanners and networked stock management systems.

In an email to Kotaku, Microsoft confirmed that the problem exists, but classed it as “minor”. The software giant has also reassured consumers that it is working on getting the Wal-Mart kiosks functional again, saying that,

“A solution to this issue was developed within 24 hours of identifying the issue and we are currently deploying the fix to the affected locations.”

Walmart Online Shop

Microsoft has played down the discovery of the bug, saying that,

“Adjustments and tweaks to kiosks of any kind are quite common once they’re deployed in a ‘live’ retail environment. We consider making such adjustments a standard part of the launch process.”

Consumers concerned that the Xbox 360 may interfere with wireless home devices need not worry: according to Microsoft, the interference issue is restricted to the equipment used in some retail environments, and it would be extremely unlikely for the 360 to interfere with FCC/ETSI-compliant home devices.

Related:

• Preorder your Xbox 360 here
• Playable Xbox 360s now in Wal-Mart stores