Hundreds of people who bought Microsoft�s hot new Xbox game console over the holidays received defective systems, and some say they waited for weeks before the devices were fixed. Analysts said the number of flawed consoles is probably too small to spell serious production troubles, but said long repair times wouldn�t help the software giant in its first major foray into hardware. John Kreis, 31, of Chicago bought an Xbox the day it came out. He said the $300 system stopped working almost immediately, but it took a month of aggravation with Xbox customer service before he got a replacement.

The stakes are high for Microsoft, which shipped about 1.5 million Xboxes over the holidays. With the highly regarded Xbox, the company is battling Nintendo and Sony in a hyper-competitive game console market. Microsoft delayed its U.S. launch date by a week to Nov. 15 amid rumors of problems at its Mexican production plant. It also pushed back its Japan launch date, but has denied any major problems. Microsoft sales and marketing director John O�Rourke said fewer than 1 percent of the consoles have proven faulty. Analysts say that�s in line with the industry standard, and competitor Nintendo reported a comparable rate for its new GameCube.