Today Microsoft announced that it is extending the warranty of their Xbox 360 game console from 90 days to 1 year. This applies to new purchases as well as to those who have previously purchased the game console.

Xbox owners that have already had repairs done on their game console that were within a year of the purchase will automatically get a refund if they paid for the repairs. There is no need to fill out forms or contact Microsoft, reimbursement checks will be automatically sent and should be arriving in about 10 weeks according to Microsoft.

Microsoft says that the extension of the warranty for US and Canadian customers is to make it consistent throughout the world. The 1 year warranty will also be consistent with rival game consoles Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation. Nintendo also offers a free 90 extension to the standard 1 year for customers that register the product online. This increase in warranty duration on the Xbox 360 also comes in the nick of time for holiday shoppers who may still be wavering between competing game consoles.

Microsoft had been targeted with a petition to extend the warranty, although it is unclear if this extension is in direct response. The petition claims that the Xbox 360 failed frequently after the 90 day warranty and was requesting it to be extended to 1 year.