Microsoft has already admitted that the Xbox 360 may scratch discs if the console’s tilted while the drive's in operation. But it's now trying to downplay fears by claiming that the problem only affects a small minority of gamers.

A Microsoft spokesperson told Edge magazine that, although some users have contacted it with concerns about scratched discs, the problem affects “less than one per cent of the total Xbox 360 user base”.

Assuming that the console’s global installed base is now just past the 25m mark – given Microsoft’s recent claim – even one per cent translates into 250,000 gamers worldwide.

Earlier this week, court documents in an ongoing lawsuit over Xbox 360 disc scratching claimed that Microsoft knew about the problem before that console was launched into 2005. Microsoft has never admitted this.

May the fight continue...