4 ms·

Microsoft disconnects modded Xboxs

17 points by dan_the_welder 17y ago

DarkShikari 17y ago
Whenever I hear about mod chips for pirating games, I think of this story: http://www.actsofgord.com/Chronicles/chapter24.php http://www.actsofgord.com/Chronicles/chapter24.php
- robin_reala 17y ago
  Gord! Forgotten all about that site. Apologies for the fluff comment but I’d recommend a read if you’ve got time, he’s a funny man.
  - dan_the_welder 17y ago
    Man, I accidentally spent an hour there. Thanks for the link though.
- rbanffy 17y ago
  Its wrong to run pirated games. It's not wrong to modify your equipment in order to allow it to run unauthorized programs.
stingraycharles 17y ago
That is weird, especially given that modding console is completely legal over here in The Netherlands: using it to play games you don't own is illegal. I would've guessed Microsoft would target the users playing pirated games instead of playing on modded X-Boxes. Now it seems like they're also targeting users that prefer to play using a backup DVD instead of the original, which to me seems like a pretty fair use case.
- m_eiman 17y ago
  Even disregarding the fact that most "backups" aren't backups up something the player has actually bought, there's also the fairness in multiplayer aspect that in my opinion would be a reasonable reason for disconnecting - with a modded box you can run modified software that can give you unfair advantages (for example). But the "backups" are the main target, of course.
  - Pahalial 17y ago
    This is not accurate - the modding in question in the article specifically only allows the playing of "backups" but still requires the game to be signed. It has to be a copy of a legitimate game. There are ways to modify the console to run "homebrew" which could include modified game executables, but A) it's significantly more difficult and requires an unupdated system, and B) to my knowledge Microsoft would instantly know you were playing an unsigned executable and be able to ban based on that. In any case, if the 600k number quoted in the article is anywhere near accurate, this is a brilliant business move on Microsoft's part. A very easy way to push up 360 sales numbers for Q3, since the pirates will probably just go out and buy another console.
    - dan_the_welder 17y ago
      Or people will switch to a different brand console because they are mad. Or perhaps a new industry will spring up to re-chip the boxes.
- robryan 17y ago
  In this case the legality of modded consoles to play backup isn't an issue because it sounds like Microsoft have something specific in the Xbox Live TOS to cover all modded consoles. Pretty smart move really, something has to be done to get on top of this before there is no longer a video game industry.
  - buro9 17y ago
    For as long as I've been gaming there has been piracy. Throughout this the game industry not only survived but flourished. I simply don't buy the reasons for this as being "to protect the game industry"... like music before it this is not what gets protected. What gets protected are the distribution methods and those go a way to protecting the artificial price... in other words, I believe that DRM only protects the profits of those who control the distribution.
  - stingraycharles 17y ago
    In this case the legality of modded consoles to play backup isn't an issue because it sounds like Microsoft have something specific in the Xbox Live TOS to cover all modded consoles. IANAL, but I believe that over here, that doesn't matter: if something is said to be legal by law, no company can forbid its customers to do so. Just like with renting an apartment: a landlord can demand all kinds of ridiculous things, but if there is a law that explicitly protects certain rights for homeowners, a landlord simply cannot take those from you. It's the same with a TOS: a company simply cannot take certain rights away from you if a country's laws explicitly protect these rights.
    - ErrantX 17y ago
      I think that because it is the online service they have a much more solid footing - they can say under what circumstances you are allowed to connect to their network. I cant comment on the specific Netherlands law but I am fairly certain most laws have solid provision for companies deciding what they consider right/wrong on their own networks. If you want to consider another example what happens if a cheat hack appears that gives you a big advantage over other online players; would M$ be within their rights to ban you then? Is the only difference that gamers believe one to be morally wrong (cheating) and one to be floating somewhere in the middle (chipping)
Splines 17y ago
I wonder what how much noise would generated if Apple (or AT&T) did something similar to iPhones.
nzmsv 17y ago
I'm amazed that in 2009 you can still find this line in a news article: "Xbox Live allows gamers to play against one another"

Whenever I hear about mod chips for pirating games, I think of this story: http://www.actsofgord.com/Chronicles/chapter24.php http://www.actsofgord.com/Chronicles/chapter24.php

robin_reala 17y ago
Gord! Forgotten all about that site. Apologies for the fluff comment but I’d recommend a read if you’ve got time, he’s a funny man.
- dan_the_welder 17y ago
  Man, I accidentally spent an hour there. Thanks for the link though.
rbanffy 17y ago
Its wrong to run pirated games. It's not wrong to modify your equipment in order to allow it to run unauthorized programs.

stingraycharles 17y ago

That is weird, especially given that modding console is completely legal over here in The Netherlands: using it to play games you don't own is illegal. I would've guessed Microsoft would target the users playing pirated games instead of playing on modded X-Boxes. Now it seems like they're also targeting users that prefer to play using a backup DVD instead of the original, which to me seems like a pretty fair use case.

m_eiman 17y ago
Even disregarding the fact that most "backups" aren't backups up something the player has actually bought, there's also the fairness in multiplayer aspect that in my opinion would be a reasonable reason for disconnecting - with a modded box you can run modified software that can give you unfair advantages (for example). But the "backups" are the main target, of course.
- Pahalial 17y ago
  This is not accurate - the modding in question in the article specifically only allows the playing of "backups" but still requires the game to be signed. It has to be a copy of a legitimate game. There are ways to modify the console to run "homebrew" which could include modified game executables, but A) it's significantly more difficult and requires an unupdated system, and B) to my knowledge Microsoft would instantly know you were playing an unsigned executable and be able to ban based on that. In any case, if the 600k number quoted in the article is anywhere near accurate, this is a brilliant business move on Microsoft's part. A very easy way to push up 360 sales numbers for Q3, since the pirates will probably just go out and buy another console.
  - dan_the_welder 17y ago
    Or people will switch to a different brand console because they are mad. Or perhaps a new industry will spring up to re-chip the boxes.
robryan 17y ago
In this case the legality of modded consoles to play backup isn't an issue because it sounds like Microsoft have something specific in the Xbox Live TOS to cover all modded consoles. Pretty smart move really, something has to be done to get on top of this before there is no longer a video game industry.
- buro9 17y ago
  For as long as I've been gaming there has been piracy. Throughout this the game industry not only survived but flourished. I simply don't buy the reasons for this as being "to protect the game industry"... like music before it this is not what gets protected. What gets protected are the distribution methods and those go a way to protecting the artificial price... in other words, I believe that DRM only protects the profits of those who control the distribution.
- stingraycharles 17y ago
  In this case the legality of modded consoles to play backup isn't an issue because it sounds like Microsoft have something specific in the Xbox Live TOS to cover all modded consoles. IANAL, but I believe that over here, that doesn't matter: if something is said to be legal by law, no company can forbid its customers to do so. Just like with renting an apartment: a landlord can demand all kinds of ridiculous things, but if there is a law that explicitly protects certain rights for homeowners, a landlord simply cannot take those from you. It's the same with a TOS: a company simply cannot take certain rights away from you if a country's laws explicitly protect these rights.
  - ErrantX 17y ago
    I think that because it is the online service they have a much more solid footing - they can say under what circumstances you are allowed to connect to their network. I cant comment on the specific Netherlands law but I am fairly certain most laws have solid provision for companies deciding what they consider right/wrong on their own networks. If you want to consider another example what happens if a cheat hack appears that gives you a big advantage over other online players; would M$ be within their rights to ban you then? Is the only difference that gamers believe one to be morally wrong (cheating) and one to be floating somewhere in the middle (chipping)

Splines 17y ago

I wonder what how much noise would generated if Apple (or AT&T) did something similar to iPhones.

nzmsv 17y ago

I'm amazed that in 2009 you can still find this line in a news article: "Xbox Live allows gamers to play against one another"