Microsoft bans 600,000 360s from Live, plans for more

[RealXboxMaster]

Guest said:
@realxboxmaster

Switch out the internals of Xbox, and return it with original S/N. Retail store will send it back as a faulty unit.

Yeah... I know that trick already...But MS will catch on because S/N# is embedded within the OS firmware. And all they need to do is track the last IP of where it came from....No matter how you look at they will still find you.....WWWWWoooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahaaaahhaahahaha

lmao......good 1 though

RxM

compdata said:
I understand the logic behind people who pirate software as i was in that camp at one point as well. However the problem is exactly what some others have mentioned: Entitlement. The truth is that it doesn't matter how ridiculously priced someone is selling something for. It is theirs and you can pay them what they ask or simply not buy it. Taking it is stealing, plain and simple.

I totally agree with you Compdata 100%

Guest said:
To all of you who agree to the wave of bans going on. Screw you! If Microsoft was smart, instead of banning everybody, they could charge a higher rate for the live account of people using modded systems. Why not go that route. They can still make a lot of money that way and I'm positive peolple will complain but they will still pay to be able to play their games online.

I don't think sooooo.. they looking at the whole picture for that MASS market. they looking for numbers , not limiting them self to just few thousand users. They really don't care if they lose 1million users. Thats 1 million less hacked users they need to worried about.

JudaZ said:
Microsoft does not say you cant mod you Xbox 360. Of course its your right to do so, you bought it , do what you want. you of course void warrenties, but that is clear to everyone. MS isn´t prosecuting anyone for modding their xbox...all they are saying is that we dont allow modded xbox 360´s to connect to Xbox live. We ban the machine from our system. You can continue to use your live account, you can continue to use your xbox 360. You just cant use an xbox you have modded on xbox live.

Its their right to do so. MS have rights as well. Would say their have acted gracefully, they could have acted like the movie and music industriy....but they dont.

Good 1......JudaZ

 

[nazartp]

Guest said:
To all of you who agree to the wave of bans going on. Screw you! If Microsoft was smart, instead of banning everybody, they could charge a higher rate for the live account of people using modded systems. Why not go that route. They can still make a lot of money that way and I'm positive peolple will complain but they will still pay to be able to play their games online.

They are not doing it for one simple reason - price discrimination (and that's what you are suggesting) is per se illegal in the US. The only defense can be given by a court decision based on the merchant's ability to prove that they incur different costs related to goods or services provided to different groups.

 

[RealXboxMaster]

freedomthinker said:
Holy crap , 600k , at one point you think its a good idea from modding and to scare the community , but on the other hand if the games weren't overpriced , people wouldn't need to mod , now would they Same with Windows 7 seriously overpriced . Here in Lithuania (shitty country by the way) , it sucks here like windows 7 ultimate costs 1100 LT . If you count that by salary , it would cost 1100 $ for you guys .

Listen, choice is yours.... If games are too expensive for you, don't buy their there system or games ....plain and simple.....

Guest said:
You know... this was the dumbest move M$ has ever made. People are not gonna continue to buy their shitty game console just to get back on live. If they do re buy one they'll buy a used one on craiglist or a refurbished unit from game stop or they are just gonna buy a new one gut the insides switch the cases and return them to stores. No way in hell would I ever re buy a brand new console from them if I were banned. I backup my games for 2 reasons. A. because i'm sick of spending almost 100 dollars on terrible games like halo wars and feeling ripped off beyond belief because no effort was put into making the game. B. because I want to try the game before I go and purchase it. Modders generate so much revenue for companies. Not everyone just rips off the companies! Modders still pay an online subscription fee, they still purchase DLC, and if they weren't able to get that game in the first place then M$ wouldn't gain any of that HUGE PROFIT MARGIN income. I'm glad I pay from month to month because if they ban me i'm just gonna go buy a ps3 and say **** you to MS. I work at a Best Buy and you should see the amount of people buying MACS and just boycotting windows because of **** like this. Recently I have been selling about 6 macs to every 2 windows systems.

Ms putting your profit way way way above customers is gonna come back and bite you in the *** and I hope it does you greedy ****s.

Yeahh... go head... gut it out, swap it and I'll see you in court for Retail FRAUD u dum a..

1. Before you plunk down money on any game, do your self da favor..... Read reviews.....Thats your fault for not reading a good review from a reputible site on Halo Wars.

2.No one is telling you to pay $100 buck on terrible games... your just not a SMART consumer....!

3. If you think by you switching to PS3, ur a fool. Their online can't even complete @ the level with MS. MS live is going on it's ninth generation. Simply the BEST hands down!

RxM

Timonius said:
Amazing the number of people screaming bloody murder and blaming Microsoft when it is the fault of those who steal, yes steal, games.

Hello Timonius, I totaly 110% agree with you... These people are just sooo air headed.....lol

Guest said:
Microsoft is doing this to boost holiday sales.

In 2008 Microsoft sold 1.26 million units, topped only by the Wii and had sold approx. 140,000 units more than the PS3. Since then Sony has dropped the price of the PS3 putting it within competition range of the 360. Furthermore, various console sales predictions have had the 360 coming in last for the past months. If Microsoft bans 1 million 360s and even 1 out of 4 people banned by a new console. that is a boost of 250,000 on top of their holiday sales.

This ban wave was planned and executed to falsely raise the statistics for the Holiday season sales, deceiving the public and making them believe that the 360 community is still the best out there. So when the final stats for holiday season sales come out, don't be surprised to see Microsoft rejoicing because they are the "Best Selling Console" because this is just a manufactured dream that Microsoft by banning modders has fabricated into reality.

Timestorm-cR

Heres a good example of another un educated consumer..(Timestorm-cR) stating that banning users is to raise the statistics for the Holiday season sales, deceiving the public and making them believe that the 360 community is still the best out there. It's plain and simple and has been said over and over again.. MS don't want people with modded 360's on thier servers .......what you don't understand??????

Guest said:
I bought a 2nd hand elite console, I was never told its modded and played only legit games yet few days ago I was banned! The most annoying thing is that no matter I'm banned from live which I paid for , is that MS also BLOCK THE ACCESS TO THE HD! So games can't be installed to the HD anymore and you can't use the Media center too. This is totally unacceptable I'm throwing my xbox to the trash and getting a PS3 instead. Bye Bye MS!

PS3 in general, and thier network can't even or does come close to what MS has built from ground up. Do your homework dude.....making a HUGE mistake....

 

[Guest]

Here's my 2 cents even though they're lost in a sea of pennies.

Nobody is innocent here. Modders most likely mod their consoles so they can D/L torrents, burn and play games for free, but they claim they need to back up their games.

Micro$oft is banning people to protect their games and their platform and to get more money out of people through new console purchases. Companies in general hide behind the piracy argument to prevent people from making backup copies of discs that get easily scratched. Why hasn't anyone come up with a data storage medium that is long lasting? I think it's because they don't want to. It's not "economically viable."

I can't imagine how many times someone flips games in a console and moves that DVD or blu-ray disc around. I know some people that are really sloppy with those discs.

It's kind of convenient for the companies selling you that game on a medium that is so easily damaged, don't you think?

The old Xbox needed a soldered mod chip in there, much harder to install.
Why did Microsoft do something so stupid as having only a firmware flash stop someone from playing "backed up" games? Or maybe was it part of a bigger plan?

We'll never know....

Off topic PC gamer rant:
So... yeah I'm actually glad this is happening. Hopefully we'll see more rampant piracy on consoles so the gaming returns where it belongs - on PCs! Maybe we'll find some less graphic intensive games with more depth to them. I hate the consolized versions of PC games. So many ruined games. This is why I still play Diablo 2. Frankly there isn't anything new that matches it's glory.

 

[Guest]

You've all got it wrong. They crackdown every November to celebrate Bill Gates' birthday.

 

[Guest]

hmm..to those that talk about swapping out the internals, and then sending them back to the store with the original S/N..that would work perfectly....and those that talk about ms finding your ip...well....some people like me...have my xbox connected to my pc for internet access, and use HideMyIp so it cannot be traced back to me.....sooooo that ip tracer doesnt work

 

[Guest]

Why not take it a step further and ban all systems that have been stolen too???, that way we prevent theft by disabling the serial number of a machine that has been reported stolen. I got my ipod stolen out of my car a couple of months ago and I wished this feature was available to disable the stolen ipod... but wait a minute if they do that and stop ipods and xbox systems from being stolen then I would not have to go ahead and buy another one would I??? My point is: they only use the available technology for their own interest and not the consumers... I rest my case

 

[Guest]

They only ban 'flash' modded 360. Not for putting some LEDs to your 360 or 12v fan mod.

 

[Axiarus]

If you want to mod buy a PC. Simple as that.

 

[JudaZ]

no, its not stealing...can belive people stil ldont get that . If you go into a store and take a physical copy of the game, then you are stealing...if you copy the game you might commit a totally doffrent crime...breaking copyright laws....its NOT the same thing. ....and this article is about modding your xbox...and microsoft not letting you use a modified xbox to play on live...thats all

 

[JudaZ]

realxboxmaster said:
Yeahh... go head... gut it out, swap it and I'll see you in court for Retail FRAUD u dum a..

1. Before you plunk down money on any game, do your self da favor..... Read reviews.....Thats your fault for not reading a good review from a reputible site on Halo Wars.

2.No one is telling you to pay $100 buck on terrible games... your just not a SMART consumer....!

3. If you think by you switching to PS3, ur a fool. Their online can't even complete @ the level with MS. MS live is going on it's ninth generation. Simply the BEST hands down!

RxM

one of the best things with Live is the tons of free demos you can download, so manytimes you dont even have to read reviews, you can try the game yourself, for free...

And with one of the latest updates you can rate a game as well...so you can get other users opinions about a game as well.

..try demos all the time...some are great and i can buy them instantly through the xbox360 (also with one of the latest updates...games-on-demand....ive cried for this feature over a year...and now we have it .. yay!) ....some games i feel is total crap...so just delete the demo and save your money.

..most demos are pretty open and lets you play for a long while.
..still play Skate2 asa demo...never gotten around to buy it...but will soon...loved it first time i tried it, I keep buying other games insted..and there is only so much money to spend :O) ..

also tried forza 3 ... and ..well in my opinion its crap..and now i know its not for me..thanx to the free demo....

bottom line .. no need to complain about waisting money...its not MS fault..its your own.

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

kinda odd after years of this going they decide to do this now, perhaps because sony is killing them in sales, and as well that natal will hit stores to and I believe it requires live(unsure - not confirmed) now you'll run out and they'll get even more of your money for a plastic cd burner, literally. If you can't refuse temptation, buy a ps3 cant hack that, yet.

 

[G4m3rMatt]

All I can say is OWNED. Modders got exactly what they deserved. The only gamers that use mods and modden controllers are ones that sucked too much to play "un-modded" like everyone else so they had to resort to a modded, cheating controller to look all pro. I do admit, I'm no where near a pro in any game - I simply play for fun. But I'd never even consider "modding" up my ranks on Halo 3 or on any other game. It takes the fun out of it for everyone else, and even the modder. Sure it's fun at first, but it would definately get boring quick, as it's like having a robot do all your fun for you.

Simply put - If you aren't good enough at a game - either practice (makes perfect!) alot or don't play, and try another game. Maybe you'd be really good at another type of game, you never know. Just don't be a baby and ruin it for everyone with a software mod or a modded controller or any other mod there might be.

 

[Guest]

Realxboxmaster

You say 360 xbox live has the best online play that no one can touch? Let's think outside the box for a second (no pun intended). For one, that is an opinion, and two, the number of people playing on a 360 doesn't touch the number of people playing games from Steam (PC based). Check it out once.

I do have to agree that it was a modders fault for getting banned. They knew what COULD happen, and therefor they were punished. And if you are wondering, yes I have a modded console, and I have not yet been banned. A new firmware release will come out, and it will save people from a ban, until M$ figures out how to detect them again. And the cycle will repeat. Thats how it always has been, and thats how it always will be. Computers have been though this cycle many, many, many times. I think they have given up on anti-piracy for the PC, What are they going to do? Ban me from the internet? All I can say is that modding a console takes some pretty awesome knowledge, and I wanted to something to do with it. Can you figure that stuff out? Or can you only comment on peoples posts on TechSpot? My point is that modding a console isn't always about playing games for free.

And don't bash on Sony. The PS3 has had far less problems than the Xbox. Remember when the 360 came out? They made great Christmas disappointments.

And finally, you say "Oh its not fair, I paid for the game, and you got it for free!" And life is fair for everyone? NO! And can you honestly say you have never downloaded one MP3 from the internet? Not one application?

 

[Guest]

@realxboxmaster

MS and other companies, do not go around tracing IP's or S/N, its a waist of time and money. They simply take the defective product, use the parts that are good, format and reflash the hardware, and junk everything else in to recycle bin or trash (depending on their state recycling laws and programs).

They dont have the time to police every single defective and or returned product. So please get your facts straight.

Same thing with retail stores; they slap an RTV (return to vendor) sticker on the box at the return counter at the end of the day and send it back. I know this, because i worked in retail for many years.

 

[Guest]

there is no switching the internals.if you open a game system,retailers know.we check for that first.you void both manufacturer and retail warranties when you break the case open.microsoft,sony,and nintendo will NEVER replace a system for you or the retailer if its been opened ,even just to clean it.Research things more before you rant about things half-cocked.retailers dont care about modding,thats what made the 360 what it is.MS watched what the community did with the original xbox,and tried to provide a platform that was customizable while not sacrificing security for the game developers.Keep pirating games and theyll fall along the wayside with physical copies of music and stores.anyone tried to visit a music store lately?Whats the point,its all been pirated.no one is taking your freedom,your just being a self righteous American *** who is pushing liberties.

 

[JudaZ]

Guest said:
Keep pirating games and theyll fall along the wayside with physical copies of music and stores.anyone tried to visit a music store lately?Whats the point,its all been pirated.no one is taking your freedom,your just being a self righteous American *** who is pushing liberties.

There is no point in going into a music store, because there is nothing worth buying in the store...and if you find sonething you want, you can get it in an online store.

Same will happen now with games on demand. You try the demos, if you like it you buy it...but not from a physical store, takes to long..you buy the game directly over the internet. Who wants to buy pieces of plastic anyway.

 

[Vrmithrax]

I'm loving some of the twisted justifications and attempts to make MS look like *****s (which they usually are) but this time, I can see why they have done what they did, and those money grubbing guys at MS are NOT fools when it comes to cash flow.

Yes, it will probably cause some influx as people have to get new unmodded consoles if they want to use Live. And it will definitely have an impact on those pirates who play on Live, as they will actually have to go out and buy that game they love to play on Live now, instead of stealing it like they used to. Think about that for a minute, it's a way to recover some of the lost revenue from piracy, and the licensing is where MS makes most of their profit in the Xbox arena anyhow.

By making this stance, they are putting their foot down to help curb the piracy in their console market. And this move will make those game developers who are spending massive amounts of capital to produce a game for the Xbox feel much more secure in the hopes that they will make more on the sales and lose less to piracy. It's a win for MS in the end, helping to foster and encourage more developers to support their console.

There were a few comments about how it's not Microsoft's responsibility to curb piracy, it should be the developers, and boy are those misguided. MS has strict policies and regulations on what kind of code is allowed in the products they license. How would a developer making a game easily protect it from piracy without things like hardware checks, disk verification, etc. All of which, coincidentally, cause a massive outcry of complaints in the PC gaming community. Or maybe they should add registration requirements, or serial number checks, or online verification requirements to be able to run your game. Oh, wait, then the console community would be ticked off and screaming about overbearing DRM and it would take away one of the advantages that consoles have over PC gaming right now! Seriously, it's a can of worms that never wants to be opened on consoles. But an easy check and subsequent punishment by banning Live accounts, hey that's easy and universal.

Now, all that said, there is one situation where I can see the modding being beneficial, and it's the same situation that gets hammered on in the PC gaming front: backups. Personally, I would love to be able to back up my pristine original game, then put the original on the shelf and run off the backup, avoiding the possibility of damaging or destroying my purchased product. It's become pretty much standard practice on music CDs now, between backup copies or ripping the CD to MP3s and keeping the original unblemished and safe. But, you can't guarantee that the consumer won't make backup after backup and pirate away, so I can see why it's limited. Still, a guy can dream, right?

 

[Guest]

if it was just a ban then fair play to them. its there train set
however there are things now that you can use your xbox for
like saving and running games from your hard drive, you cannot use the Windows Media Centre extender to stream films/music from your PC
what gives them the right to do this, altering the use of the xbox??

surely this isnt right??

 

[Vrmithrax]

What gives them the right to make changes and updates that might alter the behavior of the consoles? What gives them the right to add or remove features at will? The fact that they own the software running on your Xbox, actually. Just like they have the right to tweak and adjust major or minor things in Windows and push updates out, and do things like validation checks to allow or deny operations based on whether you pass the tests. You own the hardware, but the software running in the unit is subject to a EULA that is defined by Microsoft. Like it or not, you are at their mercy when it comes to changes and what you are allowed to do. You tamper with things that bypass or defeat parts of their software at your own risk.

And before you all go screaming off to the greener pastures of the PS3, keep in mind that Sony cripples and changes functions during their firmware updates as well, and you are just as susceptible to getting locked down at their whim. They're always fighting at the hacked PSPs running homebrew stuff, trying to prevent the user from putting anything but their operating system on it. Why do you think that is, why would they care, unless it's a control issue?

 

[Guest]

They are talking about pirating games... dont have to pay for them

 

[Guest]

People understand, Microsoft is not telling you what you can or cannot do with your Xbox 360, they're just making other services offered by them unavailable. They're not stopping you from playing your pirated games though, you just can't play them online with paying customers anymore.

 

[Guest]

all of you complaining shut the hell up and get a ****ing job. If you cant afford it tough ****, everyone has to pay, unless your a ***** who needs to mod and hack just to get **** for free, microsoft is losing money but they obviously dont care. What makes you guys so special that you can get it for free or only pay certain amount. Some games aren't worth the money but who gives a flying ****, we all have to pay, and those of you who are trying to cheat the system are getting punished for it. Cry a ****ing river.

 

[Guest]

Dl games and keep the real copy in a box so I will nit scrach them. I think it was time for Microsoft to do some thing becauce I think that only legit modders and hackers should be the only ones modding. If so M$ whould not be doing this so people paying to mod your XBox. O wait replace the the keyvault and the other file noob.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft is going to be sued. Not by me because i don't pirate ****. However I guarantee you all that they are going to get sued up the ying-yang for this.