Microsoft "unapologetic" about Xbox bans News

Good to see that MS has the balls to do this. Alhough it's likely on the back of publisher pressure.

Over due to be honest. I was wondering why my friends list was so low last night, turns out they were banned! Though over the course of two years they've saved £3000 on games, downloading 3-10 games a month, which if you compare to the £150 for a new console doesn't really look like MS is 'winning' the battle.

Though I guess its the developers who are hit the most from the pirates.

Playing pirate games yes, no apologies needed but I don't know about just modding your 360, but then I have no idea, is there a use for a modded 360 other than piracy?

I know it's bloody stupid Sony block me buying from them purely because I hack my PSP, but then a CF PSP has more uses than just pirate games.

600,000 to a million??!?

Wow.

Microsoft is "unapologetic" about banning a huge number of gamers from Xbox Live for modifying their consoles.

As well they should be.

If all these people run out to the stores and buy a new XBox immediately, even if only 50% does that, then that means MS will sell another 300,000 - 500,000 XBoxes and since MS sells their XBox units for a profit these days, it can only be good for them

I'm not big fan of Microsoft personally but they are perfectly within their rights to ban people who they KNOW are playing pirated games. IMO they should be prosecuting them for doing so do not just preventing them from playing games online. You have to give your name and address in order to subscribe to LIVE in the first place so Microsoft have the means to pursue these people even if it's to just send them a threatening letter.

@saucymonk - The article states that the number of people banned is between 600,000 and 1,000,000 so that would be less than 3.33%, which is a small number. I think if the number of Xbox 360 RRODs had been that low then we'd all be happy instead of praying our fourth or fifth 360 actually lasts this time round ;)

@kendoji - Now you're the very definition of the word "hypocrite"!!!

Well, I'm a buttpirate.

Arrrrrrr, shiver me timbers.

No, no, down a bit and to the left.

Arrrrrrrr.

@ Darren - yep I know!

fuck them, serves them right

I see pirates on the same level as benefit thieves. They scrounge the goods while the rest of us work hard and bloody pay for them to exist in the first place.

@ObiChrisKenobi

They haven't "saved" £3000 worth of games, they've stolen them. I very much doubt they'd have bought that many games. Why should everyone else pay for them and your mates get them for free? And, yes, it hits the developers hard.

Awesome comments in the forum from one guy. Summary "How dare they ban me! It is my right to pirate because my machines RROD! They owe me!".

Glad to see this happen to be honest, the cynic in me thinks it's no coincidence that this is timed perfectly with the launch of the biggest game of the year; "forcing" people to go out and buy a new Xbox straight away.

Interestingly this seems to be getting national press coverage too which will hopefully cut down on the number of people these cheats/thieves will inevitably try and sell them on to - Chrismas day is not really the time you want to find out that you got scammed!

@ ThisWillDestroyYou

So I'm curious, can you tell us why you played 40 games for free?

Did you choose not to pay for any games or could you honestly not afford it? Did you pay ANY money into the industry in that time?

quick question, I am not in the know as it were, but does this also mean that the lot who modded their consoles will now loose their stats?! trophys and all that?! is that related to the console, or just the user name?! do you have to create a new profile?! just wondering...

oh and I agree with woodnotes.

MilkybKid1985: "NOT stolen them, they have copied them ... why software piracy is a different crime to theft" is what freetard pirates usually say when trying to claim their actions have no impact (not saying that you are such).

This is because they are idiots who cannot tell the difference between physical things and abstract ones; it is simple they have acquired property, albeit intellectual property which is intangible but which is property none-the-less, without paying for it.

@Shadders

I'm under no illusions, this was timed for MW2, I can't really think of a better time this year to do it, biggest multiplayer on 360 this year and you have can ban modders etc from XBL just as it hits? course you do it then it hurts more.

ThisWillDestroyYou

You're a c*nt. Boasting about what you saved by pirating games to a bunch of honest gamers who have supported the industry you've happily stolen from. Personally I think Eurogamer or any website that exists because of games and is financed by the industry should ban scum like you. F*ck off.

@ps3owner

You gamertag itself is unaffected unless you have been very naughty on XBL, you can take your HDD (assuming its not modded) and put that in an unmodded 360 and your up and running again.

I found this article on the bbc site really interesting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/techno...

can you 'win' a battle against people who don't believe they are doing wrong?

In other shock news - Police unapologetic at locking up criminals

Peeps miss the golden rule of crime... its gonna happen - just Don't Get Caught!

its a brilliant selling strategy really..they must have known about the last lot of firmware for ages but sat on it so people just got lulled into thinking they were safe, then you smack them with a ban just as the most eagerly anticiapted multi player game of the year turns up so if you want to play it safely you have to go and buy a new console an a legit copy of the game


it will boost their sales figures on the run upto christmas a has caught out loads of people who thought they wre safe

@MilkybKid1985

Not this business again.

Pirating games IS stealing (which is taking property without consent, including intellectual or digital property), but it ISN'T theft (which refers to the carrying away of an object, as you say).

Regardless, the sementics of it all is an utterly pointless addition to the debate. If the only thing a pirate can do when confronted is wave a dictionary and go "neeeeerrr", they deserve a smack in the head simple for being a time wasting tit.

Microsoft are very clever in banning all modded consoles at the same time. It doesn't let the modders know how they have been found out.

I also think that the games are too expensive line is a ridiculous argument, as you don't see people stealing Bentley's because they think they cost too much.

Next generation, I bet there is a console disable-code hardwired into the CPU which is triggered if the box sees pirate software, that'll be a fun can of worms to open.

"Hello, Microsoft - my console stopped working, says 'error code - pirating bastard' on the screen"

"Don't worry sir/madam, an MPAA/RIAA/BPA official will be around to collect the money for all the pirate games/music/movies you've played on it and give you a restart code"

"But you don't know who I am or where I live..."

"Yes we do Dick Jones of 111 Acacia Avenue, with the floppy hair and cheap trainers. And that knocking you can hear is our enforcement team"

thanks VIC. so it's hardware only then.

Games (or any other media) being too expensive and therefore fair game is a pathetic excuse.

I do not have the funds to buy Example A so therefore I am justified in stealing Example A.

It doesn't matter if A is a single song or a £50 game, or even a car.

In my opinion the Live account should be barred along with the IP address. No sympathy at all.

abyss..its not a chip like the old ps2

its a firmware item for the dvd drive so you cannot turn it off or on, which is why you have to keep the firmware upto date or microsoft catch up with it eventually and then they do the en mass bannings we see

they have waited a while for this one so it had made people think they were safe so it has netted a large haul of swarthy pirates.

In what respect?

I heard someone on the BBC website comments try and justify it by saying games where too expensive and I've seen a few comments like that on here. Disgusting excuse.

I think Ferrari's are cool, but too expensive. Until they lower the price I'm going to just steal them, rather than not have what I can't afford! Is this ok?

@everyone im doing a law degree, yes i should know better boohoo, need money to eat and pay fees, I bought GTA IV retail, GH3 and MW2(£26 hard not to) If you must know i also used boot discs with the Dreamcast, im probably to blame for its downfall, I also own 25 n64 cartridges, i never used to be a criminal!
Im a reformed character now, honest guv, going straight, the world of trade ins and pre-owned games awaits me, i refuse to pay £45 for a videogame

So... you're only locked out of Xbox Live? Thus, if you do not use Xbox Live and use an off-line account, you can still play games on your pirated Xbox, or is the console effectively rendered "dead in the water"?

Merely curious.

My friends list shrunk a bit last week too. I didn't connect it with people getting banned until this article. heh :)

you can still play games on the modded console, just not via live, although there are suggestions of save issues. You can't install to the hdd either. If you buy a new clean one you just recover your gamertag and your away, lose your saves obv.

The level of righteous indignation is amusing.

>Click Forum
>Click TV
>Read threads
>Count hypocrites

People, don't go thinking this is just MS trying to 'do the right thing'.

They know full well that most pirates will be buying a retail copy of MW2, and so to have their consoles banned means they'll be more likely to shell out for another console. I bet unit sales went up in the last couple of days.

Sure, it is a signal to pirates, but someone will find a way around the bans at some point.

I think they were right to ban them, whatever the reason, though. The quicker companies stop being pansies and combat piracy the better. Most pirates don't fear prosecution because they believe there is so much of it, and so many people doing it, that they couldn't possibly get everyone. The companies only target the suppliers, which is stupid as there is always someone willing to replace a supplier, or the supplier will simply move accounts, get new PC's/security etc... Get some balls, I say! Get everyone, lobby parliament for the police to be able to issue fines without courts to pirates. They do it with speeding tickets, why not this? There is plenty of evidence available, MS hold the name and address of every single pirate they banned.

Fine em all!!!!!!!

I used to buy pirated games on the Dreamcast, all those years ago. My excuse was that I was a poor teenager and couldn't afford games, and the dodgy guy at the market every week was able to get import copies to me months before the UK would ever see them, like Phantasy Star Online, Rez, Samba de Amigo etc.

Then the Dreamcast DIED!! :(

I learnt my lesson and have never pirated a game since. I'm studying game design now, so I obviously want to contribute towards the industry that has given me so much pleasure, and which I wish to work in some day. I can appreciate how much effort and work goes into creating a game.

i like the bannings, but i dont like that they keep the accounts intact and only want pirates to buy a new console to play online. To really punish people who are breaking rules they should simply ban the account too otherwise its just a way to sell more hardware for them. twats

Anyone else think RobotRocker is one of these people that got his console banned?

The examples stated of bentleys and ferrari's are extreme, however are fair. As it has been stated you are stealing which is wrong and illegal. There is no justification for it. Videogames are a luxury good, not a neccesity, which you have no right to, so to claim it is ok because of cost, is deluded.

Get a grip mate!