X360 dev kits stolen in Germany

By Tom Bramwell Published 10 October, 2005

Piracy fears surface.

Platform holder Microsoft may face a new piracy threat, as reports surface of ten Xbox 360 development kits being stolen from a warehouse in Duren, Germany, with the hardware believed to have fallen into the hands of hackers.

According to an article on Spiegel Online, the shipment of ten dev kits was delivered to a warehouse in Germany in unmarked packaging. The kits were supposed to be distributed onwards to developers in order to create games for the new console platform.

A few days after the shipment went 'missing', photographs of the kits appeared on the Internet, with the serial numbers edited out. Police raids in Austria and Germany recovered three of the units, but seven kits remain untraced at present as the investigation continues.

Microsoft's original Xbox console was plagued by piracy and modification, including the installation of mod chips which bypassed DVD region encoding and copyright protection measures. Pirated software and modified games which gave players an unfair advantage in Xbox Live matches have also been prolific on the Xbox.

In a recent interview with Gamespot.com, Microsoft's chief executive J Allard suggested that piracy on the new console was a given, which the company has already accounted for.

"The philosophy that we applied on 360 is 'It's going to happen'," he said.

Allard also hinted that the inevitable bypass of security measures was less important to Microsoft from a financial perspective, but significant in its potential to ruin the online multiplayer experience for genuine customers.

The improved community gaming and media functionality of Xbox Live is a key strength of the new console, which Microsoft is hoping will attract a wider audience of casual gamers when the new console launches in Europe on December 2nd, 2005.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • statix101 #1 6 years ago

    Excellent.....chipped boxes could be available sooner than i thought.......

  • kangarootoo #2 6 years ago

    ""The philosophy that we applied on 360 is 'It's going to happen'," he said."

    About time a company said this openly, instead of the usual "we have new security, its unbreakable" type comment that just looks silly a few months down the road.

  • kewny #3 6 years ago

    There go all the pre-orders.......... ;)

  • knif3r #4 6 years ago

    apparently they've built security from the hardware level up - wonder if they did it in the dev kits?

  • Fatfish #5 6 years ago

    I think after haveing to admit that their O/S was rife with vulnerable holes, they can't hide from the truth any longer - no security system is infallible.

  • #6 6 years ago

    I wonder if they explained to the publisher's and developers that they fully expect the 360 to get teh hax0r£d.

    Will it be 'chipped' for release day?

  • PES_Fanboy #7 6 years ago

    Also good to hear someone not harping on about the fact piracy wrecks their profits etc and at least pretending to worry about the legit users of their system.

    I reckon XBLive will be even tighter on the pirates, personally. The first Live! caught them on the hop a bit anyway....

  • Fatfish #8 6 years ago

    "Although no outward movement has been seen at police headquarters since the dev kits were seized, there have been several pizza and beer delivery vans coming and going and strangely 3 HD TV's were also seen being slipped in through the rear of the building. A police spokesman said "We are investing all the manpower we have in to this case and are currently running the dev kits through forensic tests". The spokesman refused to comment further and was called away by a colleague after being advised 'he was up next - Ferrari F40's only through Rome followed by cops vs. forensic 16 player deathmatch on PDZ'. We'll bring you more on this story as it breaks......"
    Edited by 1 at 10/10/05 @ 12:59

  • Royal Fool #9 6 years ago

    It's the standard pirate method - steal hardware, reverse-engineer, redistribute.

    It's pretty obvious that the devkits pictured on SmartXX's website - www.smartxx.com - are stolen.

  • Bezzy #10 6 years ago

    kangy - I completely agree. It's what I've been saying all along.

    Since this sort of behaviour exists, and cannot be fully eradicated, it's better to encourage/utilize the positive side effects, while taking the bad stuff on the chin.

  • Roamer #11 6 years ago

    "Allard also hinted that the inevitable bypass of security measures was less important to Microsoft from a financial perspective..."

    Well, not really - the fact that you could download and play games from all systems for free on the Xbox with a simple chip probably helped its sales a lot.

  • PES_Fanboy #12 6 years ago

    Well, not really - the fact that you could download and play games from all systems for free on the Xbox with a simple chip probably helped its sales a lot.

    As has been discussed to death, they don't make much of a profit, at leas initially, from hardware - but they do from the games that they have to 'certify' (cha ching)

  • Darren #13 6 years ago

    I'd be happier if those hackers would try as many Xbox games on the Xbox 360 dev kit and let us know which games work and which don't. I'm definitely not interested in getting my Xbox 360 "chipped" as I prefer to buy my games legally thank you.

  • mastertigurius #14 6 years ago

    Woo! I mailed EG this one yesterday. Look ma! I'm on EG!

  • smelly #15 6 years ago

    "Well, not really - the fact that you could download and play games from all systems for free on the Xbox with a simple chip probably helped its sales a lot. "


    What PES_Fanboy said.. selling a lot of units where everyone pirates the games on it, is gonna hurt the console. As its the games which make the money, not the hardware.

    Unfortuantely some fanboys just dont "get" this, and will happily go around pirating games and then post on forums "yar, but my console is selling better than yours".. while inadvertidly killing said console.

  • Psi #16 6 years ago

    oh noes!

  • penhalion #17 6 years ago

    Having contracted to some devs with kits. I wouldn't look to seeing any mod chips or pirated software any time soon. By the way the 360 already runs DVD +- R out of the box and always has had that capability. It does not run games on this format however and that is hardware coded protection.

    I hope they knick the lot of the thieves. Stealing dev kit meant for genuine game developers is just plain stupid. By all means take your own xbox apart to try to hack it but why the heck should genuine devs have to suffer in the process.

  • Roamer #18 6 years ago

    As has been discussed to death, they don't make much of a profit, at leas initially, from hardware - but they do from the games that they have to 'certify' (cha ching)

    Well, since Microsoft was clearly willing to take a loss on the hardware in this generation, to get a foothold with gamers, the whole chipping issue helped them further that agenda. I'd imagine that MS are much more wary about hackers this time around, as they are looking to rack up some profits now.

  • Xerx3s #19 6 years ago

    "I think after haveing to admit that their O/S was rife with vulnerable holes, they can't hide from the truth any longer - no security system is infallible." - /points @ linux and FF. -_-

  • PearOfAnguish #20 6 years ago

    http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEklAEVplZ YuqLANUS.php

    Now SmartXX is claiming they were working with Microsoft...

    "besides you won't be able to go on Live with a chipped xbox 360, just like the current xbox."

    Except most of them have switches so you can disable it when you want to play on Live.
    An Xbox isn't worth buying unless you get it modded.

  • Tiger_Walts #21 6 years ago

    So they stole debug units. Machines that have the region/security locks either removed or not put there in the first place.

    I doubt it'll allow the machine to be chippable on day one. Maybe sooner, but not day one.

  • Fatfish #22 6 years ago

    Xerx3s - are you saying that Linux and FF are infallible or are you simply pointing at them to prove that they are in the same boat? All security systems have a loophole or backdoor somewhere. It's the nature of them - they have to have some kind of way in. It's virtually impossible (I'll say 'virtually' as I don't want to be made to eat my words here!!) to create a security system that cannot be cracked one way or another. You can cover the cracks with as many layers as you wish, but eventually someone will figure out a way of uncovering them and getting back in. That's why it's sucha futile process in the long run. Piracy and cracking is never going to be stopped - all the manufacturers can do is fire fight with more and more advanced tools. And please don't read anything in to this about me condoning piracy. I'm not saying it's right, just saying you won't ever stop it.

  • optimusprym8 #23 6 years ago

    FF has been recently highlighted as being full of security holes but this is because of features it supports that IE doesn't or the simple fact that everyone is out to get M$ and not opensource, but that doesn't make me feel any better or l33t when browsing with what I previously thought was a more secure browser like FF.

    As for mod'ing, M$ love it surely, hell they got most of the ideas for 360 from the xBox homebrew scene! :p Provide the hardware, let the hacks roll out, nick the ideas. Saves a bunch on "specialist consultants"

  • optimusprym8 #24 6 years ago

    Although with automatic updates via Live for the 360, makes getting a v1.0 launch console a little less appealing since the holes there can be patched more easily...

  • JeStar #25 6 years ago

    Havin 2 cheat on Xbox live. Mayb if u spent mor time practicing rather than hacking u wldnt hav 2 cheat 2 beat other players!!!

    (That sed if u want 2 de-regionalise 'boxes thts ok- cus its not effectin ova players!)
    Edited by 1 at 10/10/05 @ 16:41

  • Fatfish #26 6 years ago

    JeStar wins this years EG award for 'Ghetto Jive Talkin'....... ;)

  • Fatfish #27 6 years ago

    I'll try. Here goes.....

    "Havin 2 cheat on Xbox live. Mayb if u spent mor time practicing rather than hacking u wldnt hav 2 cheat 2 beat other players!!!"

    Translates to - "Wish I could cheat on xbox live. I'm crap at most games and could do with the help. I'm bitter because I don't have a chipped xbox and therefore I can't cheat"

    "(That sed if u want 2 de-regionalise 'boxes thts ok- cus its not effectin ova players!)"

    Translates to - "Saying that, if I did have a chipped xbox I would copy everything I could on to it because I feel piracy is a god given right of every man, woman or child. It is an infringement of civil liberties to stop us from pirating your software and I for one think it should be legal"

    Of course, I may have lost something in the translation there.......

    Only kidding JeStar - I'm just bored and looking to lighten my afternoon! Sorry mate. :)

  • PearOfAnguish #28 6 years ago

    Don't be sorry, he needs to learn.

  • Sid-Nice #29 6 years ago

    I hope the thieves use the Dev Kits to create games other than, FPS and racing titles.

  • SirScratchalot #30 6 years ago

    Now there´s an interesting thought....
    Does the 360 now have seven indie developers? :)

  • penhalion #31 6 years ago

    I'll show some age here by saying innovation in this industry was only really abundant when anyone could program the kit.

    I've never figured out why Microsoft (arguable the best dev tool writers in the field today) didn't pick up on the fact that they would have sold a shed load more xboxes if ordinary people were able to grab a keyboard, a dev disk (say priced at around 70 quid) and code up some stuff for it.

    I also haven't figured out why Sony didn't expand on the Net Yarozu concept with the PS2......I miss my Amiga!

  • PearOfAnguish #32 6 years ago

    I've never figured out why Microsoft (arguable the best dev tool writers in the field today) didn't pick up on the fact that they would have sold a shed load more xboxes if ordinary people were able to grab a keyboard, a dev disk (say priced at around 70 quid) and code up some stuff for it.

    I also haven't figured out why Sony didn't expand on the Net Yarozu concept with the PS2......I miss my Amiga!

    Because they're all idiots. The prosecution rests, m'luv.

  • JeStar #33 6 years ago

    I'm just bored and looking to lighten my afternoon. Translates to - I've ruined mine and ovas gamin by hackin, and now hav nothin 2 do!

    Oh but i agree wiv d ova bit - cus im sure regioalising DVD's is/shld b a (illegal) trading barrier, but woteva.

  • Fatfish #34 6 years ago

    JeStar - No really mate - I was just bored and you were an easy target. Never bothered to get mine chipped. My housemate tried it once and wrecked his, so he had to buy another. It worked second time, but it didn't appear to be worth all the hassle to be honest. I have a rather nice PC I built last year for all my multimedia stuff. Just use the xbox for gaming. Keeps things simple.

    Which, by the way, is the same as you sound with all your honky-tonk jive talkin'. Why don't you quit that 'Yardie-Gangsta-Boyz in da hood-I grew up on the streets of Harlem-West side/East side' shite and write normally? Perhaps then we could have an intelligent discussion?

  • JeStar #35 6 years ago

    Well i dnt realy think bout it its just how i rite on things like this cus i text so much (text = Instant msging in d USA i think) wher ther is limited space, and because of MSN, its quicka thts all, im not going for a chav sound (or gangsta or woteva u wnt 2 call it). I no u wer only jokin i didnt take it seriosly.