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Microsoft Shuts Down Lik Sang
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has taken legal action, shutting down popular import gaming site Lik Sang for distributing X-box mod chips. Lik Sang is a popular import gaming site based out of Hong Kong. The full article (MSNBC) can be found here." Several people have pointed to the same story on news.com.
Easybuy.
For now, at least.
Note: I have no affiliation with LikSang, or EasyBuy - they're just pretty similar. LikSang had a larger variety of video-game oriented products, but EasyBuy has most of the more popular modchips as well.
This sig is xenon coated, and will glow red when in the presence of aliens
Sony slaps PS2 chippers
that doesnt read like they are somebody who "allows mod chips"
If you thing Sony and Nintendo didn't have the cash to shutdown Lik-Sang, well, there's a second reason for me to think you're an idiot. They didn't shutdown Lik-Sang because they realized people don't like soldering crap to their expensive consoles, and there really wasn't a big effect on piracy here. Microsoft just went after them because they're obstinate bastards who want to defeat the linux xbox hackers at all cost. Both the hackers and Microsoft are motivated by ideology--linux on Xbox is without value to hackers and without cost to Microsoft--hell, Sony even sells linux kits to encourage people to develop ps2 development skills.
Yeah, modchips sure ruined the life of PS2 and PS1 ... probably the most successful consoles ever.
Bottom line, the hardware belongs to however buys it, not whoever sells it. That's what "buying stuff" means.
I do not know if Lik-Sang was following this practice or not. This easy programmability will certainly make it more difficult for MS to write checks in future releases that stop games from running on modded consoles, however.
No, I'm thinking about lik-sang.
The Bung GB-Xchanger was one product they refused to ship to North America, the Dr. 64 N64 backup devices were another.
Bung didn't die btw, they just changed their name.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
There's a lot of "This is typical of M$", "Antitrust ... etc.", and "This just goes to show they have too much power," going around.
BS. Plain and simple.
This is STANDARD industry practice. Do some research before you start going off on a big rant about how evil MS is. (Which may be true, but not because of this. lol)
Sony has sued or threatened to sue just about EVERY SINGLE mod-chip maker and retailer during the last year. They have threatened and/or sued installers and resellers of mod chips, as well as sued the mod chip makers into the ground multiple times.
Nintendo isn't much better. But Sony has been hyper-aggresive about this. I have friends in Germany who run a console modding business, yet refuse to do anything related to the PS2 due to Sony's legal threats to them.
This is not a Microsoft thing. It is a console thing. That's all there is to it.
-Jayde
What's a sig?
I don't know that I'd call DirectX programming elegant. It's very functional, but not elegant.
And no, it's not poorly engineered. It's not well engineered either. It's a PC. It works for what they needed it to do.
The PS2 is well-engineered, despite being difficult to program. The Gamecube is a feat of engineering. A suffuciently powerful, cheap to produce, tiny package that plays good games.
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal
The EULA doesn't have ANYTHING TO DO with the shutting down of this website. Microsoft would most likely be suing Lik Sang for violating either the DMCA or IP rights (more likely IP rights, I would think, but IANAL). Microsoft has said before that they're NOT interested in punishing individual mod chippers, just mass distributors of mod chips.
Thus, you MAY do whatever you want to YOUR XBox and Microsoft won't care. The only caveat to this is if you're logged onto XBox Live -- Microsoft has reserved the right in the Live EULA to revoke the login rights of people with mod chips. This may piss some of you off, but do you really want people with mod chips on XBox Live? No, it could turn into CounterStrike before PunkBuster, with half of the people online cheating.
FYI, it was announced today that Charles James, current head of AntiTrust division at DoJ, and who crafted the sell-out settlement, is resigning to become Cheveron's general counsel. Article is here.
WalMart. Where else?
Okay, I stand corrected.
You can think whatever you want. These companies have vastly less R&D money and legal funding then Microsoft Does. Like i said in my original statements Nintendo chose an uncommon media format, and Sony chose to sell a linux kit. Neither company supports mod chipping and for all intents and purposes it always invalidates your warranty and support. That my friend, is idiotic.
I didn't say they supported it, I said they didn't bother shutting down Lik-Sang. They did the math, and it wasn't rational to expend an iota of effort to shut them down. I don't know the exact sizes of the companies involved here (I suspect Sony is way larger than you think...) but for Sony or Nintendo crushing Lik-Sang would be absolutely nothing (just as it was to Microsoft).
Wait, are you now saying companies are idiotic for not extending warranty coverage to modded hardware?
Yeah, successfull doen't mean there the best. Ford Focus's are a top seller, but they still suck ass. Porches and Ferraris are kick ass cars and don't sell very many, but that doesn't make them less valuable then the pintos and station wagons.
What, are you a NeoGeo fan, or something? Hey, don't get me wrong, I am not a big playstation fan, but what the fuck does the quality of the console have to do with the impact of modchipping? They sold the most units, they had the most games and the only way modchipping would hurt is if developers refused to write software--instead developer support for sony systems was and is incredible.
It has NOTHING to do with LINUX. Absolutely NOTHING.
You offered no reason why it has nothing to do with Linux, and I offered a whole lot why it has nothing to do with stealing games (how many consumers do you think go at their hardware with a soldering iron?) I'm not saying Linux on xbox would REALLY hurt Microsoft, but just listen to Ballmer--those guys REALLY HATE LINUX. I mean, think--we Slashdot people get all upset about it when most of us are browsing here with Explorer. Imagine how much more pissed you'd be if it was your JOB. Imagine if some long-haired hippies called you a thief as they tried to limit your ability to put food on your families table (from their perspective). They can't stand having the enemy's flag on their flagship, ever.
Whatever, tell that to sony when you copy their dvd's, tell that to the RIAA when your trading pirated MP3's.. Just because you "CAN" doesn't mean microsoft should let it slide. You can own a gun, but they're not meant to shoot people. Do you think owning a gun means you can do anything you want with it? Does owning your dvd mean you can now sell copies of it because you can?
Obviously, intellectual property and firearms are special cases--there are special LAWS (chosen by the GOVERNMENT, not the manufactuer) restricting my usage of those things.
Does owning your dvd player mean you can modify it to play other region dvd's and copied movies? Hardware, like a video game console, like a dvd player, is MINE. Only the government restricts my use of it. I apologize for calling you an idiot when I screwed up so badly regarding the Dreamcast, but lets just say greater thought would have saved you from a few mistakes you've posted today.
Why would they want to allow you to change the way there product operates when you choose to mod the thing and electricute yourself or break the thing in the process?
Holy disingenuous, Batman! Yeah, THAT's why they shutdown Lik-Sang, to prevent electrocutions they would in no way every be held responsible for. Better make all electrical tools illegal for non-engineers!