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Lik-Sang Back Online, Minus Modchips
DrEldarion writes "Lik-Sang is back, and it turns out that it wasn't just Microsoft that filed the lawsuit - Sony and Nintendo both joined in. The end result is that the modchips are gone."
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...but back again tomorrow. When will these people learn that they will never be able to stop people inclined to play around with new technology playing around with new technology?
learn to program the right way
Rake Free + Mac Poker: CardCrusade
Sony and Nintendo are the bastard children of Microsoft
All the Court Orders have been issued before hearing a single word from the company
remind me not to have legal problems in Hong Kong
Hint: It's not because they care if you play pirated games.
Frankly, it's not as though mod chips are a very good deal for the consumer. They're expensive, they're a pain in the ass to install, and whatever you "save" in money (which, given the expense and risk that you ruin your console in installing them is already marginal) you easily outspend in time wasted copying lousy games. Frankly, the biggest problem facing today's gamer is not "games are too expensive" but "there are too many lousy games out there, how do I determine which ones to play?" A few well-chosen rentals are a more effective way of saving money than spinning your wheels doing surgery or CD burning.
No. Very few consumers -- other than those addicted to piracy on general principles, or who get a kick out of feeling like they're getting away with something -- will ever install or use mod chips. The copy protection isn't there to prevent you from playing pirated games. The real target of copy protection in consoles is -- other game companies.
For every PS2 game made, Sony gets a cut. For every Gamecube game made, Nintendo gets a cut. For every Xbox game made, Microsoft gets a cut. The copy protection on these consoles is the console manufacturer's way of making sure that they are not squeezed out of the transactions between the game developers and the consumer, the way Atari was with 3rd-party 2600 games.
--peterb
There are about a billion other websites that pop up in your face if you want modchips whenever you go to a good ol' http warez site. Just close down enough porno banners and eventually you'll find a modchip site -- it's a lot easier to find than the actual warez on the site itself.
My brother installed a PS1 modchip when he was 11 years old, and it's not that hard at all to DIY.
Lik Sang does sell tons of other cool stuff; modchips aren't their only resource.
Lik Sang and it's employees couldn't even speak about the case due to an injunction of the High Court
and
All the Court Orders have been issued before hearing a single word from the company.
I can't talk about the case and the injuction is issued before can I say anything? Honk Kong really looks like a nice place to live...
I think the reason that "modchips" finally got nailed is they often use parts of the original bios of the machine which is copyrighted. Thats trouble no matter what you call the machine.
"You can now flame me, I am full of love,"
"...it turns out that it wasn't just Microsoft that filed the lawsuit - Sony and Nintendo both joined in. The end result is that the modchips are gone."
... indeed it merely confirms their behavior. The fact that others behave equally despicably doesn't make Microsoft any less despicable.
That must be plenty embarrasing to all the people that cried "MS is enforcing law in China!!!" when this whole BS started.
By "MS is enforcing law in China" I assume you are either (a) disingenuously putting words in people's mouths no amount of perusing the old comments can corroborate, or (b) you were characterizing (for whatever reason) comments accusing MS of defining the law in China, export US law to China, etc.
All of which may be true, to one degree or another. No one should feel at all emberrassed to have made such accusations, which appear on may fronts to be demonstrably true. Now, if someone said "Microsoft is the only company defining law in China/exporting US law to China" then they should be quite emberrassed. After all, it is clear, at the very least, that the member corporations of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have been doing likewise, and others may well be engaged in similiar behavior. Yes, even other software companies *cough* Adobe *cough* or, in this case, a trust of gaming companies.
The fact the Microsoft has been shown to be part of a trust, a consortium, or if you prefer, a cabal of corporations engaging in the same ill-mannered and obscene behavior shouldn't make anyone feel emberrassed for having pointed out the fact
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
It appears that most people on here don't understand what it is that is "wrong" with the MS X-Box modchip.
... well too bad. If someone comes out with a modchip that contains NO Microsoft code AND doesn't need the MS SDK to compile then MS wouldn't have a leg to stand on. But until then (and that will be a while). It is no different than them going after people pirating XP. I am sorry RMS -- I am not a mechanic ... I am not a dishwasher ... I am not a tollbooth clerk ... I wanna get PAID for my programming ability.
A -- It contains MS Proprietary code that is copyright protected.
B -- It was compiled using the Microsoft SDK (which in order to have you must sign an NDA and a HUGE EULA)
So _PLEASE_ all the "It is my box I can do with it what I want" comments STOP! Sure it is -- if you wanna hack open your X-Box / VCR / DVD player / Microwave oven and "mod" it by all means do so. But oh -- wait -- you don't have the MS SDK? Or you don't know how to program
-- http://anonet.org -- The internet the way it was meant to be. Check it out, you may be surprised.
I remember when this news came out a week or 2 ago and all of you just bashed Microsoft left and right. Now it comes out Sony and Nintendo were involved I don't see any of you out bashing. Thats the problem with many of you on sites like this, you are so hateful of MS it blinds you. I think mod-chips should be stopped. They are being used to pirate games, and in turn thats going to hurt us in the long run since these companies make their money on game sales, not hardware. As for being able to play Japanese games, first there aren't really anything like that for x-box, second I do think we should be allowed to play them. I think there should be some kind of add-on sold by sony and Nintendo that allows people to legally play Japense games. I don't know about all this. I just wish some of you would open your eyes on issues like this.
All of which may be true, to one degree or another. No one should feel at all emberrassed to have made such accusations, which appear on may fronts to be demonstrably true. Now, if someone said "Microsoft is the only company defining law in China/exporting US law to China" then they should be quite emberrassed.
/. Biased emotions lowers everyone's IQ.
Everyone was blaming Microsoft and said that Sony and Nintendo never do anything about it and didn't care.
I would be VERY embarassed since it was a 600+ threaded M$ flame. But one would expect this from
You gotta love Slashdot. And yes, the truth hurts.
"Now wait - you say that modding the game console is a niche market (which it is) and that not a whole lot of people do it. I agree with this. So how are the game companies protecting their investments against 3rd party games? Niche markets don't drive game development. So any 3rd party game that was made would only be able to be played on a modded system. No game company is going to go to that trouble."
They worry about 3rd party companies circumventing their lockouts by other means then pointing to these methods and saying he who sees and does nothing gives consent. Or better yet "They are acting in an anticompetitive manner trying to quash a little third party developer." See the whole Sega versus Code Masters UK (I think) where any valid genesis game would generate a screen saying licensed by or produced by SEGA. They are all bullies about it.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Not to mention the GP32 - a fine little handheld game console with independent developer support. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more often on here.
I'd wager that the majority of people who make homebrew GBA apps also buy GBA games and are longtime Nintendo fans.
And I'd wager that the majority of people who buy flash kits from Lik-Sang did so to download roms and have bought few, if any, games since.
I modchip my consoles, but I do buy domestic release games. And all units like modchips and flash kits have their honourable uses. Unfortunately, it's the pirating majority that these companies are worried about. Weird how the PS2 copy protection was easier to crack than the region protection...