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Microsoft vs. Modded Xboxes
hikeran writes "The Register has an article about how Xbox live service is now apparently banning Xboxes that have been mod chipped. Basically it seems this is one of the many uses of those unique id's used in Microsoft's software. Next up bannings for using foul language on Xbox live service?? Be careful what you say.. you may be playing with an Xbox Live admin..."
I agree - but they should at least refund people's money or properly warn them in the first place.
Is it me or is the title of the article a little out there?
"MS accused of banning mod chip Xbox from Live service"
They later go on to say,
"...we're already seeing how unique hardware IDs could be used in anger by certain companies."
Well goddamn. I know microsoft is evil, but come on. Just because you don't want to follow the rules, doesn't mean they'll let you play with there toys. And I'm sure Xbox Live is burried in enough EULA's and of course backed with enough laweyrs to prove it.
I would have no problem if this article was rewritten as a non-attack on microsoft, and more as an informative article. Who's accusing them? I'm fairly damn certain,
"MS Found guilty of locking out modding bitchez from Xbox Live, Snoochie Boochies!"
All your fault. You cracked the case. You installed the chip, or had it installed.
--
I'm not anti-mod here either before the flames roll in. I'll be waiting for something worthwhile to mod my Xbox. As an added benefit of waiting for something worthwhile, if I do mod my Xbox modchips will be several years more mature.
Computational Madness in a round package.
As for the implication about swearing, GOOD! I don't mind a "Damn" when something happens now and then, but if I want to hear non-stop-increadibly-vulgar-peel-the-paint-off-eve ry-single-thing-within-ten-miles swearing, I'm sure I could go find that somewhere. But I don't want to hear it when I'm trying to play on online game. If you can't deal with not doing good in a stupid game without shouting enough obscenities to make all nuns on your contenant have a heart attack, then you need some serious help. I've been using Live a little (I got into the beta) and I haven't heard much of it, but I am expecting a certain level of maturity when I play online (about age 7). The constant idiotic trashtalking is anoying too, and people who make tons of sexual references and innuendo. I HOPE MS bans people who do this repeatidly. Considering that they are positioning this as something for kids, they most definatly should controll that sort of thing.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
>> Up until someone comes up with a way to report a different "unique" ID, and a way to make it not detect the mod chips
Just like the keygens for Half Life and Quake 3, right?
Oh wait. Unique keys. With a central database containing all valid keys, and associating them with a MAC address.
More likely, you might see rogue servers set up, which would fit the bill for things like Unreal Championship.
Personally, I'm not excited about the idea of paying a subscription to play a game that'd benefit perfectly fine from a decentralized, P2P method of online play, like UC or some sports titles. There's no need for an online community. I hate online communities, they're full of idiots. Just look at this one.
Hopefully MSFT and Sony realize this, and start releasing some games that allow me to just connect to my kid brother and beat the crap out of him from 500 miles away, without having to 'log in' and pay a bill.
Until then, I'll just keep filling my shelves with nice free pirated single player games, and not bat an eye at the xbox lives policies.
As for this 'news' that never was - it's been known for a long, long, long, long time within the mod world that xbox live would not allow chipped consoles.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Until--as the artical pointed out--the xBox is sold 2nd-hand to some completely inocent person.
Certinaly won't do the xBox reputation any good if people are finding they can't get on-line, and that there's nothing they can do about it.
Sure--as the artical says--you may be forced to by a new box, more cash for the vendors. But would you still want an xBox after all than? Maybe a Playstation would seem like a better option the 2nd time 'round. Atleast you know you want get banned from anything.
I'd prefer to see someone do an ID sweep _with_ a modded XBOX in order to ban _all_ the legit XBOXen. Hell, you probably don't need an XBOX to do it. Just sniff the line and find the portion responsible for the ID code. Then set up a PC to generate those types of packets with different ID codes.
I'm sure they use some form of encryption on the network side, but _strong_ encryption would add a lot of delay.
Once they see that 90% of their network is banned, they'll freak. They will try to ban the IP generating the packets, then the entire subnet. Pretty soon, IRC will distribute the packet generator to thousands of geeks looking, not to kill, but to prove that banning modded XBOXen is stupid.
I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
You own the XBox, but they own the network you're connecting to with it, and they control the services.
Frankly, I think it's lame to ban modders, too. But here's the beauty of it -- if they piss off enough of their own customers, they'll lose marketshare. Maybe in their own minds they'll be losing undesirable customers and not care... until they end up all walking away and either moving on to a different platform or else using their modded XBoxen to build an underground, alternative gaming network. Now that'd be a hack!
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
For the record, Sony has been very anti-mod as well. I'm sure once their online PS2 service is launched, they'll have a similar method for checking for mods.
#include standard_not_that_Im_defending_Microsoft.h
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