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Mod Chips Up, Game Industry Revenues Down?

securitas writes "In his latest Game On column, the Boston Globe's Hiawatha Bray describes Xbox and PS2 game console hackers as software pirates who use mod chips and damage game industry revenue. The focus of the column seems to be on the use of mod chips as a way to circumvent game copy controls and glosses over legitimate uses, although he mentions some of them. Without offering any research or concrete numbers, Bray facetiously writes, 'But how many mod chip users are interested in making honest backups? You could probably fit them all into the trunk of a Cadillac, with space left over for a spare tire.' Are the majority of mod chip users 'pirates' or are they legitimate users with legitimate applications for the modifications that Bray hasn't considered?"

12 of 611 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Methinks the modder doth protest overmuch by Trigun · · Score: 5, Funny

    ntil the entire console is a single chip, the traces to the storage devices are all encrypted, and the thing is hermetically sealed with cyanide gas within

    Don't give them any ideas.

  2. Sure... by jratcliffe · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, sure, most modchippers are doing it for perfectly legitimate purposes, just like most Kazaa users are sharing music files from bands that have authorized it.

  3. Mod Chips Up? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who is this "Chips" and what has he done to deserve to be modded up?

  4. Slogan. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Software Piracy - 30 years of killing the gaming industry!"

  5. Here comes more laws.... by NIN1385 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well well, looks like the gaming industry is hurting from people copying media and sharing it. We should be seeing laws some day soon, since whenever the rich start to loose their money they start bribing politicians. Let's just hope they realize sooner than the RIAA did that you'll never get rid of people sharing stuff. Sharing is the first step towards peace! Alright...so it is an excuse, so what!

    --

    If carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up. - Comedian Mitch Hedberg R.I.P. 03/30/68-2/24/05
  6. Less concerned with piracy by karb · · Score: 4, Funny
    But how many mod chip users are interested in making honest backups? You could probably fit them all into the trunk of a Cadillac, with space left over for a spare tire.

    More concerned a boston globe reporter is plotting to kidnap me.

    --

    Jack Valenti and the MPAA are to technology as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone

  7. Re:Right here.... by mattkime · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fair enough....

    now are you willing to get into the trunk of Bray's Cadillac?

    --
    Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
  8. Come on by Swamii · · Score: 5, Funny

    What a liar. We make backups; just most of the backups are of games that we don't own. :-)

    --
    Tech, life, family, faith: Give me a visit
  9. Re:Go with your gut feeling by FrostedWheat · · Score: 5, Funny

    The majority of the mod chip users that I know are pirates.

    Well you try to swap a disk with a hook for an arm without scratching it! It makes sense to backup in that case!

  10. Re:little kids? by _Hiro_ · · Score: 2, Funny
    But how many mod chip users are interested in making honest backups? You could probably fit them all into the trunk of a Cadillac, with space left over for a spare tire.


    My hunch also says that there are more parents with little kids that have gaming consoles then "will fit in the trunk of a Cadillac".


    It depends on what Cadillac. You can fit 1/2 the population of Cleveland in a 1978 Fleetwood.
    --
    -Pope Peter Porker, S.O.W., K.M.K.R., U.G.O.A., F.S.G.S.D.
  11. Re:What about drug paraphenalia? by maddskillz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Was it the medical skull bong, or medical wizzard bong?

  12. Re:Missed Opportunity by cgenman · · Score: 3, Funny

    The fact that you have to chip it to unleash those abilities just shows that there's no market (yet) in selling those abilities for the Xbox, or you would be able to get them commercially.

    You can get them commercially. Where do you think mod chips come from, churches?