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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?"
I think Bray has a good point. I think the vast majority of people who own 'modded' consoles have had them modded so they can hire a game from Blockbuster and pirate it. My PS2 is modded, and I used it for coding on before the PS2 linux kit and SPS2 came along (haven't used the mod-chip since), but I'm definitely the exception rather than the rule (well, if my circle of friends are anything to go by, anyway).
The flipside however is that it should be the act of piracy that is illegal, not the act of modifying your own (paid-for !) hardware. When a law is enacted, it should make provision for exceptions, and as far as I know the various copyright/IP/whatever laws don't do this for mod-chips. If the exceptions aren't there, it is percieved as a 'bad' law, and people are less likely to respect a 'bad' law...
As for the manufacturers staying ahead: whatever one man can do, another can undo. Until 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, people will find a way around the restrictions. The more the challenge, the more will try.
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
Is not are they pirates, but are they "customers?"
The truth is that the vast majority probably do use them to pirate games. But, that is not necessarily lost revenue or signficantly revenue, as they are probably not customers either...
But that probably shouldn't mean that it should be "easy", because then customers DO become pirates.
how many mod chip users are interested in making honest backups?
Those of us with young children who love playing with shiny discs...
The DiscDoctor can't do a lot when they scrape off the top of the disc, or you have resurfaced it so many times the disc gets too thin for the laser to focus..
Sigs? We don't need no stinking sigs!
I'm amazed how fragile PS2 games are, one decent-size scratch on the printed side and its a goner. You and I might put such a sensitive and expensive item carefully back in its jewel case, but kids drop them behind the TV or use them as impromptu cutting tools or space weapons. I've lost count of the tearful occasions when things won't load.
Their console isn't modchipped - but I wish it was.
"Don't belong. Never join. Think for yourself. Peace." V.Stone, Microsoft Corporation
Why the hell has one to argument that there are legal uses (backup etc.) to make a good case for mod chips?
;), stomp on it or mod it!!
/.ers... this can't be true?!
IMHO, I should be able to do what I want, with the hardware I bought. Trash it, burn in (keeping the fumes out of the environment, of course
Why got it that far that one now has to argument that 'there are legitimate uses'?!
Sometimes I really tend to believe that all the anti-piracy ads, acts, etc. transport subliminal mind-control messages even to
Disclaimer: I never owned a gaming console, and I am not planning to buy one.
I know lots of people who use mod chips to play legal? import games.
Legal or not, you cannot ban mod-chips, theres simply no way. The chip itself is just a blank microprocessor (usually a PIC) which is perfectly legal, and the code which goes on it is tiny and you just cant stop a tiny file spreading around the net. As far as im concerned the moment manufacturers started putting restrictions in their consoles they decided to play by the game of technology and if they have the right to do that then you have the right to modify something you own.
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
I was going to post something about how the primary legitimate use for a modchip would be to play imported games, but then again, a) it's not technically legitimate, because bypassing the regional lockout could be construed as a DMCA violation (don't ask me how or why), and b) since I'm looking into doing some importing (Bemani and Pop'n Music) relatively soon, I'm actually looking at a bootloader disc or "cheat" device as opposed to opening up my machine.
Many people I know who import would rather use the bootloader and not a chip. The chip's advantage is that you don't have an extra step when booting an import game; its disadvantage is that it disallows online play (if you're into that sort of thing). Trading a popular and enjoyable use of the system for ten seconds' convenience is not an acceptable trade.
"Why Subscribe?" Good question...
Does it really matter?
I have noticed a trend lately. People see something that they effectivly can't stop, that is people modifying the hardware THAT THEY BOUGHT AND PAID FOR. To get around restrictions that were built into it.
Now some people want to ask "Does this have a legitimate use?". Can it possibly matter? They arn't making WMDs here, they are modifying some game hardware that they bought and paid for, they are modifying their own property.
I think it absolutly audacious that restrictions of any sort were artificially built into these products for any reason other than operator safety. Even more so that someone would question whether modification of ones own property has "legitimate use".
The most fundamental legitimate use of a mod chip is "because I wanted to". End of story.
-Steve
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
I would bet that more than 75% of the P2P users out there have LOADS of stuff that is not "fair use". But people here tend to try to "justify" it, ignoring the fact that they are only fooling themselves.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
First off, why is it never mentioned that there has been a significant increase in video game RENTALS in the last few years as more and more video stores (esp the Mom&Pop rental stores) start stocking more and more games? Hell, why should I pay 50+ for a game for my PS2 that I can rent for 5 days for 4.95? I usually have the games I play beat in under 10 days, so for 10 bucks, I get the game, get the play, and dont get stuck with a disk I dont want afterwards.
As for Mod chips, I dont have a modded PS2 or XBox yet, but if I did, the sole reason would be to play imports from Japan. There are some pretty slick games in Japan that will never make it to market here simply because of the cultural differences. So what choice do I have? Move to Japan, or a Mod chip... since technically, it is illegal for me to go to Japan, buy a PS2, XBox, or GameCube, then bring it back into the country with assorted games.
Maybe if game companies, like the DVDCCA would get their heads out of their arses for a bit, and realize that the very idea of region coding is stupid, and that gamers are getting tired of paying 50+ per game, for games that are NOT that expensive to design anymore, lower the prices and get rid of the stupid region coding crap.
I mean, if a new game comes out, that is truely new, with a new engine, new graphics, etc, then yeah, its probably worth 50 bucks or so. But a sequal, or a sequal to a sequal, running on the same base code that the original did, with the only real changes being maps, images and avatars, is NOT worth 50 bucks.
I certainly would not pay new car price to get my old car re-painted, so why should I pay new game price to get my old game re-mapped?
"Our funds have never taken part in toxic or death spiral convertible financings of any sort" -BayStar's managing partne
The other important legitimate reason to have a modchip is to play games from a different region. I have Final Fantasy X, but I hate the people doing the voices (except for a couple of them). I've found a few clips online of the Japanese version, and I love the voices there. I want to buy--legally, from Square--the Japanese version, so I can play it through with the original voices. But I can't play it on my US PS2 without a modchip. Thus, I intend to get a modchip.
I don't have any backups (though, once I have a modchip, I might make some, for exactly the reasons you state), and never plan to get PS2 games illegally. I just want to play games from Japan. If there were a modchip that allowed me to play legal imports, but not backup games, I'd get it.
There is, so far as I can tell, no possible legal argument against this, unless they take the DMCA and twist it even farther than the printer manufacturers have. Having bought the original media, why can I not access it? Heck, I'll even wait until the game comes out in the US (if there are plans to) before buying it, so they don't even have that stupid argument!
I want to give them my money, but Sony won't let me.
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
My hunch says anyone who has small kids and doesn't want them to destroy a $40-$80 CD would be a likely candidate for such a mod chip and backup copies.
As a parent, I highly, highly doubt this. Parents with multiple children don't have time for 5 minutes of sex at night let alone sitting in front of a computer trying to make backup copies of some Spongebob Squarepants game. Most of us (our circle of friends with kids) require the younger children (9 or so and under) to ask for assistance before playing a console. The kids of all ages are simply taught how to use the console and the discs, and that not taking care of the discs will result in a game becoming unplayable. Most of us are from the school of thought that children should learn from an early age that they are responsible for their actions, and that expensive items should be treated with care and respect.
Kids have a high propensity to break ANYTHING, so making a backup copy of a $50 game is fine and dandy, but you can't make a backup copy of the $200+ console and the $50 mod chip that you bought to make backup copies so your kids didn't break the game.
Sorry for venturing off into some offtopic territory, but I just don't see that many parents modding a console and spending time doing backups of every game. There are far too many things fighting for parental time, and at the end of the day sex takes preference over burning game discs.
Not because they are ripping off XBox or PS2 games. Mostly because everyone I know who has modded their XBox uses it to play MAME, NES, or SNES emulated games.
But while the occasional modder does copy X-Box games, most are not using their XBox in a way that would deprive Microsoft of revenue. Its not like Microsoft can extract any profit from MAME anyway.
END COMMUNICATION
Yes, I think you did miss the release where they announced a product that allows you to stream your movies from a shared network resource.
3rd-party tools such as XMP do indeed damage revenue, then, just as Linux and BSD damage Windows sales.
I'm not saying we as customers shouldn't have a choice, I'm just saying that from Company X's point of view a free competing product is definitely going to do some damage.
Most drivers go over the speed limit in their cars. Yet cars are still legal. Cars are used in homocides every day, yet cars are still legal. Guns are used to commit crimes, yet guns are still legal in the US. Alcohol is consumed by underage people, yet it is still legal in this country.
If you want to outlaw something because it has illegal uses, let's be fair across the board.
Having said that, I think that the *main* users of mod chips use them to pirate games. There are certainly legal uses of them however. There are legal (and quite useful) uses for P2P, even though the majority *right now* is for illegal activity. I think the key is to develop those legal uses, to have something to back up the technology.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
>> 99% of the world out there isn't gonna hack their Xbox
exactly. and that's why every single one of these articles is bunk. I'm getting tired of companies/industries continuous stream of "we know why we aren't filthy rich!!!! It's the pirates!"
It couldn't be that 1st world cultures are so inundated with such a variety of things to do, from theaters, dvd, cd, games via console, games via pc, games via handhelds, cell phones, satellite tv, cable tv, broadband/web surfing, monster truck events, rock concerts, bowling, sports, excercise, learning to play a musical instrument, studying, working, spending time with the family...yada yada yada.
the shit is endless.
just like most people thing Microsoft has a great reputation, most people don't warez, most people don't hack their anything.
the miniscule minority that do...well they were not going to spend the money in the first place.
this constant barrage of "it's your fault(general consumer) we're not making crap loads of money", is just creating ill will.
there's gonna be fewer and fewer homeruns in the entertainment industry....just a fact of our current culture.
Most people don't have the know how or the care to mod their systems. Sometimes price is an issue. If you can't solder it yourself, you'll most likely have to send it to a shop somehwere and have someone do it for ya. A lot of people don't want to bother with that.. they don't want to bother with the possible risk of frying your system.
I have a modded PS2 and copy games all the time. I have no problems admitting it. Yeah yeah, I'm a worthless thieving piece of shit, yadda yadda. I'm not justifying it at all, but people have been spreading PC games all over IRC, usenet, P2P, etc... for YEARS. I wouldn't exactly say that the video game industry is suffering because of it.
It doesn't make it okay to do it, but you don't see PC game developers getting up in arms over it (at least, they aren't going on a stampede like the ??AA). UT2004 has been spread all around and it even includes a patch so you can play it online. Compare the sales of 2004 vs the original, which was probably pirated just as much, if not more.
On a more moral note, I've thought about getting a mod for my little seven year old brother's PS2 simply because the games are expensive and he has scratched some already. Granted, they still work, but... at $50 a pop, those things aren't easily replaceable. Sure, I suppose he could be taught to handle them better, but people should still be able to make backup copies of games.
Some might bring up the argument, "Well, with that thinking, how would these companies survive then if everyone did what you're doing?" That's the thing, not everyone does it. I'm sure most people on here know how to go about gettin an ISO of a game if they really wanted it. Does it mean they're going to? The possibility is there, but probably not.
It doesn't justify it, but this type of problem has always existed and always will exist.
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
I have a PS2, bought it in the states, took it with me when I went overseas. Now, I'm not complaining about game release schedules, since I actually *waited* a full three months for the N. America R-Type Final release just to be able to order it from my web vendor of choice.
I'm complaining about games that will most likely never see a stateside release, Super Robot Wars, Growlancer, Macross, Ghost in the Shell (might see a stateside release...). For these games, the only economic alternative would be to mod my PS2, since actually buying a second one would be pretty expensive.
This is not to say that most people out there don't mod their consoles for illegal usage. I drew shocked stares when I hauled out my CD binder full of legit games (be it PC, PS, PS2, etc..). "You... *buy* your games???" Is the question most often asked right after that. I usually give the disgusted answer "Of course, I still like the idea of supporting games and studios I like." (Well, I didn't quite explain the somehow uniquely U.S. concept of second-hand games and 7-day return guarantees, the idea of any sort of legit software usage is lost on my co-workers... yes, I know studios don't make jack off second-hand sales, it's the thought that counts =)
So my question is thus: by modding my PS2, is *insert game dev name here* losing any money from me? I'd say they're actually making more off me buying more games than I otherwise would.
I would say Nintendo got the idea right with the Gameboy... buy one machine, play any game on it, no matter where you buy the game.
I guess all I'm ranting about is: there are still non-illegal gaming uses for modding.
There's another mod chip use that I think people are overlooking, and I feel it is legit, even though some may disagree. That use is getting around region encoding. Like DVDs, modern game consoles, no longer encumbered by mechanical issues like TV standard differences use a system of region codes. This is done so that they can enforce different release dates in places like Europe (It took Final Fantasy X seven months to go from the US to Europe, and they didn't even optimize it for PAL or change any of the spellings of words.) Also, they want to enforce prices, the average new game in the us is $50 as far as I understand, in the EU it's the equivalent of $65, sometimes higher.
:)
Okay, game companies may think it's doing something wrong, but it's just circumventing a system that shouldn't be there at all. By buying the same product on a different continent, you're giving the same giant multinational money, you just don't need to tolerate being treated as a second class market. With mod chips you can do this. Okay, ending my rant
Yup...
Tell that to Tommy Chong
Did I miss something? Were game vendors, the MPAA or the RIAA promised a certain amount of revenue or revenue growth? If not, how can their revenues be "damaged"?
The only thing I can think of is that they're just automatically expecting revenue growth, or they have some model that says X consoles means Y games should be sold.
Either way, why automatically blame piracy for this? Why not blame shitty games, aging console tech, a bad economy, or some other problem?
It kind of reminds me of the computer software industry that counts every pirated copy a lost sale, despite the fact that most of those copies would have never have been 'sold' due to their cost, complexity or sheer lack of use by the person with a copy of them.
I could care less what happens to the console manufacturers as long as they are region coding their games, but I didn't mod my systems so I could play pirate games. When Sony started fixing their games so they wouldn't play in my modded Playstation, I got rid of all my American games (gave them to some kid with an unmodded PSOne). I know I could've re-mod chipped it so it would work, but frankly I was buying too many games for it (both American and Foreign) and supporting Sony by spending a lot on games. Sony won, they very loudly shouted that they didn't want my business and they never got it back, and never will. The only reason why I didn't get rid of my Japanese games and modded Playstation is because they are exotic and only of interest to a few people. It sits in a cardboard box on a shelf in my room, never to be used by me again, probably.
Now that I've built my own up-to-date PC I'm probably going to mainly be buying games for it, a relatively open platform.
All the creatures will die, And all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai. (Jubai, 1605)
The problem for the honest user of the system is that they want to play a backup game, or an import game, etc. The manufacturers of the system make it so hard to do this, that the easiest way to do this is to add a mod chip.
Once the mod chip is in, however, no matter your good intentions, the ability to pay $0 instead of $50 for your next game has a strong arm of persuasion.
Then again, one of the reasons (one, not the only reason) I went with the GameCube is that it is (so far) impossible to pirate games for. I know my limits, and how strong the temptation can be to pirate if given the opportunity.
Perhaps if the system vendors stopped the nonsensical practice of region-coding, and made it very easy and inexpensive to obtain replacement media copies if yours is damaged, the need for legitimate mod chips would be over, and the temptation to pirate would be removed from the living room.
MORTAR COMBAT!
Now I will say that yes, I do know that it's illegal. I don't kid myself by thinking "well, it's for a good cause, so it's OK". And that it probably wasn't the best morality lesson to teach the kid. But you know what...sometimes the moral thing to do isn't the best thing to do. So what....one kid who wasn't born to rich parents gets to enjoy his childhood a little more. I don't feel guilty about giving him that pleasure. Maybe that say more about society then piracy...
I'm don't want to slam you or anything for doing this, after all, I don't really know what I'd do myself (although I've never had/used/installed a mod chip).
First of all, as sad as this is going to sound, if someone couldn't afford a playstation they probably shouldn't have bought one. For someone that a playstation is a big purchase, they ought to have done their homework and figured out that the console is just the start - there's the memory and extra controller, and that doesn't even include a game.
Now ask yourself, is that kid going to be better off in 10 or 20 years because he had a playstation? I doubt it.
And indeed, the lesson you taught him was that if you can't afford it it's OK to steal it. Now, we're not talking about a loaf of bread to feed a starving family, we're talking about something entirely luxerious. TVs, video games, cellphones... these are all luxeries, not essentials.
So you've made the kid and his mom happy, which is fine, but I personally don't find your contribution to society positive. If you wanted to be magnanimous, you should have just bought him a couple of legal games. As others have pointed out, there are plenty of bargain priced and used games out there.
Really, when faced with a situation like this, ask what is going to be the best for the boy in the long run. Receiving stolen goods probably isn't the answer to that question.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
My $0.02 worth:
I sold my Modded Xbox about a year ago. I never really used it to pirate any games. Although I did extend my use of a few rented ones for a couple of days. I sold it and bought a new Xbox that has not, and most likely, will not be Modded. The guy I sold it to knows there's a mod chip in there.. thinks it's great, but wouldn't know how to use it if his life depended on it.
I personally think that all the time waisted on trying to install the mod chip, keep the software current and then to copy and store the games is alot more trouble then just buying the 2 or 4 titles a year I really want and renting the rest.
--Hired Net Grunt
Yes, I think you did miss the release where they announced a product that allows you to stream your movies from a shared network resource.
Of course, you can only stream from a $1500 windows media center PC. It won't let you stream from a 500gb Raid V Samba share, or a NAS device.
I'm just saying that from Company X's point of view a free competing product is definitely going to do some damage.
I wouldn't exactly describe them as "competing products", considering the Media center PC marketshare is miniscule, compared to the number of people with a cheap linux fileserver.
With its current restrictions, Windows Media Center edition is for suckers and old people.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.