Xbox 360 Update Shuts Out Hackers, Fixes Issues

Gamasutra reports on the update to the Xbox 360's Live element, which fixes a number of bugs and smooths out certain elements of the system. It, allegedly, is also intended to shut out folks trying to hack Microsoft's new console by making the demo disc unusable on retail machines. From the article: "The demo disc in question was produced for Xbox 360 retail demo kiosks, and was found not to contain any copy-protection when hackers obtained their own unauthorized copy of the software in mid-December ... meaning it was possible to run demo versions of the Xbox 360 software on the disc on burned media. Several commenters on website Xbox-Scene seem to confirm that the disc is no longer functional."

Comments

I can understand why . . . .

[denverradiosucks]

I can understand why Microsoft is so protective of their XBox system, but for the sake of covering their own behinds, they have ignored an entire niche market (xbox hackers). I am curious to find out what percentage of original xbox's have mods made to them. There are dozens of different mods out there that enhance what Microsoft has put together.

Instead of shunning these people, embrace them. Give them opportunities to mod the Xbox. Lend them code or reference design information. Do it with the idea that if you do, Microsoft will not honor parts or all of their warranty.

Really, why would Microsoft really care about this? All it is is more Xbox units being sold and more money in their pocket. I see it as a win-win situation.

Re:I can understand why . . . .

[Cutriss]

But at the same time, every Xbox sold helps to create a self-fulfilling prophecy with regards to pitching the console to developers. If you can point at your market and say that there are n million consoles in deployment, even if 1 million of them aren't intended for game purchases, that still makes the market look that much bigger, and those console purchasers aren't exactly locked out from buying future games/accessories for the system, so even if you bought your console just to hack it, you're still just as marketable for the next extreme beach volleyball game as the normal game purchasers. The "clever ploy" fails.

Incidentally, this is one aspect of anti-piracy where the PSP differs greatly from the Xbox. With the Xbox, console hackers would simply lose the ability to play games on Xbox Live, but they could still do system-link and otherwise play their games normally. The PSP's anti-piracy measures force the user to choose between either homebrew or retail games, a distinction which may (in a very small way) be part of the reason why the PSP doesn't sell very many games.

Re:Microsoft screws their biggest fans

[RexRhino]

For me, this is a FEATURE. A gaming console is a gaming console. I think Microsoft's behavior is despicable when it comes to DRM and PC Operating Systems... but when I play a video game, I want to pop in and play, and I don't want to worry about security (some sort of console virus, or just players cheating or being annoying online). I don't need to write a web server for my console, because I can use my PC to do that.

A game console is a toy. A PC is a multipurpose tool. I judge them by a different set of criteria.

The Demo Disc

[Anonymous Coward]

Why prevent the demo disc from being played?
It presumably doesn't contain the full version of the games. This disc is basically free advertising. If people play a copied demo and like what they see, then they'll go out and by the retail copy of the game. Isn't that the entire point of a demo disc?

The only reasonable explanation would be if the disc contained demos from 3rd party publishers, in which case Microsoft is presumably contractually obliged to not distribute their demos outside of the in-store kiosks.

How's this HACKING anyway?

[Moraelin]

Been meaning to ask this since the original "woohoo, 'hackers' released an ISO of an unprotected XBox 360 demo disk" article: how's this hacking anyway? What's the coding or even cracking challenge in making an ISO of a DVD? How's it "news for nerds, stuff that matters"?

It's just piracy, and of the kind that doesn't need any skills. Any kid with a DVD drive and Nero or any other DVD burning program can make an ISO.

Now I can see how, say, finding an exploit to boot Linux on the original XBox was "hacking" (in either meaning of the word you swear by). Or how those people who made the PSP load *ahem* "homebrewn games" (strange how those are only waved around as an excuse to load _pirated_ commercial games) were "hackers".

But pirating an unprotected DVD? Gimme a break.