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Microsoft Bans Modified Xbox 360s From Xbox Live
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has now officially started banning Xbox 360s that have had their DVD drive firmware modified from Live, possibly using information brought in by the Crackdown-originated Halo 3 beta downloads. Scene site forums have already collapsed under traffic, and Microsoft has officially confirmed that they are banning modded Xbox 360s to keep the online playing field fair and level."
It's keeping it fair by not letting people who didn't pay for the game enjoy the service.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
What does banning altered consoles have to do with keeping online play 'fair and level'?
I thought that copies are identical to the originals.
One might say that using a modified XBox could mean hacked console firmware to gain unfair advantages, like visual aids, gfx drivers clip hacks, aimbots, tricks with skins, etc.
Another one might say that this is FUD applied to online gaming. After all, we're talking about Microsoft.
I don't see an problem with Microsoft banning people with DVD drives modified to play copied games. It makes it fair for the honest people who payed good money to play. If people with unmodified boxes start getting banned by mistake, then that would be something to worry about.
There's nothing wrong with anti-piracy measures so long as they're unobtrusive and don't effect people with legitimate copies.
In an ideal world people would be able to mod their DVD players to their heart's content without having to worry about things like this.
Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. As a Live player who frequently encounters modders who use their modifications to gain unfair (read ridiculous) advantage over the competition. It's no fun to play the game and service you're paying for when you have opponents with auto-aiming snipers that shoot through walls. Or even if they can just fly (a far more rare and less threatening occurrence that is nonetheless not an exaggeration. As long as stuff like that exists banning modded 360's from live is a good way to protect the greatest part of your paying customer base from such behavior.
You can. They just don't want you to play online against people who have OEM consoles.
If they didn't want you to mod the box at all, they could just brick it.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
It's their network, why shouldn't they ban people that don't play by their rules?
I say this as somebody that purchased a 360 less than a week ago, and loaded up the hacked firmware for my drive less than 24 hours ago.
Am I bummed? Not really. It's a private network, they can do whatever they like with it. Doing anything I want with my hardware sure as shit is my right, but I shouldn't expect other people to be forced to allow me to play on their servers like it's some base human right being violated.
One might say that using a modified XBox could mean hacked console firmware to gain unfair advantages, like visual aids, gfx drivers clip hacks, aimbots, tricks with skins, etc.
Another one might say that this is FUD applied to online gaming. After all, we're talking about Microsoft.
Yup, you nailed it. When talking about Microsoft, boring logic steps back to make way for our creative imagination!
"What I'm saying is that unlike software (including music), you don't buy a license to use/listen to it."
No, with Live that's exactly what you do.
"You buy the physical hardware and you can do whatever you want to it."
Knock yourself out, but purchasing the hardware doesn't automatically give you the right to access Microsoft's network facilities on your terms rather than theirs.
Look, man, if you want it any more fair than a level playing ground, participate in the special Olympics. Microsoft might suck, a lot, but by no means is it obligated to help everyone feel better about themselves.
1. The 360 is popular because it's a very good product. As is. If someone from "free software land" buys it, they're presumably not buying it to install Linux and turn it into a networked bagel toaster control center.
2. Even if the 360 were highly-moddable and could easily run Linux and function as a workstation and do all kinds of unexpected and exciting things, why should we let the modded Xbox on Live? And why would the modder care at all about being banned from Live? The only modders who would care about that are "pirates" and people who cheat at games.
3. Finally, MS doesn't make much money on things 360. Not yet, anyway. And really, regardless of how I feel about MS's style of competition and no matter what I might like or dislike about them, I don't lose sleep whenever I think about them making money. It's not like they're using the money to burn down forests and put lead in grade school water supplies.
http://nerdcartoons.com/
Like I did with the original Xbox, I believe it would just be a lot easier to own two of them, mod one, and use the other for Xbox Live. Of course, this only becomes more feasible when the console drops in price (or you buy a used one on eBay or similar to mod of course), but in my experience, is the path of least resistance.
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
You might not prefer a Wii if you owned a 50" HDTV. The difference is night-and-day. Its really too bad that Nintendo couldn't manage 720p.
Another good sports analogy that also covers the "I'm free to do what I want with my hardware" argument: corked bats in baseball. Sure, you're free to modify and cork your bat all you want, but that doesn't mean Major League Baseball is going to let you use it in real games.
It is.
When you spend some time in FPS games, you sooner or later get accused of cheating. Happens even to me from time to time. Personally, I shrug it off as some sign of respect, i.e. that I have to be kinda good to make people think I cheat. Sadly, the truth is probably closer to them being completely inapt. But having my delusions help me think I don't suck as badly as I do.
A prime example would be BF2142 and its myriad ways of detecting enemy presence. Aside of a commander ability that shows all enemies on a mini-map, you can, provided you have the necessary goodies unlocked, do it yourself to some limited extent.
When now someone runs past you, cloaked, and you start shooting him, rest assured that sooner or later a claim of cheating will follow. Ignoring that the "class" you play gets a bonus at detecting cloaked enemies, that you see him as a huge red dot on the mini-map and that you can hear his cloaking device give off a quite annoying whine. Follow your ears and that predator-like blur and you got him in no time.
In other words, any moron with half a clue would've seen him. Still, you can be certain, after you got him a few times (using every time exactly the same approach and you killing him every time exactly at the same spot, which is THE best known "sneak past the enemy" spot on the map to boot), you'll hear laments of cheating.
99% of the false cheating accusations can be traced back to a few reasons:
First, the other player knows the map VERY well and knows what approaches you can come from and where you can't come from. If there's only ONE corridor you can take, he won't bother checking the others.
Second, some games have "radar". Allowed radar, not cheated. Especially the more sci-fi oriented FPSs do. If you ignore it, your loss. Others use it to efficiency.
Third, experience. After playing a few 100 hours, you CAN actually do a headshot with a snapshot. Doesn't work all the time, but I know usually just where I have to direct my facing before switching to the sniper scope to have your head right where it should be. And yes, there are people who can sync-switch weapons, giving you a 99% health taking bullet to the body and switch over to sidearms. There are people who know exactly how long your gun reloads and who count your shots.
Fourth, teamwork. Even without any "real" verbal communication, a lot of games implement now ways to tell your team buddies where the baddies are. No, he didn't see you sneak up. But one of his buddies did and warned him in time to switch from sniper rifle to sidearm, twist around and cap you before you could knife him.
And so on. The list is far from complete, but accusations of cheating in modern games are usually false. Unless people blatantly abuse bugs in the game (like, sinking inside walls so they can't be shot or similar stuff), or blatant use of aimbots, you won't be able to see the difference of a really good gamer and a cheater.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Its not like flashing the drive lets you run cheats or install your aimbot.
:)
Actually . . .
Google "Coalesced.ini" to see how Gears of War had its ranked leaderboard hijacked by people who were enabled by flashing the drive.
Of course I am not niave enough to think that this is MS's primary motivation here