Doesn't the 360 log when you played a game? Play a game before launch and well, wouldn't be too hard to see who is pirating and who isn't. I'm not at home so I can't check...

Way to go Microsoft!!! This is the first time I've seen them do something right for a long time!!!

Developers will start to feel more confident that their games won't be pirated and release more titles!

All i can say is good. Valve started doing the same thing years ago. Hope it catchs on. Though valve was more vs cheating which is more what i care about. Pirating a game to try it first is fine by me. Me like alot of people are sick of spending $50 for a game that sux since there are more bad games made now then good ones its nice to find out before you buy it. Though if you know your going to like it and your a "fanboy" so to speak of a game just buy the damn thing.

Embedding a Trojan in a recently released game that will auto install but remain inactive unless the console detect hardware mod in which case the Trojan will "switch on" at a pre-determined date.

@ EnFoRceR22

Pirating a game because you don't think it's good is not a legitimate excuse. If you can't afford to buy/rent games, you shouldn't play them. I'm glad Microsoft is banning users who pirate games, and I wish they'd get them all. Who knows, maybe the NXE will even help combat piracy.

only if we could have gotten some sort of system to work with pc...=[

Last time i checked i couldnt rent PC games. i wouldnt own a console for any reason i was just stating a opinion. I wasnt making a excuse i made it pretty clear i didnt care if they thought it was bad. Im just not going to spend $50 a month buying a game for 2 years to finaly buy one worth playing for more then 20 minutes. Sorry but i could care less if people think thats a bad thing.

I suppose if i wanted to i could just simply burn $50 here and there for the same enjoyment i would get out of buying a box of crap but yeah just not going there.

Here is a nice thought though. I know alot of pc games have demos something that has dropped off to much and i know they made demos for consoles. Maybe some time limited full fetured demos are in order If i had a game i could sit down and play for say 3 hours to try the baby out that could be all i needed.

Sorry to all the bleeding hearts that think you should buy every game you think might be good but give me a break. I could buy up to 8 give or take games a month as it is. Why do you people insist people buy every single thing they try for a hour or two. I miss the days of freeware and shareware were you could try everything before buying it. Course in those days almost everygame was worth buying and always had replay value in its own way. Now its a gamble if its even worth putting in the tray to begin with. So im sorry but im not much for gambling

On a side note if its a game that says securom im sorry but im a evil pirate downloading the none securom version of that one game that has it thats good. if EA dont like it i got something they can kiss.

Frankly I agree somewhat with Enforcer.


FYI to the holy rollers out there. I buy on average 6 to 15 PC Games each year so suck it. I hate getting burned buy crappy purchases so I rely heavily on demos, reviews when I can.

This may have been pretty clever.

If they released games that had been patched specifically to alert Microsoft of the pirated product. You lose one game, and kill a pirate.

I agree somewhat with enforcer as well. I hate wasting my hard-earned cash to support some company that's just going to reinvest it putting out more crapware. Rather than alienate good custumers trying to protect their crappy products, there are some better steps they could take.

1. Make demos a regular part of the product and release schedule.
2. Make good games.

The successful companies have learned this.

I don't own a Xbox or any console for that matter but was curious what would happen if someone unknowingly buys a used "Banned" Xbox off Craigslist or ebay for example. Is that buyer out of luck? I think that would be a major problem and causes further PR problems with Microsoft on potential new customers.

Personally, I would never buy a piece of equipment that some third party has power over me an tells me what I can and can not do with it and remotely disables my property.

If I buy it, it's mine. If there's some corp overhead that will prevent what I buy from working how it was supposed to work after I play around with it, then they don't get my money.

Open source. Open Mind.

To hell with the MS's B.S.

Cheers,

But guys, Microsoft IS THE maker of the console. They're NOT the third party, so they have control, just like how Apple retains control even after you buy their system through closed computer model...

Yet another reason to not buy an xbox. I was considering it eventually for games like dead or alive volley ball or whatever other DOA game is available (for obvious reasons) and maybe some other games too but if I have to worry about komrade security check every time I start up a game and also the FACT that all the solder melting off the bottom of the circuit boards of the xbox after only a few hours of gameplay then I don't need such a communist waste of time.

@EnFoRceR22

You obviously know absolutely nothing about the XBOX 360. Practically all games have a demo available through XBOX Live and they give a GREAT preview of what you are going to get. There's not rational reason to pirate games, and Microsoft has given ample information for each game to determine if you like it or not.

As for the PC, I still don't agree with your argument. Almost all game publishers provide great information about each game through sites like Gamespot where you can watch actual gameplay footage, interact with other people who own the game, and a lot of games even provide a demo (especially those that show up on Steam).

Also, if you're buying 8 games a month then you've got a bad case of ADHD and need some medical help.

Microsoft is banning these system from XBOX Live, not disabling the systems.

This has nothing to do with pirating. Modding does not = pirating. Modding = changing hardware and OS. Pirating = stealing software. The two are not the same. Some of you commenting seem to be confusing the two. Modding = unfair advantage in games, hence "Go Microsoft!"

No i said i could buy 8 games a month but yes i do have a bad case of ADHD. No i said i was pretty sure they had demos for the xbox but your right i dont really know alot about the system its self. But for me words on paper and actualy playing the game its self are two totaly different things. i can hear about it all day or read about it but often times peoples opinions and whats written just hype me and get me to buy a game that was just crap wrapped in a pretty package.

Like i said though if a game is good and it gives me the replay value i will go buy the game either at the store or via digital download. If its not you really think i need spend upwords of $70 for a game to play it for 3 hours to find out it is crap? seriously?

Those game stores here dont have playable demos of any PC games which is really all i play anywyas so my argument wasnt to bleed over to consoles where most gaming stores tend to have demo machines.

But i will say i try and find demos before i go to torrent.

finally!

http://www.retailmenot.com/forum/l [...] money.html

@malveaux

Maybe you have legit reasons for wanting to mod your xbox, I know I have my own for wanting to put custom firmware on my routers, but what are you really trying to say?

Are you saying it's ok for people to play pirated games on Xbox Live?

Are you saying people don't really need to pay for games, good or bad, that company spent (or wasted) hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop, produce and market?

Yes, there are crap titles out there that don't deserve your 60$. I call those rentals. 7$ for 7 days at my local video store.

In most cases, hardware of software modding voids warranties. I know that flashing custom firmware on my linksys router and soldering a com port or sd card reader will void my warranty. Sure, you can do what you want with it. Just don't come crying when it doesn't work anymore.

Nowhere on the retail box for the 360 or in the EULA for Live do I see any reference to "Open Source" or "GPL". If you didn't agree with the fact that you couldn't do what you wanted with what you bought (and this comment works just as well for DRM'd music) then you shouldn't have bought it!

Keep it real guys. I hate DRM like any other guy, and considering the EA DRM debacles on their PC games, I can almost applaud pirating games. Almost, if not for the fact that piracy is what caused the whole DRM craze in the first place. As for pirating games on the 360, if there is any DRM, it's pretty transparent and a non issue in my opinion.

@falconqc:

A lot of people modify their Xbox 360s to be able to protect their investment. The console has been known to scratch discs beyond repair. People should have the right to make a backup copy of something that they paid for. MS is banning modified consoles, regardless of the reason. Granted, people who modify it KNOW that there is the possibility of getting banned. So, they know the risk ahead of time. Also, on a side note, MS is seriously behind in this battle. They have made numerous rounds of banning and none of the people I know with modified consoles have been banned. Also, their previous methods of detecting modded boxes resulted in a lot of bans on unmodified boxes. Apparently, DVD drives with more wear on the laser were giving them false positives. So, I think it's pretty obvious that MS is limited in what they can do this time, especially if they have to resort to detecting pre-release versions of games.

If you play pirated game you cannot bitch about being banned. You not only cost the industry millions but it's the legit users who pay for your crime (it is a criminal offence). If you cannot afford to pay then don't buy a console, if you cannot afford to pay for your own rent, rates, food or indeed cigarettes or booze then get a job and pay your way rather than sponging of others. I have no sympathy towards those that modify their consoles to play pirated games. There is plenty of options to try games, read reviews to work out if a game is worth buying. Just don't expect us to believe that those modified consoles are for testing games prior to paying for them legit. More like, most that play pirate games are out of work and cannot pay for legit games and expect others to pay for their crime via inflated software prices. Not only do they now expect others to pay for their rent, rates, food and the like but bitch when they get caught playing pirated games. If they got of their good for nothing backsides, got a job they would be able to pay the going rate for genuine games, pay their own rent, rates and taxes and not only contribute to society which brings its own rewards but maybe feel better about themselves. If you bought a modified connsole without knowing about it and never played pirated games then I do feel for you. Sadly though it's buyer beware, uless the guy selling it stipulated it was not a banned cosole you ain't going to get much in the way of redress from the seller via the courts. However it has nothing to do with Microsoft, there terms are simple you play with a modified console for playing copied games you are breaking the rules and the hammer will fall sooner than later if you use XBL. Not only this but all games in the future will require an update to play, this will force pirates off XBL but in the long run stop the pirates dead in their tracks. So for those that pirate or play pirated games on XBL suck it up because if you ain't already banned it's going to happen sooner than later. The gravy train inspector is checking all your tickets, you can either get of the train fast or buy a ticket at full price like the rest of us.

As for the scratched disk comment, come on you can buy a disc repair system from most electrical outlets for £20. I have in the past repaired a couple of disks that have been very badly scratched due to my dog knocking the console over whilst playing. Who you trying to convice us or yourself. Modified consoles are for playing pirated games not for those that wish to back up legit games they own. IF you get banned for playing pirated games or having a modified console at least have the Brazils to admit it!

Okay, how pirate (the one who plays burnt DVD-DL games) can disturb safety and security of Xbox LIVE? Can anyone really answer me on that question? For example, Russian users of xbox360 usually pay for Gold LIVE and MSPoints, but how to pay for game about 50-60$? I'd rather torrent the game and pay 1.5$ for blank DVD-DL. You say that poor game developers suck their thumbs due to piracy of their new releases. It is due to stupid game-region-price YOU are all being pirated, and for piece-a-$hited games too. Check for example graphics/car destruct model in GRID and NFS UC. So now will you agree that both games worth 50-60$? Modify your prices for different country earnings of workers (is marketing still alive?) and game-$hitlists. It is the only way you can damage piracy. If you see a game with "real" price (not too low, not too high) or have do deal with pirating issues, what will you choose? And what will you choose if you see the only option - the piracy? Have a nice thoughts!

this might sound crazyz but i heard hacker are making a new firmware thats in possible to get caught. i cant wait