Controller Used to Find Stolen Xbox360
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: Microsoft, Xbox, 360, Controller, Console | Themes: Digital Entertainment
A Missouri State student tracked down his stolen Xbox 360 by using the console's wireless controller.
The detective work was actually ingenious on part of Ryan Ketsenburg, a sophomore construction management major. As most Xbox 360 owners know, each controller is registered (synced) with the console, giving the wireless devices exclusive rights to power up and control the hardware remotely. With a range of thirty feet, the controller can activate the Xbox 360 literally from anywhere in the house, whether it's from the bathroom while sitting on the toilet, or outside on the street corner soliciting for Microsoft Points.
According to a report filed with the Springfiled Police Department back on November 21, Ketsenburg discovered that his Xbox 360 console was missing from his dorm room the morning after returning from a trip the night before with his roommate. Tired and diving into bed immediately upon arrival, the students forgot to lock the door, thus allowing the thief to sneak in during the night and steal the gaming console... but without the controller.
After discovering the missing hardware the next morning, Ketsenburg claims that he powered up the controller and observed that the wireless device still connected to the host console remotely.
Evidently, the console still resided in the dorm.
Taking note, Ketsenburg tracked down the console by closely watching the four LEDs on the controller. The LEDs lit up on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors, but remained dark on the third and seventh floors. By process of elimination, he deducted that his Xbox 360 was tucked away in a room on the 5th floor; the LED grew steady as he came closer to the door of the alleged room. After alerting the 5th floor resident assistant, the console was confiscated but not returned to Ketsenburg.
With the hard drive formatted and all of his personal account data lost, the only way Ketsenburg could prove that the Xbox 360 was solely his property was to turn on the console via the registered wireless controller. Apparently, the activation was enough to convince the dorm supervisor of Ketenburg's claims, thus the campus returned the console to its owner. Had the alleged thief pressed the synch button next to the USB flap on the front, Ketenburg's controller may not have ever connected.
Ticked off by the whole incident, Ketenburg plans to take legal action against the alleged thief. "I'm going to try to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, because I had to follow all the rules, so let's make sure it gets done right," Ketsenburg told The Standard.
At the time of the report, the alleged thief had not returned to his dorm room to discover that his prize had been reclaimed. What was the lesson learned here? The Xbox 360 controller may not be able to track down hidden aliens or locate buried money on the beach, but it may come in handy when someone jacks your console.
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this was on anandtech like 2 weeks ago...
jjajajaj q gracioso
Is it me or is this preposterous? What if the console were already powered on? The controllers automagically sync up to any new console in range (making it easy to implement new controllers) so the alleged thief may only be guilty of leaving his console on while he was out. This kid doesn't have the serial number or ANY other evidence that the console was his?
Sorry, but there is probably one Xbox 360 for every 2 dorm rooms at a typical college, so saying "my stolen xbox is in there" and proceeding to find a powered on xbox in that room is some seriously flimsy detective work.
Yep, Alexej this was posted on Anand a while ago. Old news.
Also, just to clarify for Joebob. Xbox 360 controllers are bluetooth controllers. They get paired up with one specific console to avoid situations like dorm confusion (many xboxes in one area). So when you take your controller down the hall to use on someone else's xbox, you have to connect it via cable to have it pair up with that xbox in order for it to work properly (wirelessly at least), and then you'll have to connect it via cable to your own xbox when you return.
Can't a "blank" controller pair up with whatever box is closest without the need for cables or sync buttons? I swear I have never had to perform such theatrics to get any of my controllers to work with my system. Just install batteries, hold the X, and it lights up.
he should have just got a new one anyway the console was going to probably give him the red ring od death any day now LOL
No, that is a security problem that Microsoft specifically did not want to happen.
Wow.... This is old news.
This may be old news to you guys that read multiple tech sites for news. But this is the only one site that I read for tech stuff so I'm glad they posted it. THANKS for posting this interesting news!
This may be old news to you guys that read multiple tech sites for news. But this is the only one site that I read for tech stuff so I'm glad they posted it. THANKS for posting this interesting news!
I advise you find a better tech site then, most people only stop in on their way to the forums. This site is totally worthless in all other respects. Try anandtech, gizmodo, engadget, kotaku.. you'll get your news not only faster, but you'll get a hell of a lot more of it.
Hey JoeBob, you can't just pick up any controller and have it work. It must be paired with the console. It's a task you only need to perform once. You may forgotten all about it. If your 360 RRODs then you'll have to do it again when you receive your newly refurbished unit.
This is my school. So I heard about it before it was online, so ha.
Sorry, couldn't resist, but I did think that it was a smart way to find it. Plus at MSU you have to register the console's MAC address to the jack, if the person who stole it would have tried to hook it up to the net then MSU would have found it for him eventually even if the hard drive was formatted and personal data lost.
So the MAC address would have been saved on his network port registration page and all they had to do was look at the consoles MAC address and voila.
Wouldn't you want to use the serial number on the box and match that up to the console? Also how did the guy format the HDD without syncing another controller?
I'm pretty sure the sync button only sends out a signal that the controller then picks up. So even if he hit the button the original controller would still work...
I would love to see this kid try to sue, only to realize that it isnt the correct xbox.
bluetooth?.....cable?...automatically sync to closest system?....
oh my god really. and half you guys complain about the articles being wrong.
wrong wrong wrong
nice, this is indeed something to think about.