Microsoft Dishing Out Perma-Bans To Halo: Reach Thieves

 
There are a number of stages here....
 
1)  Modifying hardware or software you own is a right.   It's the people who take the time to learn how to do this that make technology move forward.
 
2)  Hacking software, even if it's acquired by poking through some (virtual) fences, is fine, so long as you cause no damage to other's property.      Hacking the software to make it work or see what the code is doing is also justified .   Again, the people that do this are the ones that strive to make technology - the internet, software, etc - better.    The company has every right to keep you off their network if you are caught, even if they'd be better served by offering you a job.
 
3)  Hacking (or downloading) a game to actually play it (rather then just to hack it) is wrong.     They have every right to ban you for life, and then some.
 
4)  Selling, or attempting to profit in ANY WAY on someone else's software is wholly reprehensible.     You should be prosecuted.

The used game market feeds money indirectly to game publishers and developers.  People sell new games, take the cash, and buy more new games.  People who buy used games wouldn't buy the new game if the used game wasn't available.  The $60 is above their threshold so they would just buy some other form of entertainment.  It's not even a lost game sale.  The used game market allows them to funnel some $$ to new game buyers and prop up the $60 price point.
 
People who say buying a used game is the same as piracy do not understand even the most basic economics.  They aren't qualified to have an opinion.

" Yeah, I guess you can't jail them on that charge. However, there needs to be some sort of way to deter pirates from stealing games. Sadly, piracy has been around for years. It has been around since the days of the floppy disc.  Bans are the best they can do at this point until they can find a way to create software and hardware that nobody can hack. "

Zammo says 'Dont do Drugs' 
 
wait...the guitarist from Rage stole Halo. 
Thats fucked up man. Fight the power.

A quick search of Thepiratebay revealed that the current leaked version only works with JTAG consoles. If you try to get on Live with one of those, you'll get banned anyway.

" @EternalDarkWing said: 

They should arrest and jail people who buy used games too, since they aren't giving money to the original company either. "

  That makes absolutely no sense. "

I don't think Microsoft has any confirmed kills with this policy
Only an aborted abortion would have a JTAG unit on Live
 
For those crying about that second-hand market, it's called the first-sale doctrine
Thanks

I'm glad they're getting punished. It's not like pirating is going to keep Halo from making millions, but still.

At least going through this previously with Halo3, this might make it a bit easier for Bungie to hunt down the idiots who pirate the game.

"

I have mixed feelings on this.  On one hand, it's hard to be sympathetic with a person with an illegitimate copy who is so stupid.

On the other hand, it's a luxury service that's completely unnecessary and gets shared by families.  Permanently banning someone, especially a first time offender who is clearly so stupid (or ill informed) sounds like bad business practice to me.

I dislike harsh services like that, and won't spend significant amounts of money on them.

"

For the most part these big announcements are warnings for people who aren't already pirating, anyone who is actively pirating... anything... probably is used to just ignoring this stuff.  
 
It's been a long time since I pirated games, and I never got into console piracy(soldering iron!?) but I'm sure almost everyone pirates stuff like music, or movies, or porn, so I find it funny when people get holier than thou.    I remember when what Tivo does, tape shows, used to be illegal.  Also remember when it was illegal to tape at a concert before everyone and their uncle had a camera phone.
 
No I'm not trying to encourage kids to pirate, but it has become a part of our world. 

" @DragonBloodthirsty said:

"

I have mixed feelings on this.  On one hand, it's hard to be sympathetic with a person with an illegitimate copy who is so stupid.

On the other hand, it's a luxury service that's completely unnecessary and gets shared by families.  Permanently banning someone, especially a first time offender who is clearly so stupid (or ill informed) sounds like bad business practice to me.

I dislike harsh services like that, and won't spend significant amounts of money on them.

"

I don't see how anyone can have mixed feelings about this ... they played a pirated copy of a game, they get banned, easy as that. Sometimes it's a simple black and white choice. "

Well, as soon as you stop red ringing my  360 Microsoft, I'll make sure to stop stealing your game.

Nice article Mr Nicholson. I'm impressed. :-)

There's a new Halo coming out?  What's all this about? 

" Congrats on making all those people perma-pirates "

" @EternalDarkWing said: 

They should arrest and jail people who buy used games too, since they aren't giving money to the original company either. "

  That makes absolutely no sense. " 

" @bybeach: Yet almost all of the pirates I know will gladly waste €50+ on alcohol on a single night than buying a game that they've played. Yes they are students. "

its quite ironic that its the hard core gamers that are contributing to the death of the gaming industry...

" @Bluethunder35 said:

The only way they can stop this BS is to have these pirates arrested and jailed. They need to make an example out of them. "

They should arrest and jail people who buy used games too, since they aren't giving money to the original company either. "

The number of people here suggesting bodily harm to punish pirates scares me.

This game will still sell like pan cakes. 
This reminds me of that episode of South Park where they show the sad and depressing lives of million-aires and they're "suffering" due to piracy. 
Not that I support it.

" The number of people here suggesting bodily harm to punish pirates scares me. "

I don't get how people go through the trouble of modding their 360 and then still play the games online.  All you have to do to not get banned is play offline.  You can even alter the dates you unlock achievements if you want to go that far.  

Ban-hamma.... don't hurt'em!

Microsoft shouldn't have put themselves in this position.  They didn't need to put Reach on XBL and give it to journalists.  Of course the sites readers will be told that a digital copy is available, and soon enough it'll be cracked.
 
Stupid Microsoft, this isn't Crackdown (which they did the same digital download for).  Tons of people are wildly passionate about Halo and are willing to jump though legal and moral hoops to play.

Who really cares if some guys pirated it. If your not into pirating don't participate. 
 
Im welling to bet half the people who care about this are also more than willing to download a music album.

Haha I really like the Tom Morello tag on the picture. For those who don't remember, when the first screenshots of Reach were leaked they were covered with a similar Tom Morello tag. So yeah......

Piracy!? On Consoles!?

Hahaha, they deserve it.

Not really Halo, but there was a co-worker who had a modded 360 and I didn't really care. Then he started talking about getting advance copies of games and the one the really pissed me off was when he had Street Fighter 4 before I could buy it. He had it for free, downloaded off a torrent. $60 dollars saved and turned out he didn't like the game. But I was still upset because I wasn't breaking the law, he was stealing and a game like SF4 should be supported with a purchase. But piracy is tempting. 
 
But seriously, people worked on these projects and $60 dollars may not sound like much but it adds up people. That one song you downloaded, it adds up. I have learned that if I really want something, I wait till it is affordable or I save up my cash and buy it legit. Not because I'm worried about the cops breaking down my door for pirating but because it hurts the people that worked on getting things that make us happy.

Buying 2nd hand games is kinda stealing, because you are opting to provide absolutely no money to the publisher / developer in exchange for the product. Just because money is exchanged doesn't make it any better than piracy - all the money is going to the retailer (who had absolutely no input in the game's development) and none to the creators who use the revenue generated to fiscally support their lives.  The retailers are simply leeching off someone's hard (and creative / passionate) work.

People argue that the same 2nd hand system exists within the music, book, clothing and car industry and therefore it is validated. But in all instances, the same issues apply. Personally, I couldn't care less if a car manufacturer gets any of my money, because I care little for cars. But when it comes to supporting something I love (games, books music) and specific developers, authors and musicians, then I have a duty to exchange money for their creation, thereby enabling them to continue to provide me with further creations that I can take pleasure from. Buying 2nd hand does not enable this and nor does pirating - so where's the difference? Just because the law says one is legal and the other isn't doesn't justify either system - its a question of moral integrity, not bureaucratic law.
 
If you love a game and want a sequel, or admire a developer and want them to continue to create games, you should buy their product 1st hand and around release - leaving it until a retailer slashes prices doesn't help cause at that point they're just offing stock (but that's a whole different story). Buying second hand and smugly claiming yourself superior to pirates is hypocritical and a fallacy.

C'mon that topic isn't really worth reporting about. EVERY game on the 360 comes out before its release date so I am wondering what all the fuzz is about, sure it's Halo but it wasn't any different with Halo 3 or even Halo 2. These news are even less important because the pirated copy only runs on JTAG 360s so the banning thing only applies to a small number of users compared to the regular piracy. Get real news...

We ain't talking piracy here, cause the game isn't actually released, it's more like a prototype theft, then again, why have such vital things available on some network is beyond me anyway, and whoever does that ought to learn from their mistakes like VALVe did with their HL2 source code fiasco years back - keep such things of the network in a safe environment.  
 
On the other hand I've to stress again here, that the pricing on games is outrageous the last few years. Piracy could be controlled if the prices would be affordable for the masses, as of right now even with two salaries in the household I can't afford more then 2 games a month (well I could afford 10, but then there's the priority rule food & decent living before entertainment).  
 
Take a look at Steam today, Worms Reloaded selling for $15 is killing every other game at the moment, people are buying it in masses. If games like Mafia II, Halo, Crysis, etc. you name it, would launch at $15-$30 and not $55-$80 people would buy a lot more games.  
 
If you slash the price of $60 in half I guarantee you, you will sell 10 more copies. 

Learn your lesson!
 
Piracy is ONLY for PC games!

" Learn your lesson!  Piracy is ONLY for PC games! "

Fair call.

Big brother is watching you .. And you pay them to do so ..  Scary.

Wow, now that's what I call DRM. I didn't know the game will be out at sept 15th. I don't have a xbox360, however ppl knowing this should wait it out if they do care.

" Microsoft shouldn't have put themselves in this position.  They didn't need to put Reach on XBL and give it to journalists.  Of course the sites readers will be told that a digital copy is available, and soon enough it'll be cracked.  Stupid Microsoft, this isn't Crackdown (which they did the same digital download for).  Tons of people are wildly passionate about Halo and are willing to jump though legal and moral hoops to play. "

" We ain't talking piracy here, cause the game isn't actually released, it's more like a prototype theft,

"Buying 2nd hand games is kinda stealing, because you are opting to provide absolutely no money to the publisher / developer in exchange for the product.  

If you love a game and want a sequel, or admire a developer and want them to continue to create games, you should buy their product 1st hand and around release 

Buying second hand and smugly claiming yourself superior to pirates is hypocritical and a fallacy. 

all i can do is laugh at this.  if you're dumb enough to go on xbl with an illegally gotten game then you fucking deserved to get perma-banned.  it'd be like a movie theater showing torrents with watermarks and not expecting to get shutdown.
as for the workaround of buying another console, getting a new ip and xbl account, that's even better.  microsoft basically just forced you to buy their shit, hah!

Don't they always perma ban people who get their games early?

The solution: Just don't play online.

" @Bluethunder35 said:

" JACKPOT!!! I feel like I won the Megabucks in Vegas. Quest Completed. Alright...  As I have posted in the Halo:Reach board, banning Xbox Live accounts forever isn't going to stop piracy. These pieces of garbage will just buy another 360, get another IP address and another XBL account. Someone told me that they even have moddee 360s that allow them to unban themselves.  The only way they can stop this BS is to have these pirates arrested and jailed. They need to make an example out of them. "

Pretty sure you don't get jail time for piracy. Its a civil manner, not a criminal manner. So Microsoft would have to sue the offenders and take them to court to punish them, just like the RIAA does with people who pirate music. Hopefully Microsoft realizes that isn't what should be done because its not going to stop anyone from actually pirating and its just going give the offenders more punishment than they deserve. I'm not saying I agree with pirating anything, but people getting sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars for downloading a few songs/movies/games is outrageous. There is no way to stop piracy altogether. The best they can do is beef up their security on things like this and keep banning people that have been caught. "

" @dvorak: Not entirely since people will be playing Halo for multiplayer. "