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Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360 Ban Session
Added by Jeff Gerstmann on Nov. 11, 2008
Microsoft Game Studios, perhaps you've heard of them.
Microsoft Game Studios, perhaps you've heard of them.
The back-corner forums where console modding enthusiasts and/or software pirates get their max-and-relax on have been abuzz for a few days now over a new wave of Xbox 360 bans coming down the wire through Xbox Live. Microsoft does this periodically, because, unsurprisingly, they ain't down with modified consoles and the piracy it enables.

Normally I'd be all pro-mod or whatever, but since there isn't really any sort of homebrew scene on the 360 to justify all that firmware hacking, there isn't much of a good reason to mod your console in the first place. So, if you've been using a modified console online, there's a chance that your system has been banned and won't be able to connect to Xbox Live anymore. Which, really, serves you right for connecting to Live with a modded system in the first place, ya big dope.

Here's what Xbox community kingpin and all-around hustler Larry "Major" Hryb "Nelson" had to say on the topic:

I’ve gotten a few messages and seen some forum threads pop up on console bannings so I thought I’d post and let folks know what’s up. In our our continued effort to keep gameplay safe and secure for our community of more than 14 million members, Microsoft has taken action against a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles that have been illegally modified in order to play pirated games. You should know that modifying your Xbox 360 console is also a violation of the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void your warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.   The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive, both from manufacturers and the local companies that support them. We will continue to employ and bolster anti-piracy security measures to counter piracy in the gaming industry and improve security in the Xbox LIVE community.

The timing makes sense, considering there were probably a bunch of people foolish enough to bootleg the early copies of Gears of War 2 who couldn't resist getting online with it.
Filed under : Larry Hryb, Microsoft Game Studios
47 Comments
alsnuts2 on Nov. 11, 2008
Something to read while i wonder where the bombcast is...

ADF
keoskey on Nov. 11, 2008
same here want my Tuesday bomb cast getting bored because i already finished today's Hotspot podcast on gamespot
PlasmaBeam44 on Nov. 11, 2008
I'm really glad this is happening. It serves those dirty filthy thieves right.
McBain on Nov. 11, 2008
Yes, where is that fun little show they call the Bombcast? 

And I agree, serves them right for connecting to Live with a modded 360. 
Dryker on Nov. 11, 2008
Jeff, lean over to Ryan and find out when the podcast is going up and let us know.
Milkman on Nov. 11, 2008
Good for Microsoft.
oobs on Nov. 11, 2008

well must have got this bit of info after they recorded the bombcast...does anyone still listen to the hotspot?

Snipes424 on Nov. 11, 2008
I'm glad Microsoft is taking action. I can't stand people who cheat on online games, it's really fucking pathetic.
ManMadeGod on Nov. 11, 2008

Someone on my friends list was playing Fallout 3 a good 2 weeks before that game came out; his system has been ban.

Why he was playing the game while connected to live is beyond me, but whatever.

alsnuts2 on Nov. 11, 2008
Truthfully, I cant look at anything on Gamespot with out thinking its a commercial for something.  Their reviews are so sugar coated I think they are giving me diabetes.

What was this news story about again? Like pirates or something? Im not smart enough to mod a system so i dont care.
zoozilla on Nov. 11, 2008
Hey, what happened to my XBL account?
zoozilla on Nov. 11, 2008
Hey, what happened to my XBL account?
dagas on Nov. 11, 2008
Something tells me smart pirates are not cough, but at least they catch some. Modding the 360 doesn't seem worth it. Not being able to access Live, voiding warranty on a system that is likely to break down. I wait until the prices on games drop to about 30 bucks before I buy them that way I stay legal without wasting too much money on games.
Blaster on Nov. 12, 2008
If people got banned from Xbox Live and want to get back to MS. Just buy a  PS3 and some Sony games. Or if you love MS so much just get a new xbox360 and buy  all your games original
bshirk on Nov. 12, 2008
Serves the modders right.  I'm all for technical creativity, but when you disrupt other people's gameplay experience, that's when it gets out of line.  I remember there being many annoying modders on Halo 2 who would cheat to win, and that is probably the case on 360 now as well.  Some people just have too much time on their hands.
StaticFalconar on Nov. 12, 2008
If a 360 red rings on them and they will willingly go out and buy another one, of course they will buy another 360 when they banned; this is how MS keeps the sale numbers up.
WEGGLES on Nov. 12, 2008
I look down on game pirates. I know it makes me a hypocrite, as I pirate a lot of music and movies... but for what ever reason I don't  like video game pirates. :S
TooWalrus on Nov. 12, 2008
Ha, good thing i was too lazy to mod my system and just got GameFly instead.
pedantics on Nov. 12, 2008
if there was a decent mod for 360s, I'd so be all over that shit. especially if it was able to kickfuck the draconian region coding.

but yeah, banning people from a paid service for something that's pretty much impossible to prove (unless microsoft are operating illegal surveillance on their customers) is a bit of a cunt act. I have a DVD burner - that doesn't make me a shifty chinese man selling selling cammed copies of the new bond movie on a picnic blanket on some street corner somewhere.

p.s. some of my best friends are chinese and intellectual property thiefs.
woodelf86 on Nov. 12, 2008
I have a buddy who has a modded 360 because his red ringed so he got it off Craigs list, now he is banned and I am laughing my ass off because I warned him Microsoft likes to do this.   It just goes to show you that being honest and supporting the industry we all love has it's advantages
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