Are you ready for Microsoft to remotely scan your Xbox? (1 Viewer)

[John Kilroy]

You might want to click here if you're a beta tester.
"Microsoft has backtracked on an earlier pledge not to use its Xbox Live online gaming service to crack down on modified chips which enable the console to run copied game discs and unlicensed software.
A 14-page user agreement and privacy notice included with the first Xbox Live kits sent to beta testers specifies that Microsoft reserves the right to revoke Xbox Live privileges for anyone with a chipped Xbox and to scan consoles on the network to enforce its rights."
For the modders that do so for piracy purposes, serves 'em right.

 

[BrianB]

They've hardly backtracked - the previous "pledge" was hardly a huge declaration. They're 'reserving the right' to check for modchips, and I'm completely unsuprised they're choosing to do so.

 

[John Kilroy]

I'm not sure what the author's source is for the first paragraph. I can't imagine Microsoft publishing a press release wherein they pledge to not check for modders on their system. I'm sure Xbox live is optimized for the standard factory Xbox, so keeping modders off line will make a better online experience for us all.

My online gaming experience has been limited to a just a little on the Dreamcast. I hear that there is a lot of cheating online. What does that mean? How do people cheat, and will this measure reduce cheating?

 

[BrianB]

My online gaming experience has been limited to a just a little on the Dreamcast. I hear that there is a lot of cheating online. What does that mean? How do people cheat, and will this measure reduce cheating?

It's rampant on the PC in first person shooters & the likes of Diablo, and PSO had a LOT of kiddies playing with hacks on the DC.

Basically, cheats range from duplicating items & hacking about with a player's own inventory to get more items & higher level items etc, hacking stats to have a stronger player than they should etc, to the likes of fps where there are cheats to see through walls, always hit a target when you're shooting etc.

 

[Dave Falasco]

I shouldn't even participate in this discussion because I've played very few games online. The only thing I have to contribute is that from what I have read, cheating is more of a problem with PC games. People figure out how to hack the code so that their characters can't be killed, or can see through walls, or have unlimited ammo, etc. I don't think that kind of cheating will be easy to do on a console, especially without a keyboard. The other ways to "cheat" are things like player-killing, where a person will consistently frag his own teammates. It seems especially irksome when someone camps out by the respawn point and just keeps blasting another player as soon as he regenerates. There probably isn't a lot that can be done to prevent that sort of cheating (or quitting a sports game if you are losing), but if stats are kept as far as how many friendly kills a person has or how many times a player has quit in the middle of a game or fight, it may make it easier to identify the dirtbags and avoid them.

I'm sure someone with a lot more experience than I will chime in soon with some real insight.

 

[Chris Duran]

I've heard of some problems with cheaters on the PS2 using the Gameshark to cheat while playing SOCOM online. Good thing there is no Gameshark for the XBOX yet.

 

[Frederick]

You can use the Gameshark when playing online?!?! What's the point in playing online if you can't die? Isn't the point in playing with other people the challenge it presents over killing `bots all the time?


Freddy C.

 

[Romier S]

What's the point in playing online if you can't die? Isn't the point in playing with other people the challenge it presents over killing `bots all the time?

Nope, the point of playing online is to be "uber" didn't you know that?
Being serious though, the above statement is the saddening truth. Some people get online and just want to dominate as easily and quickly possible. Many don't care to hone thier skills over time or learn to play the game so that you can be a good player. They use thier cheats and take the easy way out.
Its the main reason why you have to find a good group of friends to play regularly with. You can avoid the cheating and get to exactly what you said "The challenge of playing with other people".

 

[Ricky Hustle]

I'm glad MS is doing this. Modded systems that allow a user to play pirated games are terrible for the industry, driving the price up games ever upward.

Fuck the pirates, I hope to see none of them on Xbox-live.

 

[BrianB]

I'm glad MS is doing this. Modded systems that allow a user to play pirated games are terrible for the industry, driving the price up games ever upward.

There's a whole bunch of perfectly valid reasons to get modded, y'know. Not everyone with a modded XBox is a pirate.

 

[MikeAlletto]

I'm glad MS is doing this. Modded systems that allow a user to play pirated games are terrible for the industry, driving the price up games ever upward.

This is typical Microsoft. This is just the beginning. For now its just scanning your console to see if its modded or not. Whats next? They constantly push the limit as to how invasive they can be on people computers and now they are seeing how far they can go with consoles. How long before someone writes something to sit inline on a computer and intercept the packets and filter out the microsoft scans before the feed gets into the xbox?

 

[Ricky Hustle]

Whats next? They constantly push the limit as to how invasive they can be on people computers and now they are seeing how far they can go with consoles.

I guess that this just doesn't bother me as much as it does other people. I know I'm in the minority here, but what MS is doing is within their rights as far I am concerned with the Xbox mod detection.

 

[BrianB]

Everyone I know that modded is.

Then you need better friends I'm not doubting that a LOT of modders are into it for "cheap" games, but it's far from all of them. Modding is the only way to play other region games without resorting to two machines, for example. The only machine I own that isn't "region free" in some way is my XBox for example (because there isn't a solution out I'm happy with yet). I've spent a good chunk of cash on import games and hardware over the years. A good friend of mine in the UK just chipped his US Xbox so he can play a couple of Japanese games for example.
It's the hardcore gamers that import that lose out with the argument of "all modding is evil".

 

[Kelley_B]

It's the hardcore gamers that import that lose out with the argument of "all modding is evil".

Exactly.

 

[Romier S]

It's the hardcore gamers that import that lose out with the argument of "all modding is evil".

Absolutely agree!

 

[Ricky Hustle]

Then you need better friends

Hey! I cant help it if they are lowlives! Acquaitences is what I actually meant anyway. My true friends are on the up and up.

 

[BrianB]

, Rick.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

You don't even need a mod chip to play copied games for some consoles. There's a way to do this for the PSX that was shown on The Screen Savers (TechTV) a while ago. It's only a matter of time before they find out how to do this with other consoles.

I look at this as no big deal. MS is providing people the X-Boxes for a price, and once a person buys an X-Box, they can do with it whatever they want. If MS doesn't like what they're doing with it, then they can refuse to give them extra services.

So you have to make a choice: mod your X-Box or play games online? If you mod your X-Box, I think you shouldn't be complaining. You don't get online games, but you get to play games from around the world, which gives you something others don't have.

 

[Dave F]

You can still mod & play online (well, you could if Xbox Live was live ). The decent mod chips allow you to turn it off & revert to the original bios & settings, making it just like a stock Xbox.
I suck at soldering though, so right now I can't mod and I can't play online.
-Dave

 

[Romier S]

If you mod your X-Box, I think you shouldn't be complaining.

I've modded my PS2, my Dreamcast and I am in the process of getting my Gamecube modded. I was never hugely into the import scene until a year or two back but now I spend a good bit of money on import games.
I do not play pirated games. Believe me working for an ISP my work environment is wrought with pirates. Hell I think 90% of the people here should have patches over one eye and a peg leg. Everything from movies, software to burned games. You want it, come to my job. I've had every oppurtunity in the world to go ahead and have every damn Dreamcast/PS2 game at my grubby little fingertips but I refused and spent my money to support the gaming industry.
You offered alternatives to modding in your post Morgan but these alternatives are not always reliable. I find that making the proper modifications/mods to these systems on average provides better results. Better compatibility and usually less headaches. I hope I may still be able to do the same with my Xbox to play games like Murakumo which as of yet has not been announced for a US release (unless anyone has anything more recent about the game?)
It goes back to what BrianB said, the crooks and thieves of the world ruin it for those legitimate gamers that want to import. Its sad.