richiecomp

Microsoft Bans Thieves from Live

Here's a thought:

Are there any legitimate purposes on why anybody would modify their Xbox360 consoles? It is my understanding that, since many console generations ago, many users hacked their consoles in order to create home-brewed games. These self-taught developers learned the art of game making by using their game machines as guinea pigs. Now, I realize that there are a lot of people who modify their consoles in order to play pirated games. But, does Microsoft have the right to indiscriminately ban every console that has been modified, regardless of whether the user is actually playing a legitimately-purchased game? It seems to me that, if Microsoft wants to verify the legitimacy of the games being played online, then they can verify the bar-coded numbers that are inscribed on the disc itself. Why am I making a fuss over this? Several years ago, Sony was sued by the film studios because of Sony's creation of the Betamax. The Betamax was a video tape recorder that allowed the system to record video and sound from broadcast television signals. The film studios concluded that the Betamax could, theoretically, be used to record copyrighted material, such as movies that are broadcasted on television. However, the Supreme Court held that the Betamax held legitimate, non-infringing uses, such as being able to record non-copyrighted material, such as religious and educational programming. More recently, the courts have interpreted that consumers are allowed to make backup copies of discs that they legally own. After all, discs can be easily damaged. So, what exactly am I saying? I am saying that, if people want to make backups of their extremely expensive games, then others should not make such a fuss about it. Also, aspiring developers should be able to modify their systems in order to create games without the fear of being banned. On the other hand, if Microsoft wants to verify that the game that a user is currently using online is legal, all they have to do is scan the disc to make sure that it has the bar codes, thereby confirming its legitimacy.