Banned from XBOX Live.... Is this guy for real?

[Stringent]

I actually dont know what to say to this. But I'm with TheAnimus.

[MadduckUK]

http://forums.hexus.net/hexus-gaming...-guy-real.html

[beanbandit]

So a chargeback? Work out how many games they've pirated, and say they can have the live access restored if they pay a fine equivalent to 90% of MSRP of the games they've pirated?

They haven't been banned from LIVE, its the console that has been blacklisted. Once blacklisted there is no way to get it back onto LIVE. So they need to splash out £160 for a new console. Pretty cheap fine if you ask me.

[DannyM]

When you get 'Banned' is it just the Console or the Account too?

If the account get's banned, MS really need to rethink their tactics... Even so, MS still really need to rethink there tactics, it's a large loss of money for them also. Math?

1,000,000 gamers get banned, each spend around £40 each year on a live sub.

So that's about £40,000,000.

For arguments sakes let's say, 50% of that 1,000,000 decide to get another xbox and play Live again. But the other half don't get another Xbox, thus, not playing Live, on a yearly basis that is still around £20,000,000 lost. Because they banned people from using a paid service. It eludes me the thought process that goes into these 'methods' at times. £20,000,000 might not be a lot to M$, but theres a lot of companies out there that wouldn't like to lose that much, not to mention, this is a recurring thing, so for 5 years if that customer base doesn't come back to you.

That's £100,000,000 lost.

[kalniel]

Or 1,000,000 gamers get banned. They all buy new XBoxes, say £130,000,000, and this time when they want to play a game they've learned their lesson so buy games over the next 5 years. Even more profit.

But I don't think the banned numbers are anything like that high.

[DannyM]

Or 1,000,000 gamers get banned. They all buy new XBoxes, say £130,000,000, and this time when they want to play a game they've learned their lesson so buy games over the next 5 years. Even more profit.

True, but if half the folk are as tard-ish as the guy on the Beeb Razzer-Teh-Wazzer then, Sony will be posting nice profits come end of next fiscal year.

[finlay666]

But the other half don't get another Xbox, thus, not playing Live, on a yearly basis that is still around £20,000,000 lost. Because they banned people from using a paid service. It eludes me the thought process that goes into these 'methods' at times. £20,000,000 might not be a lot to M$, but theres a lot of companies out there that wouldn't like to lose that much, not to mention, this is a recurring thing, so for 5 years if that customer base doesn't come back to you.

That's £100,000,000 lost.

No it's not

The pirates will buy another xbox, as they can't do the same on the PS3 and it's cheaper to get a new 360 arcade and then do the same again compared to buying the games.

[DannyM]

Or 1,000,000 gamers get banned. They all buy new XBoxes, say £130,000,000, and this time when they want to play a game they've learned their lesson so buy games over the next 5 years. Even more profit.

But I don't think the banned numbers are anything like that high.

Well I don't know what the rules are with this melark, so I'll be scarce.

A certain website aimed at the xbox scene (no pun inteded) is saying it has a source who has said 1 million consoles.

[kalniel]

It just shows you that the piracy is killing PC gaming arguments are just nonsense!! Piracy of console games is just as rampant as on PC

By MS's own admission it's only a small portion - 600k out of 20million is not a lot. PC game piracy is more like 50million out of 60million gamers - it's a completely different scale.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

By MS's own admission it's only a small portion - 600k out of 20million is not a lot. PC game piracy is more like 50million out of 60million gamers - it's a completely different scale.

Yawn!!

Try living in Asia and see how much piracy happens for console games!!

If you don't believe me go to Asia,Africa,South America,the Middle East and Russia and see for yourself. Most console games are pirated and chipped consoles are very easy to get hold off. Try talking about legitimate console games in China or countries around that part of the world and people will laugh.

Yet,console games seem to be still doing well overall.

Of course DRM and rootkits on legitimate gamers PCs is the way to solve this...............NOT!!

[[GSV]Trig]

Heard this on the radio on the way home..

They go on about how its the cost of games that makes them pirate, ok, so lets drop the price of the games, that'll kill some developers as thats where there make there money, or we stick the price of the consoles up which means less sold, less games developed as its not as popular console due to its cost, eitherway the customer suffers.

At the end of the day if you want it, buy it, if you want it but cant afford it sell some older games or wait for 2nd hand copies.
Eitherway dont moan when you get caught you loaf.

[kalniel]

Yawn!!

Up past your bedtime again?

If you don't believe me go to Asia,Africa,South America,the Middle East and Russia and see for yourself. Most console games are pirated and chipped consoles are very easy to get hold off. Try talking about legitimate console games in China or countries around that part of the world and people will laugh.

I don't have any reason not to believe you, but the paying console market is still a much higher proportion of players than for the PC gaming market. Or do you think that PC gamers in those countries behave better than their console brethren?

Of course DRM and rootkits on legitimate gamers PCs is the way to solve this...............NOT!!

Who would say that it was? Or that it even has anything to do with the topic?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Up past your bedtime again?

I don't have any reason not to believe you, but the paying console market is still a much higher proportion of players than for the PC gaming market. Or do you think that PC gamers in those countries behave better than their console brethren?

Who would say that it was? Or that it even has anything to do with the topic?

Apart from the MMORPG games there is a greater penetration of consoles in poorer countries as the fixed hardware costs are much lower than having to keep upgrading your PC all the time.

Piracy is rife on the console in most of the world and companies are using the piracy excuse for PC games to lock legitimate games into more and more restrictive T and C's which end up making more money for the companies. It has come to the extent that many legitimate gamers buy a copy of a PC game and then download a pirated version to get round the crappy DRM.

Steam is the only DRM mechanism which is done properly IMHO and actually offers benefits to balance the downsides of having it. OTH,if you have a crappy internet connection or a slow one it is not so good!!

[finlay666]

If you don't believe me go to Asia,Africa,South America,the Middle East and Russia and see for yourself. Most console games are pirated and chipped consoles are very easy to get hold off. Try talking about legitimate console games in China or countries around that part of the world and people will laugh.

In S. America (Brazil at least) games are heavily taxed, they are more expensive than the UK comparatively and most of the country is in poverty, not to mention there is practically nowhere that sells legit games due to the price and crime issues in general.

[TooNice]

If you don't believe me go to Asia,Africa,South America,the Middle East and Russia and see for yourself. Most console games are pirated and chipped consoles are very easy to get hold off. Try talking about legitimate console games in China or countries around that part of the world and people will laugh.

Not really true for the PS3. At least not the last time I've been to various places in Asia (including China).. or Africa (I've never been to the other 3 regions). Unless things have changed in the last 2 years, reproducing BD isn't cheap and a console that's already hard to shift in any quantity due to high cost would be harder to shift with a mod-chip. Just not much of an incentive when the Xbox360 and Wii are relatively easier to mod. And for the more developed cities (HK, Taipei) pirate materials are also considerably less out in the open compared to years ago when you can find a *mall* of those things.

Going back to the original topic, it wouldn't surprise me if some youth these days actually do not know that modding and such is not legal, and the reason behind it. They may actually think 'Well, I am paying £75' for this, it's a lot of money, and given that it takes time to download there is a cost'.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Not really true for the PS3. At least not the last time I've been to various places in Asia (including China).. or Africa (I've never been to the other 3 regions). Unless things have changed in the last 2 years, reproducing BD isn't cheap and a console that's already hard to shift in any quantity due to high cost would be harder to shift with a mod-chip. Just not much of an incentive when the Xbox360 and Wii are relatively easier to mod. And for the more developed cities (HK, Taipei) pirate materials are also considerably less out in the open compared to years ago when you can find a *mall* of those things.

Going back to the original topic, it wouldn't surprise me if some youth these days actually do not know that modding and such is not legal, and the reason behind it. They may actually think 'Well, I am paying £75' for this, it's a lot of money, and given that it takes time to download there is a cost'.

The problem is that the PS3 is not only quite expensive but there are still many PS2s out there competing with it! There are also many XBox,XBox360,Gamecube and Wii consoles out there too(like you said) competing with the PS3 while having cheaper hardware. Most people are not going to pay £20+ for a game unless they are quite well off in Asia and last time I visited the subcontinent pirated games were very easy to get hold of for both consoles and PCs. Trying to get legitimate stuff OTH is blooming difficult in comparison. Almost all of the Chinese,Indian and Malaysian people I have met buy pirated stuff as it is just easier to get hold off and is cheaper. Piracy is rife even with indigenous things too.

The reason why there is a less visible presence in biggercities of copied stuff is because European countries and the US have been pressuring countries like China on piracy and to save face they have done this. OTH,it is still very easy to get copied stuff.

Heck,even a lot of people here also buy copied stuff or download it and it is not exactly hard.

It annoys me somewhat since I have spent quite a lot of money of legitmate games,music and films myself and people like me have to get stung with crappy DRM and the stupid pirate mini-film which you HAVE to watch at the start of many DVDs now.