BBC News: Clamp down on US mod chips.

Oracle

US Customs has carried out raids in 16 states to clamp down on the sale of modification or "mod" chips: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6928177.stm

a5y

Why is it news reports on piracy always point to statistics on how much piracy hurts companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft but never point to the sources of these figures? I feel I've been reading the one sensationalist piracy news story with slight changes (name of console, swapping Sony for Sega etc.) since 1990.

Retr0gamer

Illicit devices like the ones targeted today are created with one purpose in mind, subverting copyright protections

What absolute cock. I wouldn't have got my PS2 chipped if I could play a PAL version of Suikoden 3. I'm also seriously considering getting a Wii modchip because of the whole Super Paper Mario/Trauma Centre fiasco.

Why don't they ever report something like this:

'Region protection like the ones used in modern consoles are created with one purpose in mind, subverting the rights of the consumer'

I wish more countries would take a stand like Australia did when they threw out the mod chip cases due to how badly Australia was getting shafted with the price of software and hardware compared to the rest of the world.

These clamp downs are all due to corporate pressure from the likes of Sony and Nintendo who don't like there profits eaten into. I think the US has far more problems to deal with than wasting tax payers money combating copyright infringement.

a5y

Retr0gamer wrote:

Why don't they ever report something like this:

'Region protection like the ones used in modern consoles are created with one purpose in mind, subverting the rights of the consumer'.

QFTW.

The main reason I didn't buy a Wii, PS3 or xBox 360 was because I think the way companies like Sony have mistreated customers in the past with DRM is farcical and a betrayal; and where they lead Microsoft and Nintendo will follow.

And if the news is meant to be unbiased and tell both side of the story, where is the spokesperson for the mod chip companies? Aren't those businesses going to be losing money now too? If they are only bunch of pirates why aren't they being given enough rope to hang themselves?

Or do you have to be a be a multinational superbrand before a reporter gives a damn about your earnings?

Oracle

a5y wrote:

Why is it news reports on piracy always point to statistics on how much piracy hurts companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft but never point to the sources of these figures? I feel I've been reading the one sensationalist piracy news story with slight changes (name of console, swapping Sony for Sega etc.) since 1990.

True, also they are very eager to point out the damage piracy does to the multi-million dollar game industry giants. They seem to ignore the job loses and damage caused by the clampdown to the many modchip provider companies. The majority are, as far as I can see, providing a legitimate service to gamers.

hurleyd

Retr0gamer wrote:

What absolute cock. I wouldn't have got my PS2 chipped if I could play a PAL version of Suikoden 3. I'm also seriously considering getting a Wii modchip because of the whole Super Paper Mario/Trauma Centre fiasco.

That's why I got my Wii modchip. I wanted Super Paper Mario. Pity the NTSC Trauma Centre doesn't work. Hopefully Smash Bros does!

KdjaCL

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EElyEEkAllysyVJWYQ.php

'Region protection like the ones used in modern consoles are created with one purpose in mind, subverting the rights of the consumer'

Oh yeah cos anyone with a mod is only doing it because of this and not for never paying for a game again.

PC has it sussed online cd key checking, implement that and piracy dies instantly and with all 3 consoles having online stuff i would imagine its only a matter of time before every game needs a "patch" that can only be got online and the cd key checker is working before the patch is applied.


kdjac

GinjaNinja

whats the legality of console modding in ireland.

Nick_oliveri

I'd assume you could resell and fit modchips without dealing the ripped games. I heard of a lad getting caught filling an xbox1 hard drive with games. Dont know what happened though.

Dont worry, we will follow suit with the Americans soon enough. Cant hurt them companies with our homebrew now can we? Usually it makes the console or handheld better. FFS look at the PSP and XBOX1, theres some dealy homebrew for those consoles, and it makes then about 100x better.

a5y

Oracle wrote:

True, also they are very eager to point out the damage piracy does to the multi-million dollar game industry giants. They seem to ignore the job loses and damage caused by the clampdown to the many modchip provider companies. The majority are, as far as I can see, providing a legitimate service to gamers.

Agreed.

Would be nice if gamers really considered where there loyalities need to lie: with small companies who are trying to offer them more choice and freedom or with multi-nationals whos plans seem to revolve around the pursuit of great big profits and a willingness to try and stop anything that would interfere with that goal.

Instead the vast majority of the gaming community seems to spend its time in forums, flamefests running something like xBox360 / PS3 / Wii rules and (the 2 others) suck, whilst the same old tired news articles about violent videogames tied to US high school shootings get rehashed in the media again and again.

You know what? I think I'm going to try and find the names & addresses of a few companies that makes modchips and write to them, thanking them for doing what they do and wishing them the best.

It may only be a token gesture, but I think a little fan mail might help in some small way. As it stands now there are tons of reason not to do what they do, perhaps its about time they got just one more reason to carry on.

Retr0gamer

KdjaCL wrote:

Oh yeah cos anyone with a mod is only doing it because of this and not for never paying for a game again.

If the console manufacturers removed the ridiculous region protection on their games then the argument for modchips wouldn't have a leg to stand on and the court cases could easily be won.

However the games companies know that removing the region protection is going to cost them more than letting piracy run rampant. The vast majority of pirate games would not have been purchased at full price anyway by the 'pirate'. If the price for pirated games was added up as if they were full price there would equal few 100 million. However I'd say 5% or less are actually games that would have been bought by the pirater. Now I'm basing this on consoles, on PC it would be a hell of a lot higher due to the ease of pirating.

Now instead give the European gamer the oppurtunity to buy their games and consoles at half price or less from an NTSC country and you start to loss a lot of revenue from the market you are ripping off the most.

Sony doesn't bat an eyelid at modchip manufacturers but when lik-sang start selling the significantly cheaper asian PSP to europeans they step in to 'protect' us europeans.

It's a shame that the vast majority of these mod-chips and 'back-up' flash devices are being used for the wrong reason but they do have a legitimate use to many gamers.

a5y

KdjaCL wrote:

Oh yeah cos anyone with a mod is only doing it because of this and not for never paying for a game again.

That's a rather cynical view, does anyone know if is it still called flamebait when a comment like that is posted by a moderator?

I'm all for supporting game and hardware developers getting paid for their work, but not to the point where I'm not allowed take it apart and modify it as a hobby.

The problem isn't that "once people have mod chipped their console they will want to pirate games" nor is it that "everyone who modchips their consoles only does so in order to play pirated games".

The real problem is

• there are people who are willing modchip their consoles to play pirated games and no one (evidentally not the BBC's investigative journalists) is asking why these people are so content to do this
• this is being given as an excuse by hardware and software manufacturers to further force higher prices and more DRM onto their customers
• games manufacturers are increasingly happy to charge customers these high prices for both games that are not as expensive to develop (such as near identical sequels: think EA and the FIFA series) and are willing to charge the prices for games with advertising in them (Wrigleys chewing gum in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory). And if these games don't sell, will they blame their lack of innovation or willingness to use their games as billboards? Nope, they aren't selling well because of piracy.

The demonization of modchips seems to have some parallels with the demonization of videogames from the 80s and 90s (compare "cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality, such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering" with "will turn your brains to mush"). Authority figures post damaging and sensationalist claims without citing hard evidence from independent sources, later, after journalists finally do their f*cking jobs and investigate the truth comes out.

Should modchips be criminalized? Sure, after all Amsterdam is an anarchy filled warzone, right?

spidermonkey

http://www.watchfilms.com/movies/hemp-for-victory.html
weed is good,
no its not its bad,
wait its good.

the interests of big business & the state never are in favour of the consumer.

my psp is modded, i play roms, and have copied my own games
(it makes more sense to have my games on my pro duo, rather than carrying around a few easy damaged umds)
i have downloaded one psp iso in the past, but my internet connection is ****, the game was rubbish, it had all the cut scenes & music removed to make it smaller, i ended up going out and buying it a week later.

i had an xbox1, modded, to use the dvd feature while living away at college (why would you dongle lock a native feature??), rarely played anyother games beyond halo and farcry.

all i have now is my cunning psp, any my mac.

anyway if you keep your eyes open you can get games pretty cheap, (preplayed etc) seen the gamestop 'summer sizzlers'?