Microsoft Will Ban Gamertags of Pre-Release Players
Anyone playing illegitimate copies shall feel the force of the Ban Hammer.
Tsk, pirates just can't catch a break, can they? First Microsoft would ban you if you were playing an illegal copy of Halo 3, then it was Halo 3: ODST... now it's gone the whole hog and will ban just about anyone playing an Xbox 360 game before release illegitimately. For if you have just finished that torrent of Forza Motorsport 3 and want to play it on your modified console, expect your Gamertag to get banned.
Playing a pre-release title apparently breaks the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct, so any crossing of this line will result in your account being “permanently suspended due to illegitimate pre-release title play”, according to an email GameZine has got a hold of.
For those who innocently purchased a game from a retailer that broke street date, that's a different issue entirely, says Microsoft's Stephen Toulouse. On Twitter, Toulouse explained that the company is only after illegal copies; “Don't worry folks, anyone who bought a copy early is ok. In general, if you got a receipt, play away. These are illegit copies we're hitting.”
This follows news of the upcoming Xbox Dashboard Update blocking the use of 'unauthorised' storage devices.
Playing a pre-release title apparently breaks the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct, so any crossing of this line will result in your account being “permanently suspended due to illegitimate pre-release title play”, according to an email GameZine has got a hold of.
For those who innocently purchased a game from a retailer that broke street date, that's a different issue entirely, says Microsoft's Stephen Toulouse. On Twitter, Toulouse explained that the company is only after illegal copies; “Don't worry folks, anyone who bought a copy early is ok. In general, if you got a receipt, play away. These are illegit copies we're hitting.”
This follows news of the upcoming Xbox Dashboard Update blocking the use of 'unauthorised' storage devices.
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Comments
Joji 20 Oct 2009 12:32
1/11
Had me worried there for a moment, MS. I just got my copy of Borderlands early (cool game and lucky me) from Zavvi, but I don't want to be punished, because they shipped it out to me early.
If MS can tell a legit copy, from a pirate one, then this can only help even the playing field.
If MS can tell a legit copy, from a pirate one, then this can only help even the playing field.
Serpream 20 Oct 2009 14:29
2/11
So how is this magical detection system going to work? I am always getting games early threw importing aswell as freinds in certain stores. As i am aware a Copy is a 1:1 Just how Dvds can be ripped. So how are they going to magicly know?
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
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deleted 20 Oct 2009 21:24
3/11
Matthew O'Donnell wrote:
So how is this magical detection system going to work? I am always getting games early threw importing aswell as freinds in certain stores. As i am aware a Copy is a 1:1 Just how Dvds can be ripped. So how are they going to magicly know?
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
The article said if you have a reciept!, so i assume, if you can prrove your game is legit then your ban will be undone.
What get sme though is why they are banning live accounts and not banning consoles???
Serpream 20 Oct 2009 21:32
4/11
@haritori
The article said if you have a reciept!, so i assume, if you can prrove your game is legit then your ban will be undone.
What get sme though is why they are banning live accounts and not banning consoles???
From what i gather a console can be replaced where sadly Account has all your MS points and such. But receipts is BS. What if its a gift? I get parents to import from overseas and it doesnt have a receipt as its classed as gift which it is to also not get import charged. So its now either i wait and pay overpriced games. Or still buy them and get them sold earlier but potential ban. They need a seriously better system otherwise people will think screwit and stay offine saving a nice £5 a month and still pirating wheras those who import/get legit copys early suffer.
haritori wrote:
Matthew O'Donnell wrote:
So how is this magical detection system going to work? I am always getting games early threw importing aswell as freinds in certain stores. As i am aware a Copy is a 1:1 Just how Dvds can be ripped. So how are they going to magicly know?
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
I sense alot of finger wiggling going to happen with alot of firey pitchforks being raised.
The article said if you have a reciept!, so i assume, if you can prrove your game is legit then your ban will be undone.
What get sme though is why they are banning live accounts and not banning consoles???
From what i gather a console can be replaced where sadly Account has all your MS points and such. But receipts is BS. What if its a gift? I get parents to import from overseas and it doesnt have a receipt as its classed as gift which it is to also not get import charged. So its now either i wait and pay overpriced games. Or still buy them and get them sold earlier but potential ban. They need a seriously better system otherwise people will think screwit and stay offine saving a nice £5 a month and still pirating wheras those who import/get legit copys early suffer.
Daz 20 Oct 2009 23:26
5/11
looking back at the PS1 days the console could tell it wasn't a "real" copy which is why you needed to chip it so I'm guessing something isn't copied that tells the console it's legit I would hazard a guess that it's this that MS are looking for.
virtual murder 22 Oct 2009 14:06
6/11
imo i think that ms has leaked forza 3 as a wave 3 game,,, and the actual version is going to be a wave 4... because that is really the only way i could see them distinguishing the pirates from the legit.... because all games should be wave 4 by this time... and why wouldnt they be... its just another thorn in a modders side
Joji 22 Oct 2009 17:38
7/11
I heard on a recent podcast, that MS head Live policing dude, can tell a pirate copy from a legit one, once its connected to Live. How they do it, I don't know.
Be careful with that ban hammer, MS. A receipt is nice, but few of us ever keep them for games we buy, especially import games.
Be careful with that ban hammer, MS. A receipt is nice, but few of us ever keep them for games we buy, especially import games.
jp 27 Oct 2009 13:22
8/11
they check the verication file's witin the imiagine, there not all the same also rumor has ms leaked copy's of game's to catch people last year. the an ini file on the disk whichhold verifaction data besure to check that your back up are verified as a 141 of the retail version... there loads that are not... put agbx360 in google free tools and checker for download if youwant to be safe.
foolishMS 2 Nov 2009 17:53
9/11
1) MS can tell the copy difference if the copy is messed up only. There are ways for them not to see the difference.
MS HAS BANNED LEGIT COPIES for playing early!!!! They claim to know who breaks street release dates but have no way to know all of them. If you get a legal game early, do NOT play it online until atleast waiting 1 day before release or you run the chance of being banned.
MS HAS BANNED LEGIT COPIES for playing early!!!! They claim to know who breaks street release dates but have no way to know all of them. If you get a legal game early, do NOT play it online until atleast waiting 1 day before release or you run the chance of being banned.
Pirate 2 Nov 2009 18:16
10/11
All I got to say is catch me if you can. Having an account reset cost about $60. If I play 2 burnt early release games, not only have I saved money but I also play a lot of games a week before they come out. Until they make games more reasonably priced, they can expect a large group of pirates to keep on doing what they are doing.
nonya 9 Nov 2009 04:57
11/11
@Pirate
I agree, i hardly doubt they dont have the technology but i do dount they use with the games, why because pyracy in gaming is not or hasn't been dealt with as harsh as movies when did you hear someone got fined a qurtermil just for burning them selves an early compy of a game? honestly na not happening remmeber people in the end everything is just a game. $60 in the other note that's like a months worth of gas for some people...
I agree, i hardly doubt they dont have the technology but i do dount they use with the games, why because pyracy in gaming is not or hasn't been dealt with as harsh as movies when did you hear someone got fined a qurtermil just for burning them selves an early compy of a game? honestly na not happening remmeber people in the end everything is just a game. $60 in the other note that's like a months worth of gas for some people...