780°

Microsoft Perma-Banning Xbox 360 Gamers For Playing Halo 4

Gaming Blend "Drop that ban hammer, Microsoft and drop it hard! That'll teach e'm, right? Well, that seems to be the method that the big software giant is employing for anyone playing the pre-release version of Halo 4's multiplayer via Xbox Live."

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cinemablend.com
Snookies124246d ago

Lol, are people that stupid? Trying to play a stolen online game before it's even released? Yeah, they'll never know it was you. :D

EVILDEAD3604246d ago Show
MikeMyers4246d ago

If people are that dumb they deserve to be perma-banned. If they downloaded the game from the early leak that's bad enough, but to try and play online this early is really pushing it. Who do they expect to play against besides other piraters?

4246d ago
ALLWRONG4246d ago Show
Anon19744246d ago Show
Outside_ofthe_Box4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Wow, we are now having people going off topic talking about repurchasing consoles. And who do we have to thank for the derailing of this topic?

Ridiculous.

morkendo234246d ago Show
MaxXAttaxX4246d ago Show
decrypt4246d ago Show
vega2754246d ago Show
jadenkorri4245d ago (Edited 4245d ago )

@ Lvl_up_gamer and @ NeverEnding1989

MS does not have a 3 year warranty on their console.

http://support.xbox.com/en-...

MS did however setup a 3 year extended warranty only for original 360 consoles. Exact warranty description "One Year Express Warranty on Console (Three Years for Three Lights Flashing Red). Subject to the terms and conditions..."
linked here
http://support.xbox.com/en-...

So nice try. Don't make stuff up or take word of mouth, should try at least verifying your arguments before starting one.

BTW even if my PS3/360 broke for whatever reason, and I buy a new one, its a sale for MS/Sony. If MS sold 50 million consoles, and 10 million broke, and 5 millions people bought new ones, THEY STILL SOLD 55 MILLION consoles, not 50. Go back to school and pull your stupid heads out of your own a$$ and think about it.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 4245d ago
Knight_Crawler4246d ago

MS can detect if you played HALO 4 before a certain date so it does not matter if you play it offline becuase they will still find out and ban you.

They can also detect if your console has been modded in anyway...not sure how they know but the know.

Eamon4246d ago

I can assure that as of yet, they cannot detect modded consoles. There hasn't been a mega banwave since that huge one from 3-4 years ago.

However you're right in that they can detect if you played Halo 4 before a certain date.

DragonKnight4246d ago

How would they be able to communicate with your console if it's offline? The only possible way to detect if you played Halo before a certain day would likely be through saves or achievements linked to your account, but again they can't find that out if you're offline. It's not like there is a remote satellite link embedded in the console that is active even when powered off... or is there?

PtRoLLFacE4246d ago

ohh plss i played numerous games before release date, MW2 i got it a week early, gears 2 like 5 days early, halo reach a couple days early, they all were legitimate copies and am still up, am planing on doing the same for halo 4, maybe a week before release date is the line not to cross, reviewers get the game around a week or two before release so that should soften things up, but a month before release umm! i haven't try that yet!

Lvl_up_gamer4246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

@ DragonKnight

The game data is stored in a .bin file. Date and if the game was flagged to be an unregistered copy via truncated burn. iHas burners are capable of burning a proper copy without truncating but the data of the game inserted into the console is still recorded and held within the console. The moment your console connects to the internet, you are connected to XBL even if you don't have a gold membership and MS can read the game history.

ShadowKingx4246d ago

yeah its easy, search Halo 4 Achievements, and list of names pops up. why do you think the first achievement of almost every game is after you complete the first mission or tutorial. For reasons exactly like this.

etebitan4245d ago

what people does here in my country is playing the game offline and with and external hdd hooked via usb.. i dont know how that works but many of my friends play it that way... and if the wanna play online they just unplug the external hdd... modders always find a way...

Legion4245d ago

Actually no they can't detect if you played Halo 4 prior to date. If you don't connect your system online and allow auto update of time then you simply could have the system setup to years in the past... in that case all games might appear to be played prior to purchase.

Or you could even set it far in the future... as many of us did to glitch in Fable 2 and earn a whole lot of in game cash for rent. :D

So if you are stupid enough to go online with it then yes... but if you don't go online then easy to play and not have a date associated with any achievements or anything.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4245d ago
Godmars2904246d ago

I take issues that XBL Gold is a paid service, that any XBL account has paid content connected to it, and yet MS reserves right to bar people from access to XBL for whatever reason they deem fit. More so when we're talking about a game that's been leaked early and could have been bought from a legal source. the business or employee should be held accountable, not the consumer. If its a "legal" buy.

FragMnTagM4246d ago

These copies are definitely not legal, don't see the point of your comment. I am sure you could call MS and get your account reinstated if you bought the game legally and can prove it.

You just jab MS whenever you can.

Redgehammer4246d ago

Lol..you are definitely consistant Godmars.

NoFanboyRequired4246d ago

They dont ban just the account. They ban the whole console and the people deserve it for illegally downloading the game and modding their consoles to play it. And i saw someone comment above saying that they cant find modded consoles connected to live. You're wrong. They can check part numbers and power consumption on a suspected console through their service.

ShaunCameron4245d ago

It's MS's platform. They can do whatever they want. It's the same deal with Sony. Read the TOS. It's the same deal with just about any messageboard, forum and online service. After all, having access to all those are a PRIVILEGE.

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BlindGuardian4246d ago

the vast majority of people who play pirated games keep the console offline, firmware updates are downloaded from Live website and applied using a pendrive, no reason to ever go online to play single player games

WeskerChildReborned4246d ago

Exactly cause the servers will be filled with only people that stole the game early -.-

GuyThatPlaysGames4246d ago

Serves them right. I would love to hear of a lifetime ban from all Microsoft consoles for the future for these people. They don't deserve to play the games.

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dazzrazz4246d ago ShowReplies(1)
MGRogue20174246d ago (Edited 4246d ago )

Good... Good... Show no mercy >:)

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150°

10 Biggest Xbox Mistakes of All Time (So Far)

The Xbox brand has done a lot of good over the years, but their various blunders are pretty wild to look back on in their magnitude.

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culturedvultures.com
piroh7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Ironically number 9 can save them at this point (releasing games on multiple platforms)

ChasterMies5d ago

By “save them” you mean make more profit for Microsoft. Xbox will still be a dying hardware platform.

OtterX6d ago

You could add the naming scheme for the consoles, it just confuses customers. I know they wanted to avoid traditional numbering bc it would always be lower than their competitor, but this whole 360 then One then Series thing is confusing af. Imagine a Soccer Mom trying to figure this stuff out. I still mistakenly call the Series X the One from time to time on accident.

RNTody6d ago

Don't forget about the Xbox One, Xbox One X and Xbox Series X! Good luck to Soccer moms around the world.

S2Killinit5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

They did that on purpose to confuse and direct attention away from the generational numbering.

MS doesn’t like reminding people that they joined the industry after others had already been involved in gaming.

For instance, they called the xbox “360” to combat PlayStation “3” because they wanted to seem like “more” than “3”, so instead of xbox 2, they opted for xbox 360. Also this had the additional benefit of selling consoles to uninformed parents who might purchase a “360” instead of a “3” by mistake, or because they thought 360 was more than 3. Kind of a disingenuous move.

They have been continuing with their confusing naming patterns for pretty much the same reasons. Frankly, it fits with who and what they are as a brand.

FinalFantasyFanatic5d ago

I can understand their reasoning, but whoever came up with that naming scheme should be fired, bad naming schemes have killed consoles (I'm pretty sure it was the major reason for the downfall of the WiiU). They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo and Sega have had for their consoles, far less confusing for the consumer.

rob-GP2d ago

@FinalFantasyFanatic "They should have had unqiue names like Nintendo..."

lol, you mean:

NES, SNES
GameBoy, GameBoy Advanced, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy SP
DS, DSi, DSXL
3DS, 3DS XL, New 3DS, New 3DS XL
Wii, Wii U
Switch, Switch OLED

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Cacabunga6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

Phil Spencer is the worst that has happened to Xbox.
They built a respectable brand up to Xbox one. Then this guy took over and things became a joke

Reaper22_6d ago

He still has his job. Something you can't say about Jim Ryan.

Cacabunga6d ago

Both bad execs. One is on job and one thankfully retired.

FinalFantasyFanatic5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I didn't like either person, both people damaged their respective brands and produced worse outcomes, but Phil did save the Xbox brand from being retired by Microsoft. Although in hindsight, he should have just let it die, rather than languish in limbo like it is now.

Rainbowcookie4d ago

Yeah but the one that was "bad" didn't even affect sales.

bunt-custardly5d ago

Phil Spencer was also on the team back when 360 was around, alongside Shane Kim, Peter Moore etc. I think the damage that did the most harm was the Don Mattrick "Always Online" console (ahead of its time basically). They handed Sony and Nintendo a free-pass when that was revealed. It went downhill from there. Then the corporate machine went into full swing to try and recover. They have to a degree as a games company for the masses, and less so for the core gamer. Outside USA, the Xbox brand does not sell as well as Japanese based consoles (citation needed).

Cacabunga5d ago

Want a decision maker. The always online and TV plans was a disaster yes, but they caught up by announcing 1st party games that gamers actually kept the hype going.. until this moron took over and introduced the PC day one release.. e all know where that ended..

S2Killinit5d ago

I dont think they were ever a respectable brand, not since the beginning, when their goal was never to be involved and share in the gaming space. I think the OG xbox was an exception because MS as a brand was still getting its foot in and so the people behind that were people of the gaming industry.

FinalFantasyFanatic5d ago

The 360 was the brand in its prime though, everything went downhill towards the end of that generation. Its staple games like Halo, Forza and Gears are what kept the console relevant and afloat for so long.

MaximusPrime_6d ago

Really good video.

I remember the days with RRoD was big news on here, N4G.

Microsoft had it turbulence number of years.

Looking at the success of Sea of Thieves despite being 6 years old, time to release Halo, Forza horizon 4 & 5 on PS5. It'll help their revenue

shinoff21836d ago (Edited 6d ago )

2 of the 4 games they did already sold really well. So it's definitely going down. Idk about halo or forza but I feel those studios they've bought in the last 5 years, their coming

ChasterMies6d ago

I found this video painful to watch. Can someone list them out?

Top 10 for me from are:
1. 2013 reveal presentation
2. Bundling Kinect 2 with Xbox One
3. RRoD or why rushing to market with hardware is always a bad idea.
4. Buying studios only to close them.
5. Ads on the Home Screen
6. Letting Halo die.
7. Letting Geard of War die.
8. Every console name
9. Charging for Xbox Live on Xbox 360 when Sony let PS3 players play online for free.
10. Cancelling release of OG Xbox games after the Xbox 360 launched.

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150°

Microsoft to Add Copilot AI to Video Games

Microsoft recently revealed its plans to incorporate Copilot directly into video games, with Minecraft being the first showcased example.

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xpgained.co.uk
Fishy Fingers10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

F*** AI

"Hey Copilot, what's a good meme to prove I dislike AI".... https://giphy.com/clips/sou...

Einhander197210d ago

Two trillion dollar company that just can't wait to put as many people possible out of work as fast as possible.

It feels like every single thing they do is making gaming worse and destroying the industry.

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darthv729d ago

....you know it takes people to program the AI.... right? It isnt like it is sentient. We haven't reach skynet level of situation or anywhere close to the matrix just yet.

That's next Thursday.

Einhander19729d ago (Edited 9d ago )

It takes a people to program the AI then that AI is used for who knows how many games eliminating countless jobs which only grows as AI is used for more and more game creation functions.

What you're saying is so ridiculously short sighted and truly larking any kind of understanding and foresight.

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CaptainFaisal10d ago

Why all the hate? Im actually excited about this! Always wanted this kind of immersion, and an AI companion with me all the time helping me out knowing the status of my skills/inventory/progress and giving me tips on the best approach or how to craft something specific is game changing for the industry.

Hate all you want about AI, but this is just the start and I can see the potential already. You wont be complaining in the next 5-10 years about this, but rather complain if a game hasn’t implemented it.

MrDead10d ago

Yes we can't wait for the work of others to be used without the need to pay them so that MS can profit even more from the people they fire.

I_am_Batman10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

There is no chance I'd ever use something like this, especially if it's not part of the core game design, but a layer on top of it. It's way too much handholding. Many games already feel like busy work, because they don't let the player figure things out on their own. Having a real-time interactive guide defeats the purpose of playing the game in the first place in my opinion.

If this were to become the standard like you predict, we'll see more and more video games get away with bad design, because people will just be used to ask for help from the AI companion anyway.

Number1TailzFan10d ago

Well Nintendo don't need this with some of their games these days, with invincible characters, items, easy bosses etc.. they do the hand holding built in

helicoptergirl10d ago

Takes "hand holding" in games to a whole new level.

BlackDoomAx9d ago

Because human nature xD Almost every new technology had these kind of comments.

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70°

Activision team is opening a new game studio in Poland 'Elsewhere Entertainment' to build new AAA IP

Microsoft's Activision subsidiary announced today that it is opening a new game development studio to take advantage of the huge talent pool growing in Poland. It'll be the second Activision studio based in the region, joining Infinity Ward Krakow, although this studio is, in fact, not working on Call of Duty.

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windowscentral.com
Psychonaut8514d ago

They’re not working on Call of Duty? Give it time.