Microsoft mass banning Xbox 360 consoles

[Thrik]

Apparently there's been an oversight/intentional sabotage/whatever for 5+ years allowing those with Xbox LIVE accounts in relatively small parts of the world like Oman to get new games for free — all you have to do is create an account for those regions (presumably using a proxy) and you're good to go.

 

It's been quite an open secret in some communities and an increasing number of people have been doing it because Microsoft doesn't seem to care — until now. Microsoft is currently banning any Xbox 360 consoles that've done this, leading to a hilarious amount of butthurt:

 

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showthread.php?t=542555

 

The post where one of them goes begging on the Microsoft forums offering to do a 'deal' where he deletes all the games he acquired, hahaha. Oh man I love this.

 

Note that it's consoles that are being banned. It looks like Xbox LIVE accounts sometimes are or aren't banned, but in all cases the physical console itself is permanently banned from Xbox LIVE LMAO.

[blackdog]

WHAAAAT?

I got Angry Birds the other months creating a Russian account. And you don't need any proxy to do that.

If they want to enforce regional constrictions, you check from where your user connects from, or you require a credit card valid in his country as proof (like Apple does for eg).

I don't want to get banned even if i use the console so little :'(

Edited October 1, 2013 by blackdog

[Thrik]

Going through that thread it sounds like the main thing that's been triggering bans is using a Bosnian account to get hold of Rayman Legends for free:

 

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/forum/showpost.php?p=6018434&postcount=23

 

I guess a good lesson is learnt here though: don't do it! Microsoft has historically been incredibly brutal with banning for stuff like this, they did something similar a few years ago. They don't give a shit about banning entire accounts or consoles and the TOS lets them do it. :/

 

http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/consoleban

[blackdog]

I'm in UK and the console is in Italy! :/

Does deleting the game work for prevent the ban? I think I deleted the fake account from the console.

I know Thrik it's not fair to get games free like this, in the end I did for AB because i use the console so little that it's perfect for popping in sometime after lunch... but 49€ for that? Cm'on. If you want to enforce such policies, you don't leave the door open like that.

Edited October 1, 2013 by blackdog

[Thrik]

Not sure, it stands to reason the console probably has to be connected for it to be banned so I guess if the account is gone you're probably safe. Sounds like it's mostly the new games that've been coming out (apparently more and more have been appearing recently, making me think it's some Microsoft employee setting it up for nefarious purposes) that cause the bans so I doubt you'll get assholed for one small game like that.

 

You could even argue it was some past owner of the console it was so long ago...

[Steppenwolf]

Sounds like pretty stupid move from MS so shortly before launching a new console. Should have been more accommodating, close loopholes and rethink their strategy. Regional locking is such bullshit anyway. Even if break of TOS is obvious you can't blame people to feel entitled when other people who are customers just like them get stuff for free because they happen to be born somewhere else on this planet. It's not fair, feels discriminatory. Showing no leniency just means most of these ppl will buy a PS4 instead of a XBONE.

[Thrik]

I kind of sit in the middle really.

 

On the one hand, some of these dudes have literally been getting numerous brand new triple-A titles for free because of this, and that's pretty shit. And it's not just a region locking thing, brand new games have somehow been ending up on these obscure countries' Xbox LIVEs. It smells a lot like some Microsoft employee or hacker putting them there intentionally for people to warez.

 

On the other hand, some people like blackdog weren't really out to cause harm and just thought they were taking advantage of a sweet deal. OK, there is some definite intent in going out of your way to create a new account for a different country to get hold of some free shit, but it doesn't feel like a particularly bad thing to do IMO. If someone said to me I could get a free copy of Uncharted 3 by just making a US PSN account then I'd probably have considered it!

 

The timing is definitely bad. It's piracy, few of those doing it didn't know they were doing something wrong. But so close to a new console launch when the company is already being assholed at every turn? The fact that they can just shut down your console and your account is pretty alarming in itself. Has Sony ever been known to do such a thing?

[Steppenwolf]

Obviously MS is well within their rights and if it was a game that i worked on i would be pissed if people do this. But gotta stay realistic from MS perspective and keep their own interests in mind. You don't amputate your leg to fix an ingrown toe nail.

[Sentura]

let them do whatever they want, it's their financial funeral

[-HP-]

I for once giggled on this. Although I find it very bizarre that M$ has the remote access to completely brick your console? Wow, no wonder they wanted the XBone to be online the whole time.

 

I'm with thrik on this, I kinda sit in the middle. Part of me wants to punish those who pirate shit, the other part feels like people should be allowed to do anything they want if they don't mind going the extra mile to do it. I was once a kid too, and pirating games was my only way to actually play any games, right now, I buy everything, so it's a bit of a weird situation.

 

Still... I don't know man, M$ is a really weird company! If they really want their consoles to be really safe, do the same Sony did with PS3 and PS4 and basically make it virtually impossible to crack and to run illegal copies of games.

[-HP-]

Obviously MS is well within their rights and if it was a game that i worked on i would be pissed if people do this. But gotta stay realistic from MS perspective and keep their own interests in mind. You don't amputate your leg to fix an ingrown toe nail.

 

Exactly! And is M$ really within their rights to completely brick your console? Supposedly, what you do in the comfort of your home, it's your business. If any of this kids turn out to be a rich kid (which I doubt otherwise they wouldn't be pirating games) and this shit goes to court, M$ would loose just like Apple lost agaisnt the whole Jailbreaking debacle. You are free to do whatever you want with the hardware that you buy, it's yours. (afaik)

[Minos]

Wait this is not piracy, as far as I know people are just exploiting a loophole on Xbox Live? Don't companies do that all the time, finding legal loopholes to fuck everyone in the ass?

 

This is a really stupid move by Microsoft and just one more reason to despise this company. They should at most delete all games downloaded wrongly, you can't punish users for being negligent.

 

I mean, imagine if this happened to Steam or Amazon, I'm sure they would just give the games to free for everyone else and correct the mistake.