xbox games can be copied
 

just fyi, looks like they cracked the code

How quickly will this thread get closed? I'm sure the Microsoft secret police will be putting the hush on this quickly ;)

Re: xbox games can be copied
 

Where'd you see/hear/read this?

Cool - now Microsoft can lose more money on Xbox so they'll ultimately decide to just abandon the project and stop making games leaving Xbox owners with nothing to play! Woo Hoo! I think Microsoft would be happier if someone could make an emulator for the PC since they lose money on the consoles.

edit - I want to note that this post was sarcasm... I own an xbox and the idea of copying the games kinda irks me.

He is probably refering to the video that shows some moron in a halloween mask put a CD-R in a XBox and start up BloodWake.

What he doesn't mention is that video has several problems going for it:

1. They don't show the actual connection from the xbox to the Tv. There could have been a second xbox out of the picture.

2. If you look closely, you will see a scribble frame between Xbox Logo and BloodWake logo. That indicates a changed channel.

3. (The most obvious clue to it's fakeness) When he ejects the game it says channel3, THEN goes to the Xbox logo, THEN the console.

When you use tvmodes, it goes TVinput1, TVinput2, Antenna/Cable input. My guess was the DVDRW Xbox was TVInput1 and the real XBox with bloodwake was input2. So, they had to pass over Cable input before they got back to input1.

The xbox continues to send a Signal to the Television when it is on, even when ejecting, so there is no reason why it should have done that.

4. He never actually playes the game. He just goes through the menus.

5. What's the deal the whispering and hand signals in the end? Looks like a coordinated channel change to me.

Anyway here is the video. Judge for yourself:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~d0pe/xbox.wmv

You'd think if these were the guys that cracked the code, they could put together a better video. :D

Awesome...helps me with my decision on which to buy..xbox or ps2

I would have to agree with Flay on this one, the whole thing looks like a hoax.

:confused: How so?

The whole thing could be a marketing scam by Microsoft. ;) Make you believe you can copy the games so you'll go out and buy an Xbox, even though you really can't. After you buy, you're hooked, and the you won't return it or you might spend more than 30 days trying to figure out the hack and won't be able to return it then. I know so many people who chose the PS2 over the other systems cause they could save money on games by copying which I think is crap!

People have been able to copy PS1 and PS2 games for a while. And that hasn't killed those systems...so I doubt this'll have any effect (assuming it's true).

as i recall, a similar video came out when the dc was cracked and nobody believed it then

I'm hoping that the crack is legit.
Not that I am in to pirating, or anything like that. But I have had a few "backups" of games for the DreamCast.

If the word comes out that it can be hacked, sales should skyrocket. This would be good for MSOFT, even though they sell the console at a loss.

Anytime you can generate interest in your machine, you are doing the right thing. Some might say that they would loose money on the software. I would counter with the fact that most "backups" would never be purchased legit in the first place. So, what you have is a way of selling more systems, accessories, and such with the probability of selling a lot of legitimate software. After all, I have never met a gamer or anyone else who ONLY had pirate stuff. They almost always buy some of the better titles legit.

That's not really relevant. The PS2 and PS1 have/had large enough user bases that the piracy wasn't enough to severly hurt Sony. There were enough users actually buying games for them to make a huge profit.

MS doesn't have a large user base. If games can be pirated (doesn't look like they can yet as that video looks fake for sure), it could hurt them.

The dreamcast is a better comparison. Piracy certainly played a big role in it's failure. I'm not saying it was the major factor, as Sega's poor reputation after several consecutive huge failures (Sega CD, 32X, Saturn) is what really killed the DC as it kept many people from buying it. Piracy just added to the problem for Sega.

The same could happen to MS. Some people won't buy an X-box because they hate MS, or because of the misconception that it's basically a PC, so their reputation isn't stellar. Piracy could therefore cause them problems. Plus it's a big turnoff to potential third party developers. The large user base of the PS2 allows developers to ignore the piracty, the X-box's user base would not.

At any rate, MS has deep pockets, so it would take extremely rampant piracy to really, really hurt the company and make them even think about giving up on the X-box for a second.

I like how you put it in quotes, "backups" which we all know really means illegal copies. I totally disagree with you on this statement. You will lose sales on games. If you give someone the option now on a game they would buy, the option to get a free copy, I bet you 8 out of 10 would take the free copy. I really think people who pirate software really need to take an economics class. Just remember, when one company isn't receiving as much money, then their employees aren't receiving as much, which in return, may mean the company you work for isn't getting as much which means you may be out of job because of that $50 you tried saving by pirating something. Keep the economy strong and stop stealing!!!!

there's no difference in having a mp3 and a 'backup' game

Except we all know it isn't used as a backup game. It's used to be given to your friends or in some cases sold on the Black Market. To make things even worst, it's usually sold through some guy who lives in Malaysia where that money will never be seen here.

The difference between an MP3 and a "backup" game is the format. I make MP3s from CDs that I buy so I can have a nice portable unit I can take running with me so it won't skip. Again, I buy the cds I make MP3s from. If people were truly using it as a "backup" game, I would see no problem in it. Unfortunately, not everyone is that honest.

What's the difference in stealing and making a copy of your friend's game or cd? Don't think there is one.

Don't forget that Sony delayed the release of the PS2 to China because of the high rates of piracy which exist there. I am guessing that they waited til they covered all their cost, before releasing the console there. That way, every unit sold would be profit, and they wouldn't have to worry about software sales.

Also, because you brought up economics, companies do factor in piracy into the total cost of the game the same way they factor in advertising.

The X-box will eventually be cracked (this is obviously a fake). There are so many talented people out there working on cracking it, that someone will get it eventually.

I'm not sure i care for your tone here, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and give you a reply.

If you want to get technical about it, Backups are completely legal if you have a copy of the game. It has been ruled time and time again in a court of law that backing up music, games, and other software is a legal procedure.

As far as your assumption about pirate software, I disagree. If people had the choice when going to the store to buy a game, yeah, they might take the pirate stuff and the company would loose money. But what I have experienced is people downloading games from a website simply because they are there. They want to try them out and see if they are worth it. I know plenty of people who d/l the original Crazy Taxi who would not have bought the game. A lot of these same people then went and purchased Crazy Taxi 2 when it hit the shelves.

Most people who pirate games NEVER intended to buy the came under any condition. Do you think that the D/C would have sold so strong if could not have been cracked? Those people would have had zero interest if it was not hacked. I'm saying that those people also purchased legit games, sales that would have never been made if they werent interested in the hack side of the system.

BTW, Since I have a B.S.B in Finance and an MBA, I think I can for go any more economics classes thank you.

Well, you may legit copy your cd's to MP3's, but 99.999% of people who download the MP3's do not own the CD, so the comparison is very appropriate. It all comes down to intent. If I bought a vinyl record in 1972 of a Paul McCartney song, do I have rights to any and all future recording techniques of that song????
Hmmm, tough call. I would say yes. The record companies would say no. The courts come down on the side of consumers. That is why the Home Recording Act was passed.

BTW, I download MP3's all the time. The way I figure it, with over 300 CD's in my collection, I have been burned enough time with crappy CD's or CD's with one good song that the artist owe me a few. I also would have been willing to pay for Mp3's, but the greedy recording industry will not allow this.

Even if a kit were put out by the console makers themselves, and the blessing was given by all developers that it was okay to make a personal backup of my console games, I still wouldn't bother to do it. Ditto most other people.

MP3's on the other hand, I do make personal copies of (for reasons already stated above by Cyberock).

Fonman,

My comments were directed toward people who pirated stuff, not the person who makes legal backups. I also don't see an issue with downloading software that you can't get any more in the store. Yes, that's illegal but that's the company's fault for not making it available. I just think there's a lot of people out there who would put this technology to illegal use which in returns hurts all of us. I think part of the reason things are so expensive is because companies have to take piracy into consideration. Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have these offshore companies mass producing illegal copies of software, movies, and games? I bet you developers could cut the price of games (even though they probably wouldn't) if there was no worry of piracy. That free copy of the game we give our buddy or make available on a warez site, we all pay for in the end. Again, the economics lesson is not an attack on someone who makes backups. Its an attack on that person who feels the need to buy one game and pass out 20 copies to their friends or sell it on the internet. If people want to try something out before purchasing it, that's what renting is for.

Just some random facts to add to this topic:

1. The day dreamcast was cracked (dead or alive 2), i bought a dc system
2. The day xbox was released, i bought the system
3. I would download a copy of gun valkrie, but not buy/rent it
4. i would buy a copy of morrowind, but not download it

basically, if its worth buying, people are going to buy it.

-asc

to add to that, i will not buy a gc, ps2 or xbox until 1 of the following:
1) games can be cracked/backup
2) gc for $149, ps2/xbox for $175 or less

IC_Freeze, you never said what you based this thread on. Did you get information from a reliable source that the Xbox had in fact been cracked, or were you duped by this obvious fake of a video. The channel switching makes this impossible to believe. As for anyone who says that making a backup of a game is a bad thing I say you are dead wrong. It is legal and it should be allowed. I understand that companies will fight tooth and nail against it, but it should be allowed. You are innocent until proven guilty in this country so anyone who says they want this capability to create a backup is doing just that. If you prove they are pirating it in a court of law then so be it. As for the MP3 comparison I would say that is terrible. A game is going to be huge to download so it wouldn't be as high a percentage as when a recording artist releases a new song. If groucho and cyberrock say they only use mp3's they have ripped from CD's they have legally purchased then I say good for them, but they are probably the only two people in the world that do this exclusively. Almost anyone who has mp3's gets them from friends or file sharing. Remember, if you download one song from the net or a friend you have just pirated that song. I still don't see downloading the disc images to be a very big concern, the piracy would come from people renting the game and ripping it in less time. They would then make copies for friends and themselves also. Of course each software title would start renting better but sales would probably dip slightly. Then you figure some kids will convince parents to buy them the system for this purpose but the parents will still buy them games for birthdays and Christmas and so on. Also, with the increase of sales of the system, screw it there is too much to factor in here. It would be good and bad I guess. One thing is for sure though; even with zero piracy you will never see a price drop in the games, never.