Microsoft disconnects Xbox gamers

[[ES] Secret Squirrel]

Online reports suggest that as many as 600,000 gamers may have been affected.

Microsoft confirmed that it had banned a "small percentage" of the 20 million Xbox Live users worldwide.

Microsoft said that modifying an Xbox 360 console "violates" the services "terms of use" and would result in a player being disconnected.

"All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live," Microsoft has said in a statement.

"The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them."

Many gamers modify their consoles by installing new chips or software that allows them to run unofficial programs. Some chips are specifically designed to play pirated games.

Microsoft has not said how it was able to determine which gamers to disconnect.

"We do not reveal specifics, but can say that all consoles have been verified to have violated the terms of use," the firm said in a statement.

Reports suggest that the ban does not stop the console from working and only affects a gamer's Xbox Live account.

Industry figures suggest that piracy may cost the video game industry as much as £750m a year.

In other news, a UK court has dismissed a man's appeal against an earlier conviction for selling modification chips - "modchips" that allow gamers to play illegal games.

Christopher Gillham's earlier conviction was upheld by Hereford Crown Court which found that playing counterfeit games on a modified console infringed copyrights.

[[ES] Canadian Bacon]

Ah, well there's your explanation Semi.

[[ES] PapaSmurf]

Interesting.  Funny you should bring this up, because a friend of mine absolutely had this happen to him.  However, the ban seemed to ONLY ban his xbox, and NOT his actual xbox live account.  He was able to remove his hdd, and utilize a friends xbox to successfully resume his status and game saves on xbox live.  Weird.

[[ES] Semicidal]

Yeah, I am unhappy to correct the article. I can sign in on other xboxes.
The xbox itself is banned from live servers along with several other kicks in the crotch,

Installing games to HDD has been disabled.
Media center has been disabled (you can still stream from zune but since you need to be connected to live for most video it only works for music.
To take my HDD and put it on someone elses xbox will register my  profile corrupted. Any achievements I get from now on don't count unless they are on an unbanned console.

To be fair, MS can only ban a console if you are stupid enough to play one of your backups whilst connected to live. They don't seem to be able to just detect the modified firmware.