Modchip raids have gone too far - do something about it!

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Mindblowing... utterly mindblowing. When I first heard about these ICE raids last week I thought they were isolated incidents, but apparently this is like a major crackdown. And it's mod chips for crissakes people, MOD CHIPS! It's not like this guy was dealing crack!

We can't let crap like this go unnoticed. Write your congressman - contrary to what people think our Congress people actually do go through each and every piece of mail (or at least has a staff that does.) If enough people write in and tell them that this sort of bullshit is not cool we can change the law.

Yeah, I know there's a lot of political apathy here in the United States, but the wheels of government can truly haul ass when properly motivated, for instance look how fast that telemarketer "Do not call list" got implemented two years ago. That only happened because hundreds of thousands of people kept writing letters and sending petitions to their congress people. We need to do the same.

Write your House representative

Write your Senate representative

For you people outside the USA, you can write them too - be sure to tell them how much better your country is because crap like this doesn't happen there.

I'm serious folks, take five minutes and write your representatives. It's not to the point yet where we need a full time lobby for gamer's rights (and let us hope that is never actually needed.) But you can hack your computer and it's not against the law. You can hack your phone and it's not against the law. You can alter your car, your dvd player, your ipod, and any other device you own, but not your game system? Baloney. It's bullshit, and it must be stopped.

 

Lets be honest here, 99% of the people who buy mod chips are going to use them to play copied games. None of the other devices you mentioned can be hacked in a way to allow illegal activities to go on in the same way as modchip in consoles do. The other 1% and it's probably less then that are going to use them to turn xboxs into media centres, play imports and a tiny percentage of the 1% are going to use it for any sort of programming, and even a tinier percentage of that 1% are going to write anything which is anywhere near gaming like, with most turn being emulators (and lets be honest the vast majority of people using these are going to running games they don't own) or media players (and probably going to use this to view questionable downloaded material).

So write to your congressman to complain about raids on a device to allow criminal activity, why your on the same page why not ask him to legalise lsd too.

 

I agree. This is total bullshit on the Goverments part. I can buy commercial upgrades for my car that allow me to do 130+ MPH and they dont give a crap. Hell yeah the ONLY reason you need that power is to street race and thats not legal? Why not stop selling custom car parts.
Lets see... A car going 100+ MPH can easily kill a van full of children and my Modchips allow me to do what... drown puppies? no.... kill babies? no.... play DVD-R copies of games? YES YES THATS IT. NO WAY WE CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT CAN WE???

Anyway its just stupid to do this. Modchips let us play pirate games if we want but they also have legal use. Thats like busting people for having a MP3 player because it can be used to play downloaded copyrighted songs. Yeah some people rip their own CDs but THE VAST MAJORITY DOWNLOADED SONGS. How many people you see running down the street with a modchiped handheld playing copyed games? How many people do you see running around with a iPod of stolen music? Dosent make any sense. And I have heard they went after a guy with a single chip in his house all because he modded a Wii for a undercover asshole. THATS STUPID. Get the business that are importing them by the assload. Leave the little man alone, hes no threat.

Anyways my rants over. I think its wrong and they can be using their resources much more efficently then this crap. Pirate DVDs are 1000x times worse then games.

Anyways I dont modchip anything. I only have a PS1 chip that came in a PSX I got at a thrift shop. Softmod all the way baby. :thumbsup:

 

In the light of recent events regarding the modchip raids in USA I've been thinking about the situation as a whole. As you probably know the console companies have been quick applauding operation ICE and their efforts openly in official press releases. Instead of going on ranting about the raids I will use this opportunity to send a message to the console companies (that would be M$, Ninty and $ony). I think operation ICE was a serious mistake, you will end up hurting your own console business rather than the modchip business, let me try to explain why.

It is no secret that the consoles sell a lot on public image and as a concept rather than being the best product, the key customers are not only buying the product but also creating a fanbase around it. The most visible (on internet specifically) of the hardcore fans are the ones who modify their consoles regardless if the reason is piracy, region free, homebrew or all mentioned combined (you can regard this post being proof of that in a sense). Here you are being honored by the fans who love your hardware so much they feel the need to tinker with it in ways you never thought possible. Is this something you should bash or embrace? Let me elaborate further, and hold on to something, because I'm now going to tell you how to make your console sales grow by allowing piracy (yes, you read it right). While looking at that overhead pie chart in the boardroom telling you the % losses by piracy, instead, try to broaden your minds a bit. Ever considered the possibility that piracy makes the whole pie bigger? Lets play with the thought your console growth is up 20% due to fanbase piracy, then are those 2-4% of piracy within that chart really bad considering? Let that bake your noodle for a while.

I understand there is huge pressure from the game development companies to do something about piracy, but hey, wouldn't they benefit from a general console growth? Why play charades here when the truth is already known.

I had a discussion with a friend yesterday regarding the PS3 situation and poor sales at the moment. He thinks the reason is lack of modchips, and I agree. The hardcore fanbase websites are just dead regarding PS3, lack of interesting news force some of the sites to post boring business news making the interest go away in favor of other consoles where the hacking scene is alive. When trying to look from $ony's perspective, they need to establish the Blu-ray format as well increase console sales. The best way to root a new format is to sell burners, but in order to do that the customers need a reason to buy the product, in other words something interesting to burn...hint...hint...

Why go after modchips? Personally I prefer hardware mods in favor of softmod exploits for a number of reasons, some of which should be mutual with the console companies. I mean softmods are generally easier to install, free, doesn't void warranty, and can be done by almost anyone able to read a simple tutorial, this should be the nightmare for any console company in my humble opinion. The key to success is balance.

EDIT:

To rectify the language inflation; software piracy is not theft, it is duplication without permission.

 

Hmmm. Ever think ROM raids might become a reality one day?

 

Thats a cold day in hell and I will be out of this country faster then they can get off the shitter and get to my door.

Besides most roms are very old now. The only real roms being made are of DS games as we have images for all CD based consoles. They are blowing this way out of porpotion. Its one thing to sell boxs of modchips as a business to live off of. But if a guy has a extra chip and a someone wants it installed for a fiver they shouldnt jump his ass.

This crap is like Guns. They sell them everywhere and everyone has them yet they are used to kill many people each day. However they cant do anything because we all have the right to bear arms. Well I think I have the right to do ANYTHING I WANT WITH MY DAMN HARDWARE I BOUGHT! IF I WANT TO CRACK IT OPEN AND MOD IT (JUST LIKE A CAR) THE GOVERMENT CAN SUCK IT.

 

But there aren't as strict laws with regards to buying car mods. You may not be able to legally drive the car at those speeds, but cars are sold with the ability to drive way past the legal speeds anyway.

Mod chips have one aim, piracy. If someone released a modchip that only let you play NES games, no bugger would buy it. What does the 360 chip let you do? only play copied games, no emulators, no media centres, just play copied games. The Wii chips have extra features, but their prime objective is pirated games.

In principle, we should be able to do what we want, but when it breaks the laws, someone has to do something. If the government turned around and said "you are technically our property, so I am going to put a camera in your toilet and watch you shit every day" you would have a problem with that. In the same way, these companies are justified in their support of these raids.

 

I agree we need to get the DMCA over turned.
BY ANY MEANS NESSESSARY!

I declare my self the Malcom X of the make Mod Chips/P2P music downloading legal scene.

 

This is wrong. Whether or not everyone thinks modchips are used for piracy 100% of the time, they're not. Period. Of course most of the people who buy them just want to pirate games. What about those who don't? They deserve to get fucked, too?

I see this not as an attack on modchips, but more as the government telling me I can't do anything to my console after I legally purchase it.

 

In australia Mod chips are legal.

 

the government should spend money to fight against real problems like gangs with guns, drugs and so on.

 

I already wrote my senitor.

You know what really grates me though? they crack down on piracy but not on people trading Child porn on Peer to peer networks.

When was the last time you heard about mass raids and mass computer confiscations for people WILLINGLY AND KNOWINGLY trading child porn?

Which one poses a greater risk? playing any damned game we want or the Children being exploited on the internet for thousands of 50 year old perverts?

 

Even though it may offend some people, it really is true that the majority of modchip users are pirating.

Let me put it this way: I'm one of the few people who loves to muck around with DVD Decryptor and assorted programs like that one but NOT with the intention of making myself or other people copies of movies I don't own. I just love to take apart video and audio and things of that nature. In fact, the biggest reason I buy DVDs is so I don't have to deal with less-than-perfect quality. (Well, as perfect as it can be with the officially pressed disc being the default.) PLUS, I am a stickler for packaging. >> Supporting the original creators is not always on my mind as I buy used often....

BUT I am one of the few. Nearly everyone I talk to about the subject only cares about making that copy and saving a buck.

Hell, I refuse to tell my friends about the M3/R4 DS card because I know for a fact they will not care about homebrew. Even if they do, they would be much more enamored with the prospect of not paying for the games. They don't deserve my info if they're just going to turn right around and be cheapasses.

I don't mind piracy of old games for dead consoles (even though it still is, by the law, illegal), but newer ones still deserve support.

To those of you who live in regions where you are shafted by crappy release dates/translation/no releases at all or morbidly expensive games (Latin America, here's to you), I have no problem with modding.

With all this said and done, I could really use an Xbox and an exploit to get my classic gaming ROMS and DVD-Video ISOs running... I have a stack of animu DVDs ready for duty. >

 

So question to the people who are saying 'This is really wrong, the Government should be catching real criminals.

1 - What do you use mod chips for? Give your self a serve beating if you play copied games, none of this crap about trying games out, as there are ways to legally try games out.

2 - Give that modchips are generally mad in the far east and you are helping pay for organised crime, are you just as bad as the drug dealers in the street?

 

This is only an issue if you are trying to make a living in the us modding systems.

You shouldn't have any problem unless you order 100s of mod chips and make a business out of it. 1 mod chip for personal use won't get you raided. Its legal in other countries so get one from Canada either the whole system or the chip. I'm glad they do raids from time to time as small GAME stores who don't mod systems have problems enough trying to make it.

 

All the time, don't you read the news?

 

The point has been raised that modchips are soley around for piracy. Well, I compare it to DVD players, or computer games.

What if you use your chipped console for imports? Doesn't seem any different to me than hacking your DVD player to play import discs either. Yet one of these is illegal and the other isn't.

True, modchips allow piracy, but the keyword here is "allow." It is possible to play a copied, illegal game with a chipped console. It is also possible to play a copied, illegal movie on any dvd player, as well as a copied, illegal game on any computer. This has been going on for years, it's not like downloading games is anything new. Back in the day before the internet one could go onto an Apple IIe BBS and get practically any commercialy released game without too much trouble, but that didn't stop these games from selling millions of copies.

You shouldn't get busted becasue you own a tool that could concievably be put to an illegal use. Should I go to jail if I own a set of lockpicks, even though I've never used them in an illegal way? According to the DCMA tools that defeat copyright protection are illegal (hence these raids in the first place.) Well, what about the ol' black magic marker around the edge of the disc trick? Does that mean all magic markers are now illegal?

We're not arguing what the law says, we're saying the law needs to be changed - only people who get caught with or selling illegal copies of games, which are not back up copies for thier own personal use, and are truly guilty of piracy should be prosecuted. I'll even throw in the people who run the servers where you can download games that are still in the stores, that crap is illegal too. But selling and installing modchips shouldn't be in the same category as real piracy.

 

As long as they only bust people selling modchip installation service in stores, or modded systems in stores, etc I don't care. I don't want to see them attacking "the little people" though. Honestly if some guy has a couple buddies and installs a modchip for them or even if some guy gives his buddy a copy of a game or movie, it's not worth the time or effort to bust them. Not only is it not worth the time, effort, and money, it just looks so backwards. Oh no! Joe Blow copied the game of a multi-million dollar company! Now we're gonna throw him in jail for 90 years and charge him 50 million dollars. Meanwhile that guy that molested the little kid is out in 10. You may have noticed the laws first and foremost protect the rich/the money.

Again though, I support stopping people that profit from piracy. People that use piracy should not be dealt with in the same manner. Especially when they compare it to stealing for the imagery of a theif. If you're a theif, you should just be charged for the game/movie shouldn't you? Not 1,000% the market value and thrown in jail.

 

So the 360 modchip should be allowed because... what? you can run a modified "backup" of King Kong and boot to linux if you have an original stock bios from launch? well thats going to narrow down the number of 360 modchips you need to probably less than a hundred, as all the other fuckers are being used by kids to play downloaded games.

 

The point remains that if we bought the console we can do with it as we wish. They might now like it but thats how it should be, the worlds not perfect and they should spend their resources to stop real crimes in which people are killed or raped or things like that.