Microsoft Disconnects 600,000 Xbox Live Gamers

When the argument PC gaming's demise arises, one of the most common issues discussed falls back on piracy. The fact is, piracy on the PC is easy, and no single person can deny that. Upon release, and sometimes even before, full games are available on various networks that include cracks to bypass protections, and the same goes for applications and other things. On consoles, though, piracy is made a lot more difficult. But, that doesn't stop many people from taking part.

I knew that piracy on the Xbox 360 was rather common, but I had no idea just how common. Hot on the heels of the Modern Warfare 2 release, Microsoft has banned some 600,000 gamers from its Xbox Live network. That means, no official online gameplay for those using modded consoles. Currently, Xbox Live has some 20,000,000 subscribers, so 600,000 seems like nothing more than a drop in the bucket, but 3% is rather significant from some angles.

I admit I'm not that familiar with Xbox 360 modding, and I'm not sure if the only reason people mod their console is to pirate, but judging by Microsoft's comments, that seems to be the case. It's quoted as saying, "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.". Well, there's not much room for confusion there.

How Microsoft detects modded consoles, I'm unsure, but given that the console must handshake with its servers, you'd imagine it wouldn't be too difficult. So the moral of the story is this... if you want to play on Xbox Live, don't mod your Xbox. This isn't the first time Microsoft has had a huge sweep of bans, and I'm sure it won't be the last. If you want to mod your Xbox, it'd probably be wise to purchase a second console, while keeping the first one "clean".

But many gamers modify their consoles by installing new chips or software that allows them to run unofficial - but not always illegal - programs and games. However, 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.

ASUS Gives Tribute to the Mona Lisa

Think that working at some of the largest companies in the world means there's all work and no play? Well, ASUS might prove that once in a while, fun does have to come into the scheme of things, and that's proven with a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci's legendary painting, the Mona Lisa. ASUS' recreation is found in the main hall of its Taiwan HQ, and unlike the real Mona Lisa, it's much larger than a person, and no painter ever came near it.

Rather, this Mona Lisa is comprised of thousands of computer chips and motherboard bits. Up close, the "painting" looks like nothing more than a strange collection of various computer bits, but as you step back, the image becomes a lot more clear. Sure, it's not the best-looking representation of the Mona Lisa ever created, but it might just be one of the most unique.

Modern Warfare 2 Filled with Controversy

Today is a big day. The follow-up to Modern Warfare (Call of Duty 4) is now available on the PC (the game has been available for consoles for the past couple of days), and I can't wait to dive right in. As mentioned the other day in our news, developer Infinity Ward is giving PC gamers numerous reasons to shun this platform-specific version, so it will be interesting to see if that will affect sales or not. With this latest release, though, there's a lot more controversy surrounding the game than meets the eye.

As I couldn't wait to take a quick look at the game, the pre-load status on Steam was dropped at around midnight last night, so I loaded it up. The first thing I saw was quite unique... "Disturbing Content Notice". Sure, MW2 is rated M, like the vast majority of other PC FPS titles, but this was the first time I recall ever being greeted with such a warning. It goes onto say, "Some players may find one of the missions disturbing or offensive." Interesting.

The more interesting point might be the fact that the game actually allows you to skip over that mission in its entirety, with no penalties towards your normal progression. After digging up some information, it appears that the controversial mission happens earlier on in the game, and has the player take control of a CIA agent who goes undercover to work alongside terrorists. That's not the problem... the problem is that there's player-controlled killing of civilians involved - a first for the series.

Is Infinity Ward deliberately pushing the envelope, or is there a reason for such a mission to exist? I plan to begin the single-player campaign later this evening, so it shouldn't be too long before I find that out, especially as the game has only a predicted 7 hour single-player campaign. Slightly off-topic, Modern Warfare 2 will likely replace World at War in our GPU reviews very shortly. Both games are based on similar engines, but MW2 has some updates, and is brand-spanking-new, so it makes sense to include.

The most-anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Modern Warfare 2 continues the gripping and heart-racing action as players face off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 features for the first time in video games, the musical soundtrack of legendary Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy Award and Tony winning composer Hans Zimmer.

Tech Roundup - November 12, 2009

Motherboards & Processors
• ASUS P7P55D Deluxe - TweakTown
• GIGABYTE P55-UD6 - TweakTown

Displays & Video Cards
• ATEN VS481A 4-Port HDMI Switch - OCModShop
• Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X - Neoseeker

Memory & Storage
• Apacer A7 Turbo A7202 64GB Solid State Drive - Pro-Clockers
• Corsair Dominator 1600MHz 8GB - Bjorn3D
• Crucial M225 256GB Solid State Drive - ThinkComputers

Peripherals & Gadgets
• Adesso CyberTablet 6400 Graphics Tablet - OCModShop
• Archos 3 8GB Touch-screen MP3 Player - EverythingUSB
• ZOWIE Hammer Gaming Headset - TweakTown

Cooling
• Coolink SWiF2 Fan - Red and Blackness
• Corsair H50 Hydro Series Liquid/Water CPU Cooling System - Tweaknews
• Evercool Cruise Missile Thermal Compound - Hi Tech Legion
• Noctua NF-S12B FLX Fan - LanOC
• Zalman CNPS9900A LED CPU Cooler - TestSeek

Chassis & Power Supplies
• Cooler Master Elite 310 Chassis - TestSeek
• Corsair Obsidian 800D Chassis - Metku
• In Win AMMO 2.5 inch RFID Enclosure - techPowerUp
• NZXT BETA EVO Chassis - Vortez Hadware
• NZXT M59 Chassis - Overclockers Club
• Thermaltake Toughpower XT 850W Power Supply - JonnyGURU

Competitions, Complete Systems & Et cetera
• Acer Timeline 14" 4810T Notebook - TechSpot