How investigators tracked down a Modern Warfare 2 cyber pirate
>> From venturebeat.com:
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The posting last Thursday on Craigslist was alarming. Someone was selling a Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle, with both a console and a game, for $500. The problem was that Modern Warfare 2, one of the most anticipated games of the year, doesn't officially go on sale until Nov. 10.
Activision Blizzard, the game's publisher, called in IPCybercrime.com, a Dallas private investigation firm that specializes in online investigations. The investigators tracked down the seller and stumbled into a scheme to pirate the game and sell a bunch of fake copies over the Internet. While the bust led to the arrest of just one hacker among many, it sheds light on the shadowy underground of the business of illegal piracy. It also offers a peak at how investigators try to head off a major piracy disaster before it happens.
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Full Story: venturebeat.com
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Twitter, Facebook, Last.FM and Xbox 360 Family Settings
>> From majornelson.com:
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As some of you might be aware, those under the age of 18 are not able to access Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm in our public preview. I want to you let you know that this will remain the case when it launches to the world soon. We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren't able to use Family Settings to customize which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18. As expected, this has been a hot topic with the preview users. We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access. This means that Xbox LIVE members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve. The team hope to roll this out several weeks after launch and I will update you on the exact date as it gets closer.
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OTX: Xbox 360 Gamers Defecting To PS3 For Holiday Sequels?
>> From gamasutra.com:
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It's coming time for the Holiday launches of anticipated multiplatform sequels -- and new data provided to Gamasutra by OTX's GamePlan Insights finds that many sequel-buyers might be switching platforms, defecting from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3 for more than one major release.
OTX data shows that 15 percent of those who plan to buy the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed 2 own the Xbox 360 version of the original, while only 7 percent of those who plan to buy the Xbox 360 version own the original game on PS3.
Moreover, the trend for Modern Warfare 2 is the same, according to OTX. "The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favor among dual owners," Williams tells us.
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Major Nelson Talks about Latest LIVE Ban Wave - More Bans Today
>> From majornelson.com:
[QUOTE]
As you may have read online, we've been actively banning consoles from Xbox LIVE that have been modified to play pirated games. Our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. 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. 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. This would also be a good time to remind you that the warranty on an Xbox 360 console is not transferrable and if you purchase a used console that has been previously banned, you will not be able to connect to Xbox LIVE.
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While the 'banhammer' went quiet since last Friday's wave, it looks like Microsoft is banning users again today as reported by users on our forums and IRC.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 With Free 100usd Gift Card Deal at Walmart *Updated*
>> From kotaku.com:
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A retail tipster sends word that Walmart will be selling an Xbox 360 Arcade with a $100 gift card for $199 this Saturday.
Sounds like a great deal, though as with all rumors, make sure to take this with a grain of salt until we can get verification or the official news hits on Wednesday.
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*Update* News is confirmed on walmart.com
Full Story: kotaku.com | walmart.com
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MS forcefully removes private chat from upcoming titles
>> From examiner.com:
[QUOTE]
Do you like to use the party chat option on your Xbox 360? Well, if you do, you may soon find yourself being forced out of using that option. Microsoft appears to be offering developers the option to negate the private chat option the Xbox 360 offers.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will force players to decide whether or not they'll play the game and join the game chat, or choose to stay in a private chat and not play in the multiplayer game. The private chat feature became a way of telling other players of enemy locations after being killed.
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Full Story: examiner.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Talismoon First Aid Kit for Xbox 360 Controller
>> Talismoon released a new product for the Xbox 360 controller:
[QUOTE]
If your Xbox 360 controller is losing some life, its time to administer some First Aid. The First Aid Kit includes new rubber mats for your controller, as well as replacement thumbsticks with potentiometers.
* Description
Bring your old controller back to life. This first aid kit fixes two basic problems. Fix the problem with "dead buttons" by replacing the rubber pads that the buttons rest on. After several years of heavy gaming, these pads can wear out and not provide the "spring" back that they onces did. Replacing the rubber mats is easy and requires on the most basic skill. This kit also includes replacement thumbsticks assembly. This includes the mechanism for the thumbsticks plus the potentiometers that work with the mechanism. Repalcing the thumbstick mechanisms requires intermediate soldering skills.
* Specs
-1 set of rubber mats for your controller. This includes 2 different shapes.
-2 thumbstick replacement mechanisms.
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Official Site: talismoon.com
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Jungle Flasher V0.1.67 beta (50)
>> A new version of JungleFlasher(info) has been released.
What's new/fixed:
* iXtreme 1.61 support
* 1 minor bug
* other work was planned but leak of 1.61 prompted this quick fix
Official Site: http://jungleflasher.net
Download: here
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Microsoft Confirms LIVE Console Ban Wave to IGN
>> From xbox360.ign.com:
[QUOTE]
"We have taken action against a small percentage of consoles that have been modified to play pirated game discs," a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN. "In line with our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community, we are suspending these modded consoles from Xbox LIVE."
Microsoft also added this is a standing policy and isn't tied to any specific time-frame.
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Full Story: xbox360.ign.com
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New Console Ban Wave on Xbox LIVE?
>> We're currently seeing lots of discussions on our forums (like here or here) and on IRC about console/hardware bans again, so it seems Microsoft is busy with a new Xbox LIVE console (not gamertag) ban wave atm.
Right now we don't have a lot of details, except it doesn't seem to be linked to any particular FW version or drive model, as users with all type of FWs and drives report bans, while others with the same configuration still seem fine.
Report your status in the thread below.
More details soon ...
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