Microsoft pledges to bring down console modders
- May 18, 2007 11:11 AM PST
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In an effort to curtail illegal cheating and hacking practices within Xbox Live games, Microsoft has begun the process of seeking out and banning modded Xbox 360 consoles.
By Eugene Huang
Complaints of cheating around the Xbox Live community have led Microsoft to keep an eye open for modified Xbox 360 consoles that give gamers an illegal edge during multiplayer network games. According to Microsoft, the recent mass release of the Halo 3 beta, as well as the company's long-term dedication to the idea of maintaining a "level playing field" has brought the topic of console modding to the forefront of the gaming community.
In a recent post on Microsoft's official Gamerscoreblog, violators of the company's no-mod policy will see their Xbox 360 consoles permanently banned from using the Xbox Live service. When attempting to connect to Live, modders will see an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D), which effectively prevents the console from signing on as an Xbox Live user.
Users attempting to login with a modified console will see this error screen.
"We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users," The Gamerscoreblog post states.
The post indicates that the offending user's account will not be deleted, and can still be used, but only if connected through another unmodified Xbox 360 console.
