August 3, 2007Feds Raid Video Game Modders
Posted by greg
This site needs an update, and I found the following to be relevant and actually quite interesting… Thanks for the news tip manny.
U.S. customs agents raided 32 homes and businesses early Wednesday, searching for hardware that allows pirated video games to play on the popular PlayStation 2, Xbox and Wii consoles.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, the search warrants were served in 16 states, including California, Illinois, New York and Texas, as agents looked for evidence of the importation, sale and distribution of the modification devices made overseas and smuggled into the country.
The so-called “mod chips” and “swap discs” targeted by the searches let gamers play pirated titles or counterfeit copies on Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 2, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox and Xbox 360, and Nintendo Co.’s Wii video game machines.
Hmmm better get my Wii chipped soon then :P
hey guys, that was my email, hehe! be careful where you get your modchips from, the Feds are obviously taking piracy seriously now.. any questions, email me: kingrykku27@aol.com
later
yeah, 32 out of millions of american pirates… sounds pretty serious
i think it’s not fair to not let people make back-ups of there own games. We should be allowed to make our back-ups
You are allowed to make back ups. But at any time if you no longer have the original you are not allowed to use the back up.
Viva Australia! Legal modchipping as long as your bypassing a region code!!!
this is only one of about 15 needed updates, can someone take more care of this site please, the homepage is always neglected
Yes i agree it should be legal to create back-up’s of our own games but there should be a way to stop piracy.
Maybe when we make a backup we have to regerster the game and such.
Only if industries are willing to do such a thing then maybe we could.
If people in the video game industry make you register your game to your system, that will cause all stores who sell used games to go out of business. Not a smart idea.
i used to work for game crazy and sony was originally going to implement a security procedure that registered any games you’ve played on your system while online, and the game would no longer work on any other online enabled systems for the ps3. they didnt really care since they don’t make any money/royalties from used games sales.
Sadly, especially on the PS2…modchips and swap discs are NEEDED when playing foreign games. Myself, my ENTIRE COLLECTION, with the exceptions of Resident Evil Outbreak 1 ans 2, are all Japanese titles. None of these games would run without my swap discs.
Bullshit. I buy the console so I can do whatever the fuck I want to it. If I want to mod my Xbox to make me breakfast, that’s my fucking right. Fuck this communist bullshit.
I agree with PJDJ on it all. If I buy it then I should be able to “modd” or “reverse-engineer” the device. It is NOT like I am going to take the technology and make a clone and market it. USA=Freedom of everything…. :) :)
i agree also,filthy ass feds i downloaded so much illigal !@#$ since i was 9(17 now)ill be locked up for like 40 years :D
this is bullshit!!!
FUCK YOU FEDS!!! they dont have the right to do that shit
i agree with you all, if you buy in, you own it. you should be able to mod the living hell out of it! fight the Feds!!!
That shit is stupid, I love my Modded xbox1 better than my 360 & ps3. As It can do anything I want it to. LOL (Make Me Breakfast) But honestly the xbox1 is truely a hackers dream as it allows for everything. Look it up if u havent already.
Oh yeh Fuck the Feds, and if the world was a girl i would stick my dick in the ground Fuck the world. LOL
hi
every one
in my country they sell the moded consoles every where even they give you the three years extanded warenty
come and live in my country no one will ask you any thing about your consols you can do any thing and the copy game is every where and they are showing the copy not hiding them and they are too too chep 3$ for the game
thats some hardcore $h!t
http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EElyEEkAllysyVJWYQ.php
the the story from one the kid who had been raided by the feds. shyt is crazy
That is ridiculous! The feds cannot do that. Modifying consoles is supposed to be fine, with the only drawback being a voided warranty. Most people modded their Xbox 1 to be able to use emulators, play imported games and use the incrdible piece of software XBMC, which gives you a media center on your tv. I can’t believe that a federal investigations organisation of “the land of the free” would do this when most of the world’s video game piracy occurs in Russia and Asia…I am stunned.
my country is KSA
lol sux for ny US resident. the rest of the world doesnt care… legal to make backups in canada and law not really enforced anywhere else. :)
btw in canada ur only allowed to make backups not sell them. :P
Yeah well the Federal has such a great record at cracking down on things. Now I can’t mod my wii or xbox, pickup up a a guy at Home Depot to cut my lawn , or find weed anywhere!!!!
modding should be allowed, but there are always people who think they “should” get everything for nothing
I find it funny that they are not doing any thing to people who have Emus and Roms, and ISOs on their memory stick. Also modding an Xbox is completely legal. As long as you do not put games on it you are fine.
they would if they could, but it’s alot harder to get charges to stick when they didn’t monitor it through the postal service. they have complete jurisdiction over whats being mailed
they would if they could, just look at all the crap that finally forced Dark_Alex to retire, but it’s alot harder to get charges to stick when they didn’t monitor it through the postal service. they have complete jurisdiction over whats being mailed after all.
I am so scared of modding my 360 because of shit like this. If somebody could maybe go to the official site and just copy and paste the little section of the law that says all of this. It’s hard to understand with all of this. So I CAN legally mod my 360 as long as I don’t play any copied games I don’t own online? Do I unplug ethernet only when playing copies? Or leave it plugged in always like usual but just don’t play multiplayer? Or is all that safe just don’t use emulators and iso files? Damn, somebody just make a comment with some facts and some real answers please…
if you have the leatest FW you can play online with your backup not to be wary
so if i buy a mod chip from overseas can this happen to me if my interest in modding is purely for my own personal reasons? it seems like they are just going after those who are into distributing modded gear as a business. in every one of these horror stories i come across, its always someone who mods for others to get money, as opposed to someone who just wants to mod their own gear for fun. anyone know any specifics on the legality of this in the US?
off topic i know but did anybody see the new rage trailer it’s kewl and for the Xbox 360! http://rapidshare.com/files/48319286/rage_teaser_quakecon2007_wmvhighwide.rar
fuck you feds, theres more important shit in this country you should be worrying about.
When will there be a softmod or a bootdisk? Is anything in the works? Is it possible? these are the questions that I ponder upon. These are the days of our lives…
oh crap! my ps2 is modded like hell!
So I am about to order the wiikey for my wii. Is it safe to order them in the u.s. and a.?
you know, its funny the way it seems like they are out to get modders because it might hurt the economy if they copy games, but for those who copy games chances are they are just doing it because its there and free and if it all had a price tag they were stuck with they might only buy one or two games. All i give a shit about these days is GTA and Halo. Most of the big releases are cheaply made and rushed because they play off the fame that some big Hollywood film has. Like the new Transformers game totally sucks, but I’ll bet a lot of you copped it and tried it out and then threw it away. Theres a luxury to being able to do that and a sense of honor that comes along with it. After saving enough money trying out games that are terrible, when something good comes along you should feel compelled to buy it even more, so that those who make it will keep on doing what they do, and those who make shitty games can go fucking bankrupt as they deserve, instead of ripping people off with big Hollywood hype and then releasing a poorly made product just so it will be on time for their promotional scheduling.
But I have wandered from the original point of this. Its funny that they do all this in the name of the economy, but what they may end up doing is taking a bunch of kids and give them criminal records for federal crimes. Way to go guys, now those kids will never be able to get decent jobs and that alone might hurt the economy in countless ways. How many potential doctors might never be able to become doctors because of having a criminal record, how many inventors? How many game designers, software developers, CEO’s to entertainment corporations, etc. Also, how many of those kids will end up saying “FUCK YOU” to the country and become real criminals just to lash out or just become criminals from the associations they develop in the prison system? A lot of people could potentially be steered down a very wrong path.
Its funny when you speak of America being a free country. Remember that the US government is now using Warrantless wire taping this likely includes the examination of internet traffic including the downloading of backed up games you may own. I say fuck the US congress and give back the constitution to its people this great country of yours is a NEW WORLD ORDER based on 4 or 5 maniacs with too much power that the people believed were there to defend them and instead are getting filthy rich off your backs. Fight back the government and demand that you have rights including freedom of speech before they decide you shouldn’t have that either.
What jobs are here in the US.Oh I forgot thair all leaving the US.Hell 33% of are pay check goes to the government and others. how can we buy nice things for our famliys after the bills are paid.Some people make there living off modding game systems to live to make ends meet.Thanks USA.The US government is going to do what they want no matter what we or anyone else says or does. We as the USA are fucked we went down hill in this country with all this bullshit that is going on and other things too, GAS prices anyone. It’s all about the greed of MONEY.Money is the root of all evil and they will burn in hell for that. Their judgement day will come. What goes around comes around and I hope it bits them in the ass.That’s all I got to say to this BULLSHIT
fuck the feds u all suck dick. i sell back up games and make aload of money out of it so fuck u all
They do have other things more important to do.
I guess they keep over looking all the millions of children in this country that is sold and raped everyday. Websites that except credit cards for it also. But I guess modding it death by taking. go figure.
Oh I see the future also.
The day fed bust down my door for wearing the wrong shirt that was not copyrighted to the correct pants. That could most likely be true in the usa future.
Take that Asswipe and also Dumbass Pres. George Bush out since he loves to be like daddy and get someone like Clinton that cared rats ass how the laws were. except the dmca he signed upon. People like Bush is what is sending America to the hell-hole and jobs to Mexico so you gotta do something to make money. :)
You know as time goes on in a free country we are less and less free…when is it all gonna stop..I sit here in my dead end job worrying about how im gonna pay my bills as this Gesthapo govt lets every illegal into the country to commit every crime known to man. But yet my tax dollars are being spent to make some fat corporate ex happy casue they busted some kids…Fuck you president bush, Fuck you feds..you’ll all burn in yell corrupt motherfuckers…REap it..!!!
I love my country but I sure hate my oppressive Ghesthopo govt that cares nothing about its people…via le revolution…reap the Whirlwind you corrupt bitches…..
If we want this kind of stuff to stop we have to stand up and tell the government to go to the hell it’s made for us. If they want to prosecute someone for voiding his warranty than we have to do what a certain portion of our Constitution that mentions the need to reform government if it proves ineffective. Ineffective and lame government manifesting itself in the form of doing what their corporate masters command them for their own greed-filled ends anyone?