X-Box as a mame cabinet DOOMED Mame next?

[creepfactory]

Whelp, looks like the whole X-box as a mame cabinet is doomed, as the major supplier of chip mods was frekin ARESTED! Good job department of justice, who needs to watch those sneaky muslim terrorists, we have 22 year old college students to attack!  Holy crap look at the manpower, money and resources our government puts into stopping chip mods! So much for the war on drugs, we have chip modders to stop! And the war on terror and Sadam, peanuts compared to stopping nerds like us who play video games! This kid goes to jail , not even for selling pirated software(which I hate), but mod chips that have never been found to be illegal in a court of law in america. Microsoft is so powerful it's scary. BUt back to the main point, I have completely abanoned any thoughts of an X-box cabinet now. It's a shame, it was coming along, and instant on was just too cool and for $275 bucks you could have a complete system. Sigh, ah well back to the pc! Just wait till Microsoft comes after all of use here, they wont like mame either, it infringes on the great DMCA! I am telling you we are next, we will be in jail for playing unlicensed Pac Man. It's like a Twilight zone movie it's so bizzare. All I have to say is the mod chip guys never thought they would get in trouble for selling a piece of silicon, and the big companies HATE emulation, because we all play old games and don't go buy new games, they hate us and want to stop us. Don't kid yourself they will do it out of spite, they know there is no money lost, but their "Intelectual Property" must be protected like it's a new baby. I really hope we all stay under the radar, but the threat is real, all it takes is ONE Namco lawyer to decide that mame can't use pac man, then 80% of the other companies will follow suit. But the good news is they are mostly gone, but I bet the lawyers will simply ban Mame, as it is  a threat and microsoft crushes all threats, they want us all playing NON modded x-boxes. I for one now will never support the xbox or any other system microsoft puts out. It's a shame though, the idiots who wanted to pirate lame x-box games ruined it for the emus on xbox fans. Oh Golly Dead or alive virtual nudity! Anyway sorry in advance for the long message.

[SirPoonga]

Whelp, looks like the whole X-box as a mame cabinet is doomed, as the major supplier of chip mods was frekin ARESTED!

Why would you want to do this anyway?  You can't run much in mame on the xbox.  might as well get a dreamcast and mame for the dreamcast, you'll be able to run the same games.

Edit: ok, I actually read your statement.  Man, you don't have your facts straight.

To add to what HC said.  It's M$ spending the money on this, not th egovernment.  So we are still fighting terrorism.  All the DOJ does is enforce the law.  M$ brings the cases to court.  DOJ is just doing their job.  

[Howard_Casto]

creep #1 calm down man... mod chips haven't went anywhere.  They close down a mod-chip manufacturer once a week.  It's just another one takes thier place.  It's just the way it is, it's not the end of the world.

Secondly don't paint the gaming company's as the bad guys here.  They have every right to protect their intellectual property as you put it.  But that's NOT why microsoft cracks down on mod chips.  That's the legal excuse they give, so the authorities will cooperate.  You see M$ looses approximately 100 bucks on each console.  

They do this gleefully because they know that you will have to buy games, and they get a fee from each game sold.  Simply put, they aren't going to lose 100 bucks so that some nerd can put linux on their xbox and never buy a single game for it.  If you can't see thier side of the story then I envy you because even my cold heart goes out to them on this matter.  

They are the new kids on the block and they are sticking with it to provide great hardware and software and elimante the "shovel-ware" tactics of sony, thus increasing the quailty of software for everyone.  If they fail then we will have the second video game crash similar to what happened to atari, as sony almost refuses to screen their games for quality, just as atari did.  

Now do I personally agree with m$'s solution to piracy and console hacking?  No I don't, but they have every right, especially considering the unique financial and marketing situation they are in right now.  Trying to stop piracy on 30 year old games may be lame, but trying to stop piracy on brand new games is completely different.  So if your disappointed I understand.. but you have no real reason to get angry over this.  And as I said, mod chips aren't going anywhere, so you can still get a modded xbox, it just won't have that particular chip in it.

[wobbie]

?
creepfactory you really are over reacting!

one mod chip seller has been arrested.  I am actually still unsure how he managed to get arrested as i thought the sale of chips was still legal. even in the US!

Why on earth has this made you abandon building an xbox mame cabnet?  If its through fear that your gonna be arrested for using a chip then i sugest you get rid of your ROM collection too... they might jail you for that.. infact go burn any audio tape copies you've made also!  

really though. the xbox homebrew scene is still stong and getting stronger.  I'm sure the next version of Mamex will be released soon, hopefully they will have got around the rom size limit that prevents some late 90's games from working. Then it will be a damn good system.  

but for now. if you are that worried about it ... ... then go do your emulating on a PC like most the other guys here!

[Frostillicus]

I really don't see the point in modding these new consoles anyways, since another one will be coming around in a year or two - why try to keep up? With all the time and energy some people put into trying to run linux or whatever on an xbox they could probably just have gotten a part time job and earned enough money to buy the games they want.  It's not like the xbox is top of the line anymore.   I mean, for a little more you can get a nice PC and not have to worry about soldering a third party chip to the mobo.

I don't want to sound high and mighty, though there IS a huge difference between 30 year old roms and brand spankin new games like SirP said.  I want super-quality games for my xbox developed and that won't happen  when the DVD ISO's are floating widely around the net like so many MP3's.  

[SirPoonga]

I really don't see the point in modding these new consoles anyways, since another one will be coming around in a year or two - why try to keep up? With all the time and energy some people put into trying to run linux or whatever on an xbox they could probably just have gotten a part time job and earned enough money to buy the games they want.  It's not like the xbox is top of the line anymore.   I mean, for a little more you can get a nice PC and not have to worry about soldering a third party chip to the mobo.

Because you can!

I don't want to sound high and mighty, though there IS a huge difference between 30 year old roms and brand spankin new games like SirP said.  I want super-quality games for my xbox developed and that won't happen  when the DVD ISO's are floating widely around the net like so many MP3's.  

So by that logic there has never been a super-quality game:)

[SNAAAKE]

WTF !..they actually arrested someone for this?

Over here in New York City...you can find anything on the streets...in china town you have that office xp version that cost $600 for like $50.No one is stoping anyone on the streets...thats new york yo.. .

maybe m$ should start chasing little chinese kids trying to sell pirated M$ software on the streets .

[Frostillicus]

So by that logic there has never been a super-quality game:)

Nice try - you own a PS2, don't you

[SirPoonga]

Nice try - you own a PS2, don't you

Nope, and I plan on getting an xbox for the quality of games it has.

[Magnet_Eye]

you know whats interesting...i read that MS bought Connectix...so, now they are in the Emulation game, and a competitors console nonetheless!

hmm...makes you wonder what the motivation is.

 

[eightbit]

you know whats interesting...i read that MS bought Connectix...so, now they are in the Emulation game, and a competitors console nonetheless!

hmm...makes you wonder what the motivation is.

Not to hard to figure out where the motivation is. Either they'll take the best of Connectix and incorporate it into their products or they bought it to shut it down.

[Brax]

It's illegal....... guy gets arrested.
What's the problem here?

Someone likes their piracy too much.

[nipsmg]

That's not NECESSARILY true.

The DMCA (which, in my opinion is the one of then WORST pieces of legislation EVER passed.. WAY too broad.) makes illegal something created for the sole purpose of circumventing copyright protection.  However, if an item has LEGITIMATE USES other than piracy, then the device itself cannot be deemed illegal.

Example: VCR's, Cassette tapes

The movie & audio industry freaked when these became widely available, allowing people to make copies of their media.  Sure, VCR'S and Casette tapes can be used to pirate movies & audio tapes, however, they have other legitimate uses, such as backup, creating mix tapes from tapes you own, etc.. so these devices are not illegal.

Mod chips can also be used to allow you to use backups of your media that you legally bought (which is SUPPOSED to be a guaranteed right, but the DMCA is helping companies stomp all over this), and can be used to allow you to develop homebrew software, or use your hardware in a different way than intended.  

When you buy your x-box, there's no law saying you can use it ONLY for games, and that's it. It's now YOUR hardware that you can do with what YOU WISH.

Now.. don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that people really use Mod Chips MOSTLY for legal reasons, because I'm sure a lot of people don't.  However, owning, creating, or using a Mod-Chip really ISN'T illegal, unless you pull the DMCA card and try to twist the law.  

The DMCA really should be repealed, revised, and re-passed.  I have NO problem w/ companies wanting to protect their intellectual property, however, I do when it comes at the cost of fair use laws.

--NipsMG

[SirPoonga]

Yep, it's like saying mame is illegal, no mame is not.  

[Brax]

Yep, it's like saying mame is illegal, no mame is not.  

Nope, it only encourages illegal activity.

Is it inherehently destructive because of that? Probably, but no one here would admit it.

[SirPoonga]

Yep, it's like saying mame is illegal, no mame is not.  

Nope, it only encourages illegal activity.

Is it inherehently destructive because of that? Probably, but no one here would admit it.

Guns encourage illegal activity.
x10 encourages illegal activity
using GIFs encourage illegal activity
using a computer encourages illegal activity
buying a sports car encourages illegal activity

You can make an illegal activity excuse for everything.  That;s how bad our laws are.

[Pixelhugger]

From my understanding mod chips themselves are not illegal, but use of the portions of Microsoft owned code on some of the BIOS' is, even if no illegal game copies are ever made. So technically I 'spose a lot - maybe most actually ARE illegal. Maybe I'm mistaken.

On a related note I believe the guy who got arrested wasn't just importing the chips but was ALSO involved in ISO/warez distribution which raises the stakes way WAY up. To quote someone from the xbox-scene boards:

" Krazy8" was busted for selling Enigmahs (modified M$ BIOS), and was targeted because he did a large amount of business in modchips and ran "the" Warez site. "

Again maybe I'm wrong.

What does everyone else think--- It seems to me that pirating games you otherwise would NEVER buy is pretty inconsequential - ethically speaking - however pirating games to keep from buying them or to trade or give them away is basically next to shoplifting (on an ethincal level) isn't it?  - since the retailers and developers are DIRECTLY out of the cash they'd otherwise have made.

Most people here have ROMs from Pac-Man and the like, but would never actually buy the arcade game so NAMCO/Midway isn't out anything. MAME will never get attacked by the feds 'cause there's simply no profit motive to it.

[Rasher2k]

You buy a factory built car from an auto dealer. You pay for it with your own hard earned money; you own it; it is yours - to do with as you see fit. You fit it with extractors and turbo charger, which increases it's performance considerably.

You buy a factory Xbox from a games dealer. You pay for it with your own hard earned money; you own it; it is yours - to do with as you see fit. You fit it with mod chips and excessories, which increases it's performance considerably.

The turbo charger and mod chips aren't illegal by themselves, they are just spare parts sitting around not hurting anybody. When combined with the product they're intended to enhance they become very noticible. Thats when the law pulls you over and checks under the hood, because you're doing something they dont want you to do...

[eightbit]

Mames not illegal. To use mame with all but a handfull of games is illegal.

Does anyone know which arcade compilations are the most accurate? Do any of them use the Arcade roms like mame does? Are there legal roms outside of the actuall PCB's to be bought?